My Sunday Reset Routine - How to Do a Weekly Reset

How can you reset for a new week?

If you’re a busy mom, just the thought of Monday morning might be overwhelming. What if you could make Mondays easier?

My Sunday Reset Routine is the one habit that makes my Mondays easier. The time I take on Sundays to do a weekly reset has become a consistent habit that I now look forward to each week. Taking time each week to prepare for the week ahead has helped me to manage my anxiety and stress so much better. It can also help you get get back on track after an extra busy or difficult week.

I’ll be sharing what my weekly reset routine looks like and you’ll find a weekly reset checklist that you can download and customize.

This post will help you create a weekly reset routine that works.

What is a Weekly Reset?
Before you Plan your First Weekly Reset
When Should you do a Weekly reset?
My Sunday Reset Routine
What to Include in Your Weekly Reset
Get your Free Weekly Reset Routine Checklist
Tips for a Successful Weekly Reset Routine

What is a Weekly Reset?

A weekly reset is a ritual to help you plan and prepare yourself and your home for the week ahead.

It is usually a block of time that you set aside to do tasks and planning so that you can start the new week with a clean slate. You will feel more prepared for the week ahead. A weekly reset is different for everyone so in this post, I will explain some of the basics to get you started and give you some inspiration.

If you work or work from home you may want to consider having a separate weekly reset specifically for your work tasks. I typically do a Friday work reset, which helps me have a better Monday morning.

Today, we will be focusing on your HOME weekly reset.

I’ll walk you through these steps so you can create a simple weekly reset. Remember, you can add to this later, but today we’ll work on creating a simple outline to get you started. I do recommend that you start small and add tasks as you get used to this new routine.

Before You Begin:

Decide what’s most important. I think one of the best ways to start is to take some time to reflect on the last few weeks and consider what areas of your life caused you the most stress.

Focusing on these areas will help you to create a weekly reset plan that you find truly helpful. Resetting areas of your life that are most important to you or that cause you the most friction is a great way to see some immediate wins, which will motivate you to continue this new habit.

My Sunday Reset Routine:

Below is an example of my simple Sunday reset routine. It changes each week as I add or skip certain tasks, but this should give you a good idea of just how simple your routine can be.

Doing a brain dump
Updating our family budget
Reviewing our family calendar and updating my planner and Google calendar.
Review my goals
Cleaning out the fridge
Weekly Meal planning
Grocery shopping
Tidying up kitchen and living areas

What should you do in a weekly reset?

Below are some tasks you might want to consider adding to your weekly reset:

Reflect

Take some time to reflect on the past week. What worked for you? What did you struggle with? Give yourself permission to let go of any frustrations or disappointments from last week.

Clear your mind

Once you’ve spent some time reflecting on the past week, a brain dump is the perfect way to move forward. Grab a piece of paper and pen and start writing.

Clearing all of the tasks, thoughts, and distractions out of your mind will allow you to move forward with more clarity. and fewer distractions.

Take 5-10 minutes and do a brain dump – Consider using a brain dump trigger list to help you get started.

Clearing out Emails

Some people find it helpful to clear out their email inbox each week. If this is you, take some time to delete and archive emails that you don’t need to reference. You may want to take a few minutes. to unsubscribe from emails you no longer need.

This is not a time to reply to emails, just a time to go through and clean up things so you can start the week with less clutter in your email.

Mail, bills, and paperwork

I truly hate paper clutter but it’s inevitable.

Go through your mail, pay important bills, save important reference information, and throw away the rest. When our mail arrives I’m super quick to open everything and throw away the envelopes. This cuts down on so much clutter and makes bill paying easier.

Updating Financials

Taking time each weekend to update our family budget helps us curb unhealthy spending and stay on top of our savings goals. Below are a few resources to help you manage your family’s budget:

Once you pay your bills update your bill payment tracker.
Update your sinking funds worksheet too.
If you’re looking for a super simple way to manage your monthly bills check out my post here.

Review your Goals and Habits

If you set yearly goals it’s important to review your goals each week. I update my goal tracker every week and make any changes that are needed. I take the time to add any action items from my goal tracker to my planner for the week too.

I also take this time to update my habit tracker, which is a tool that I use to track the progress I am making with new habits.

