8 Simple Ways to Set Yourself Up For the Week Ahead

I’ve long been a plan of finding ways to make my day, week and life easier, and most of the changes come down to a little bit of pre-preparation. I’ve shared my tips for improving your morning before and today I wanted to go one step further and share my top tips to set yourself up for the week ahead!

You don’t have to do all of these on a Sunday evening either, you can spread them out across your weekend in any way that best suits your life – although some are more time-sensitive than others! I’d love to hear your tips as well, you guys are always full of great ideas!

8 Simple Ways to Set Yourself Up For The Week Ahead

1. Clean out your bag & repack it

By the end of the week all kinds of things end up in the bottom of our work bags – notes from meetings, muesli bars, numerous lipsticks, you name it. So get yourself on the front foot for the next week by emptying everything out and only putting what you really need back in. I keep a series of little pouches in my work backpack containing things like my access pass, pens, phone cord and the like which definitely helps identify what doesn’t need to be in there!

Repacking your bag before Monday morning also helps ensure you won’t forget anything you need and to reduce the running around you need to do first thing Monday morning!

2. Put your clothes away

I tend to do most of my laundry on the weekend so it’s important to make sure I put all my clothes away at the end of the weekend as this helps me choose my outfits for the week ahead. I usually do this each night (Melbourne weather is far too unpredictable to plan further ahead than that!), but having everything put back in its place makes this task so much easier.

I also do this with my gym gear as the easiest way to make sure I go is to have it all laid out and organised in advance!

3. Clean out your fridge & restock it

I’m a meal planner from way back (in fact, I have a free ebook on meal planning!) so I try hard to not have any excess food left in my fridge at the end of the week, but it does happen! Before I head to the shops I first clean out my fridge and check what is running low, before making my plan for the week ahead and heading down the road to restock. Making sure my fridge is full of healthy, delicious fruit and veggies means I am going to be able to eat nutritious meals in the week ahead. Vitally important in my books!

4. Do some meal prep

I’m a big fan of cooking in bulk so I usually spend part of my Sunday listening to podcasts and pottering about the kitchen preparing my work lunches and often even cooking some food to stock my freezer. Even if you don’t want to go quite that far it is really useful to do as much meal prep as possible which could include things like pre-chopping your veggies, portioning out your breakfast food, or setting aside the fillings for your sandwiches. The more you can do on the weekend the better your week ahead will be and you’ll definitely be thanking yourself later on!

5. Empty your bins

Before the weekend is out it’s always a good idea to empty any bins inside your home – including recycling bins – into your wheely bins, ready for the next Council collection. This helps to make your home feel more tidy and organised and saves the last minute running around on bin night! It might be a simple change but it really does make a difference I promise!

6. Get outdoors

One of the best ways to set yourself up for the week ahead is to make sure you have some quality time outdoors over the weekend. We often spend so much of the working week inside so the weekend is the perfect time to counterbalance that. I try and get out for a good long walk each weekend (weather permitting), as well as spending a good amount of time out on my balcony pottering in the garden or just reading the paper. Some weekends my outdoors time is more focussed around sitting in a beer garden, but that’s okay too – the fresh air and time with friends is what is really important!

7. Take some time out to relax

Once you’ve all your preparation and organising for the week ahead make sure you also take out some time to relax and wind down to really make sure you start your Monday on the right foot. This could be anything from a relaxing bath (give my oat bath bags a try!), reading a good book or a spot of craft – whatever it is that relaxes you! Going full steam all weekend without having some down time won’t leave you feeling recharged or like you had a weekend at all!

8. Get an early night

The last thing you can do to set yourself up for the week ahead is to make sure you get an early night! The more sleep you can get on a Sunday the more refreshed you will be come Monday, which can only be a good thing! I have taken to having a Sunday evening bath, followed by a spot of reading for my book club and then turn out the lights as early as I possibly can. It certainly helps kick my week off in the right way (well, it helps improve Monday slightly at least!).

How do you set yourself up for the week ahead? Hopefully these tips help!

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8 Comments on 8 Simple Ways to Set Yourself Up For the Week Ahead

  1. Simone
    October 3, 2015 at 3:44 pm (8 years ago)

    I love these tips. A good Sunday night makes for a good week.

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      October 5, 2015 at 5:14 pm (8 years ago)

      Thanks Simone! I always feel so off kilter if I don’t get my Sunday time!

      Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      October 5, 2015 at 5:15 pm (8 years ago)

      Thanks Shannon, and thanks for co-hosting such a fun linkup!

      Reply
  2. Retiring not shy!
    October 3, 2015 at 4:03 pm (8 years ago)

    Great tips. Even we semi-retired need to make the most of our time and resources. Menu panning is a biggie in our house too. Thanks for the other suggestions.

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      October 5, 2015 at 5:15 pm (8 years ago)

      Meal planning really makes such a difference doesn’t it? Hope you find the other tips helpful too!

      Reply
  3. Paula
    October 4, 2015 at 1:12 am (8 years ago)

    Love these tips! I never think to clean out my work purse before my work week starts, so I love this idea. I’m also terrible at putting my clothes away, so I really needed that tip as well. 🙂
    Paula recently posted…Saturday Sharing – confidence, travel, and more

    Reply
    • I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
      October 5, 2015 at 5:16 pm (8 years ago)

      Glad to hear they were helpful Paula!

      Reply

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