Sundays lately have meant something to me, and that’s on rest. I’ve come to appreciate not only Sundays as a day of rest, but Saturdays as preparing for the day of rest.

I am not the type of person to have a structured, minute-by-minute routine. Yes, while I do like my routines and having a set schedule I can stick to, I’ve learned that you can’t live your life minute by minute. Change happens, and we have to roll with it with a whole lot of grace.

That being said, I still believe that creating a Sunday routine for yourself can help set you up for the week ahead. Instead of the Sunday scaries creeping up on you, and worrying about the week ahead, you can have a relaxing Sunday and still plan out your week ahead. Here are some tips to practically create your ideal Sunday routine.

START YOUR CHORES ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY.

OK, I know you probably just rolled your eyes. The last thing you want to do at the end of a long work week is clean your bathroom or do those several loads of laundry you’ve been ignoring. But doing your chores—or at least starting on the chores—on Friday evening or Saturday, will ease the Sunday scaries of having to get all of your laundry done and will help you plan your outfits for the following week.

Don’t just stay in your pajamas all day long.

This isn’t me telling you what to do; if you want to stay in your sweatpants/loungewear/pajamas all day, by all means, do it. But putting on a cute outfit or at least your favorite pair of leggings will motivate you to get out of the house. Maybe you’re more motivated to work out which motivates you to schedule your workouts for the week. Maybe this means you put on a cute outfit to go to Trader Joe’s. Whatever it is, throw on that outfit that you just put in the laundry.

But when you can, stay in your pajamas and sleep in.

And don’t get down on yourself if you do stay in your pajamas for the most of the day! When you’re waking up early every single weekday for work (even while working from home!), you can easily become exhausted. Take the weekend to sleep in! Even if it is just for a couple of more hours. Your body deserves it.

Meal plan. And actually do it.

Maybe this is only listing out the recipes you plan to make the week, but if you really want to go step further, here’s an idea:

Cut up some produce like strawberries, apples, red bell peppers, avocado, etc. Cook up chicken, slice it, and put it into Tupperware containers.

That way, you’re not always going towards your delivery apps. When I do this at the start of each week, I find myself excited for my meals—especially on those long, tiring days where all I want to do is veg out on the couch, my meals are almost finished.

Schedule your workouts.

I am a big proponent of workout classes. When the world went into lockdown, I was devastated. I tried YouTube workouts, and they were helpful (and free), but I couldn’t find myself to stick around for the full 30-ish minutes that each video was. Enter: Obé Fitness. I’ve been subscribed to Obé Fitness since the beginning of January of this year, and it’s been amazing ever since! The app has both live and on-demand workouts. I don’t regret buying this at all (okay, maybe a couple of those lazy days). Every Sunday (or Mondays, let’s be real), I open the app and look at the live workouts and see what workouts can fit in my schedule during the week. I aim to schedule at least two workouts. My favorites include dance hiit with Walter K. and dance cardio with Peter. I tell you, scheduling my workouts at the beginning of each week have me more motivated and excited throughout the week for workouts!

Rest.

I think this is a given, given it’s Sunday and Sunday is the day of rest.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”

Exodus 20:8-10 (ESV)

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

Hebrews 4:9-10 (ESV)

“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

Genesis 2:2-3 (ESV)

Yes, making lists and organizing your schedule and working on your side hustles are all great and will set you up for a productive and great week, but stopping to take care of yourself is the best possible way to get ahead for the week. Take this time to journal your feelings, spend quiet time with God, and/or catch up on a book or TV show. Don’t feel the pressure to do all the things to get ready for the week ahead; make sure you are taking care of yourself. Your to-do list—even your Sunday to-do list—can wait.