Taking time to sit and think about the progress or struggles you had with your goals will help you plan ahead to avoid any challenges in the future. You will be able to go into the week ahead with a new positive mindset to do even better.

Plan for the Week

Planning for your week ahead of time is one of the best habits to have. Each weekend take some time to talk with your family; find out if there is anything missing from your family calendar and make changes as needed. This is especially helpful when your children have busy school schedules, sports, and activities, or when your teens start working. Managing all of these calendars can be a lot.

We have a monthly calendar hanging in our kitchen with all of our family’s information, as well as several shared Google calendars where were keep track of everyone’s appointments, travel plans, and work and school schedules.

Meal Planning

It is an awful feeling when you end a busy day and realize that you don’t have a plan or the ingredients you need for dinner.

I think meal planning is one of the most important tasks to include in your weekly reset. By creating a weekly meal plan you should be able to avoid last-minute trips to the grocery store or impulsive stops for fast food. Saving you time and money!

I’m pretty passionate about meal planning and while I prefer to do monthly meal planning I also take time each week to review my plans and put them on a weekly meal plan worksheet.

Meal Prep

Another meal-related task you can add to your weekly reset is taking some time to prepare meals or recipe ingredients for the week. When I have the time, I like to cut up vegetables or fruit for the week. I also try to brown ground beef, if needed, or make a big salad.

Taking some time to plan ahead and prepare food for your week will save you so much time!

Errands

Run any quick errands that will make a difference in your week – Fill up your gas tank. Go grocery shopping (once you have a meal plan ready) or run any other important errands so you don’t have to worry about it during the busy week.

Reset your Home

There are several things you can do in your home to reset for the week.

Consider a quick tidy-up, putting away clutter so you have fewer distractions next week. Some tasks you might consider are: cleaning out the fridge, changing out bath towels, emptying the trash, and refilling paper products and hand soap.

I usually water my plants, scrub out my sinks and counters, and make sure my espresso machine is full and ready to go for the week.

Family Reset

If you have children this one is important. How can you prepare for the week ahead? Cleaning out your purse, emptying or preparing your child’s backpack, etc. Make sure you and your family have clean clothes for the week or even plan out your outfits for the week.

If your children do sports or after-school activities, take some time to clean or gather the items they might need.

If you use routine charts for your kids or have a weekly schedule for the whole family, take some time to update these if needed.

When Should You Do a Weekly Reset Routine?

The goal of a weekly reset is to help you get ready for the next week, so it makes sense to do your weekly reset on whatever day of the week you consider the “last day of the week”. For me, I do a Sunday reset routine.

You can do what feels right to you. Don’t feel like you need to pick a day and stick with it forever. The key to making any routine stick is being flexible and willing to adjust when needed.

There are definitely some weeks where I rush through my Reset or skip it altogether, so give yourself permission to make changes along the way.

Weekly Reset Routine Checklist – Free Printable

If you want to keep your weekly reset routine checklist handy you can download this free printable and customize your own checklist. You can print this checklist out and keep it in your planner, or use it on an iPad or tablet using Notability or Goodnotes. It’s a great addition to your digital planning.

Sample Weekly Reset Routine Checklist & Blank Version are Included

Fill out the form below to get the free weekly routine checklist:

You should receive your file(s) link via e-mail within the hour. Be sure to check your spam or promotions folder if you cannot find the e-mail. If, after an hour, you have not received anything, contact me and I’ll help you figure out what happened. For personal use only. Please do not reproduce or redistribute without written permission. Classroom use is permitted.

Instructions on how to print and resize your printable to fit your own planner can be found here.

Tips for Success

Be flexible and don’t be hard on yourself if you aren’t consistent. The goal is to do what is helpful for your life. There may be weekends that you just don’t have the time, but that’s ok. Just catch up next week.
Give yourself a peaceful and comfortable space to do any reset tasks that require a computer or notebook. Try to find somewhere that is decluttered and distraction-free. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and try not to rush the process. This shouldn’t be a stressful task.
Update and change your routine as your life changes. Different seasons of life require different things from us. My summer resets are very different than my school-year resets.
Add to your resets slowly. I wanted to make sure that this post can help you ease into this new habit. I didn’t want it to feel overwhelming, so I kept it simple.

I hope this post helps you to get started with doing a weekly reset and you find some simple ways to help you prepare for the upcoming week.