Hello folks, 

If you want to have a successful week, you need to set it up right. You need to prepare and plan for it. You need to be thoughtful and thorough about it. And what is the the best way to do that? How you spend your time matters and I’ve found Sunday to be an incredibly useful, but on the contrary highly underutilized, day for many. In fact, then idea behind this post is to tell you:

1. Why Sunday may just be the most important day of the week
2. How you can take advantage of it to be that much more productive in the days ahead

Time is powerful

Speaking of productivity, it’s a pretty general term that I should probably clarify. Sure, it vaguely means getting work done efficiently, but in reality there is much more to it

It’s not about cramming more tasks into a day or getting your errands done faster, it’s about being deliberate with your time and making real progress towards your goals and ideal life.__ JOE

Because how you spend your time each day directly correlates to where you’re going. That’s why how you spend your time is so important. If you use it poorly, you will be chasing your tail, running in circles, not going anywhere and frustrated by your circumstances. But used wisely? You’ll see yourself move more rapidly in the right direction than ever before. Your time is powerful and you don’t want to let it go to waste. So how can you do that? Well, things like time management and goal setting are always great to keep in mind, but there’s one thing in particular that’s incredibly useful…How you spend your time on Sunday.

Sunday Holds the Key?

To be truly productive you need to be intentional about how you spend your time. And that starts on Sunday. And Sunday, I mean to refers to the day before your workweek starts again. So in theory, if your workweek starts on Monday, that means you need to make time for intentionality on Sunday. Or if that day is Wednesday, then you need to make time on Tuesday. For the sake of this post though, I’m going to use Sunday as the catch-all term for this scenario. 

Many people see the weekend as a time to blow off steam. They’ve put in work all week, they’re tired, and just want to relax. I totally get. We all need a little break to rest, re-energize, and get re-motivated for the week ahead. But, there’s also a secret power to treating your Sunday with a little intentionality. 

Meaning that while you’re relaxing, there are a handful of things to do on a Sunday that when done properly, can set your week up for tremendous productivity and success. So carve out some time on your Sunday and try out a couple of these little things to and become a genius of productivity.

Take the following Deep-Dives a day prior to your work – week: – 

1. Make time to learn:

Learning during the week is severely restricted. Hence the Sunday becomes an important day. There are a lot of amazing resources out there – audiobooks, documentaries, courses, you name it. The learning opportunities are nearly endless. Take advantage of that! Find something that interests you and dive in. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you find it interesting. And as you continue to explore, so will your excitement for learning. In turn, you’ll discover new ways to challenge yourself and grow. You can then use that excitement as fuel to launch yourself enthusiastically into the upcoming week!

2. Practice what you learn ;

We consume so much information each day. Be it podcasts or books, conversations, or articles, information is constantly flowing towards us.It’s one thing to listen to that knowledge, but it’s another thing entirely to apply it. BUT more importantly, make time to apply that information. Use what you’ve learned out in the real world. 

Employ those strategies, tactics, or tips that you’ve come across. Go into each week with a list of things that you’ve learned and want to try out. 

Then work through that list and find how exciting it is to actually take positive steps forward with your time.  You’ll be surprised at how fun and rewarding your days will be.

3. Reflect ;

This is one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday – reflect on the week. Why? Because Sundays are a great day for reflection. With the week now behind you and the next week fast approaching, consider:

• What things went well this week?
• How can you set yourself up for more great opportunities in the future?
• What things went poorly this week?
• What can you learn from this and do differently next time?
• How are your goals coming along?

See Sunday as a time for reflection and growth. As a period that you can utilize for introspection and contemplation.Use these questions as inspiration to plan out an even better upcoming week than the one you had prior. And if you find that you’re falling a little behind on your goals, try setting some daily goals to keep yourself accountable. 

4. Plan out your coming week ;

This is one of the best things to do on a Sunday to get ready for the week – plan it out. What do I mean by plan it out?. I mean that you should create a plan for your time. Particularly for the upcoming week ahead. Because as I mentioned earlier, Sunday is a great time to sit, reflect, and ponder on your previous week and what you’d like to see happen in the upcoming week. That said, creating a plan for your week is an amazing way to ensure that you get everything done that you are hoping to.

5. Think of Sunday as the start of the week instead of traditional Monday ; 

Mondays are chaotic, briefings , feedbacks, collation of last week data etc . etc . There are a lot of things going on and tasks being juggled. It’s a dreadful way to start the week. So instead of considering Monday the start, try reframing it in your mind so that Sunday is actually when your week begins. And then, with your week now starting on a Sunday, see it as a day for calm, restoration, and preparation for the rest of your week.

With a little reframing you can go into Monday with more focus, more calm, more motivation, and a more solid strategy for tackling the upcoming days.__ JOE

6. Do Catch up with loved ones ;

With everything going on during the week, it’s easy to let loved ones fall to the background. Take time on Sunday then to reach out to those connections and catch up. Schedule a lunch date, jump on a call, join a video chat or have a quick coffee to share your time with them. Reconnect with those you love and go into the week refreshed and feeling cared for. It’s a wonderful way to:-

• Share your life with those you love
• Get updated on how their lives are going
• And continue to build/maintain your relationships

Try scheduling one call every Sunday. Make it a weekly habit and watch how you go into each week feeling loved, cared for, and motivated to create new experiences that you can share on your next call.

7. Make time for yourself

This is something , I do every weekend. It helpmeet to take stoke of my own physical and emotional balance.To close out this list of Sunday things to do, the final thing that you should consider adding to your Sunday routine is to make time for yourself. This is a must if you want to be productive throughout the week. Because there’s no better way to head off into the week than by giving yourself some much needed care and attention – whatever that means to you. 

That could be spending some time for rest, or reading a book, or watching a movie, or eating something delicious, or doing some light cardio. It’s more of a listening to your mind and body and giving it the attention it needs. By making time to re-charge, you’ll be energized, focused, and ready to push through whatever future challenges come your way. In other words, you’ll head into the week ready to be more productive than ever before.

Moving forward with your things to do on a Sunday

Give a few of the items above a try on your next Sunday or a day prior to your work week. And as you go through your work week, notice how productive you feel. If you feel like you aren’t making any progress forward, try something new on your next Sunday. Or if you notice a difference for the better, keep doing what you’re doing! It’s all about experimenting to find what works best for you. Having said that, moving forward be sure to utilize your Sunday to the fullest so that you set your week up on a positive note and make progress towards your goals.

Do follow the ‘JOE’s Life Skills Lab‘ and get yourself enrolled in my E – Mail Newsletter  “ SUNDAY RETAZOS” sent exclusively to my subscribers with weekly updates on Mindful Productivity, life lessons and interesting articles I discover during the Week.  I AM SURE YOU DO NOT LIKE TO MISS OUT ON THIS .

Take Care

JOE