How to do a Sunday Reset Routine

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I know I’m not the only one who loves watching Sunday Reset routine videos on TikTok and Instagram reels! It’s so fun for me to see how each person does it and what is important for them to do.

I used to call them GYST Days (Get Your Sh*t Together) but it was a lot more complicated and seemed to take forever. Since implementing this version of my routine, my whole week runs so much smoother and I can go into Monday knowing that I have set myself for success!

Sunday Reset Basics

First, you need to know what is most important for your unique needs. There are a couple ways to consider this:

What will set your week up for success? (what can I do today that will make my life easier this week?)

or

What will make me feel better this week? (What will make me feel more refreshed and rested heading into a busy week?)

I focus on what will set Future Me up for success and make my life easier during the week – which, for me, means my Sunday reset days are mostly focused on food prep. My kids and I have a very busy schedule during the week, and need our meals to be quick on Mondays and Wednesdays when they have sports after school.

Since I grocery shop and meal plan once a month, on Sunday mornings I check the menu plan for the upcoming week and update my menu board. I use the Chipotle method to prep basic foods ahead of time for easy mix-and-match meals throughout the week.

I like to make some sort of bread to serve with at least one meal during the week and I bake whatever I choose on Sundays because I have time for a more time-intensive option. Today I made a loaf of overnight artisan bread, a batch of hamburger buns, and a batch of bagels to have as a quick breakfast option with a tofu “cream cheese” style spread. I also made some brownies because I needed a treat. This was an unusually heavy baking day for no other reason than I wanted hamburger buns and bagels and did not want to go to the grocery store for them.

Soup

One part of my Sunday reset routine that has been the most helpful is the practice of making a big batch of soup every week. My kids aren’t the biggest soup eaters, but having a batch of soup in the fridge makes for very easy lunch prep for me to bring to work during the week. The soup I make every week is dependent on both my mood and what produce I need to use up this week.

Hydrate

Okay this might sound silly, but I can lose myself in the zone of the Sunday Reset and forget to eat or drink while I’m on my mission. Fill up a water bottle before you get started and keep it nearby.

How I Stagger My Work

I love Sunday Reset days because I can set up everything to go at once. First I go around the house and gather up all the laundry, and start a load.

Then I empty the dishwasher, load it again and run it. Now the washing machine and the dishwasher are going.

Then I start a loaf of bread and once it starts to rise, now three things are going at once. I set a timer for the bread and sweep the floors.

While I’m in my “cleaning” mode, I clean the bathrooms. I have recognized that once I sit down, I’m likely not getting back up again, so I have to do this before I start folding laundry.

Finally, I sit at the couch and fold laundry (I am a huge football fan and the laundry part of Sunday Resets have been so much more enjoyable during football season).

This way, once I’m finished folding the laundry and putting it away, the dishes are also done, the bread is often either in the oven or still baking, and my house is tidy and ready for the week ahead.

Make It Enjoyable

I love aesthetic home videos and I also love living in a “normal” home that is not perfectly curated, but there is something about looking forward to special things in a routine that make it easier to stick with the routine.

For example, I needed a laundry basket for clean laundry (I’ve only had hampers, nothing for clean clothes). I recently found a beautiful woven basket on Facebook marketplace for $20 that I love, and that simple basket makes folding laundry more enjoyable and easier to put away.

Focus

I am so very easily distracted, and I’ve learned that I cannot actually get anything done in an efficient manor if I have a tv show on (except football). For tasks I do not like to do (like cleaning the bathrooms), I just need to pop in some headphones and listen to a podcast, audiobook, or music from the early 2000s. I have found that if my mind is enjoying what I’m hearing, it doesn’t care so much about my body cleaning up my sons’ toilet.

What Makes Sunday Reset Routines Easier?

For me, my Sunday reset routine is made infinitely easier by practicing my monthly grocery shopping routine. Since I get my groceries from several different stores, I would personally find it exhausting to go to all those stores every week and then spend the next day cleaning and baking.

I also find it much easier to keep things cleaner as I’ve decluttered a sizable amount of our “stuff.” In 2023, I read the book Simplicity Parenting, and it absolutely transformed my life. I highly recommend this book to anyone. We initially donated/decluttered about 40% of our belongings (not an exaggeration), and continue to regularly go through our belongings and donate the excess. We have a bin in my bedroom that we will place things in once we realize they no longer have a place in our home. When the bin is full, we donate. With this routine, everything we own has a “place,” which makes it easier to keep tidy.

What About You?

What makes your week easier? If you do a Sunday reset, what is your favorite part? Let me know in the comments!