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Who doesn’t want their weeks to be easier!?!? My journey to simplify my life has led me to set up daily and weekly routines that make everything run more smoothly on a day-to-day basis. I now don’t waste my time worrying about the little things I can plan for during the week. What can you do this weekend to keep your week organized and stress-free?
- Tidy up: I tend to pick up the house and do some light cleaning on the weekend so I don’t have a whole lot to do during the week after work when I’m downright exhausted. This is probably the biggest chunk of time, as I do laundry as part of my “tidying” up routine as well. For Christmas all I really wanted was a robot vacuum to help control the dog hair that accumulates during the week. I have been obsessed! I now run it almost every day! I’m amazed at how much it truly picks up! But seriously, tidying up is a way for me to take care of anything that has wandered from where it normally resides and spot clean as I go. If you do most of your tidying and cleaning on the weekend, there will be less stress and fussing during the week.
- Clean the Fridge: Refrigerators can get really disgusting quickly. If you tend to have a fully stocked fridge most of the time, then how often do you really clean it? Each weekend dedicate some time to remove everything from the fridge that has gone bad. Wipe down the shelves. By cleaning out your fridge you can avoid buying items you already have and add items you need to your grocery list. By the end of the week I rarely have much food left over in the refrigerator, so it doesn’t take me too long to clean out my fridge. I am a firm believer in minimizing food waste and only buying what is needed…which leads me to my next point.
- Plan Your Meals: If you create a meal plan for the entire week you’ll have less anxiety or stress about what’s for dinner during the week and you won’t be rushing out to the grocery store last minute for items or buying carryout on your way home. You don’t need to schedule a specific meal for a specific day, but knowing the 5-6 meals you will be eating during the week will take the stress out of trying to pick a meal to cook from an unlimited amount of options. If you don’t like cooking every single night of the week, pick 2-3 meals and buy extra so you can have leftovers the next day. This will leave you the freedom to choose the meal you want to make on the day you want to cook it rather than being “forced” to cook something you don’t have any interest in eating that day.
- Write Out a To-Do List: Get yourself organized for the week! Look ahead and using a planner, a calendar, your phone calendar or other app that can sync across devices, etc. write out everything you need to get done for each day and at what time. Bobby has a basketball game at 7 pm on Tuesday? You have a dentist appointment at 2 pm on Thursday? Write that down. You don’t want to forget anything or miss any appointments (since you can still be charged for a service you didn’t receive if you don’t give enough notice for a cancellation). It can help you structure your day better to avoid rushing around to be on time to these events.
- Self-Care: You need to make sure each week that you are taking enough time to take care of yourself. My daily self-care routine that also saves me money is enjoying a cup of cappuccino every morning before work. It’s “me-time”. Sometimes in the afternoons I like to get my jam on while cooking and I’ll put on some music. On the weekend it could be going out to dinner and a movie. If you are super busy during the week running around to different events and taking care of others in your family, you need to schedule time for self-care. How can you serve others if you are not at your best? If you like to get your nails done, do that. If you love to read, schedule a block of time to read. If you like to meditate or work out, do that. You can not be completely present for others if you are not taking care of yourself first.
- Gratitude: Write down a list of everything you are grateful for. Expressing gratitude has become a daily routine for me, but sometimes it’s difficult to not get wrapped up in everything else during the week. Take a few minutes to appreciate everything you are thankful for. It will help ground you and hopefully you’ll realize that little thing you were worried about isn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
What do you do on the weekend or during the week that sets you up for an easier week? I’d love for you to drop your comments below!
