Circular Sundays
Prioritizing Sundays and Ourselves
Image by Milada Vigerova from Unsplash
Monday is my favorite day.
I have my first run of the week, and my first work and study sessions.
Monday is my most rigorous work day, and my toughest workout day. What’s to love? I get a great feeling from jumping into my most intense day of my week right out of the gate.
In the Perfect Week Formula™ work we do at City Executive Coaching with our clients, we emphasize the importance of incorporating a simple and enjoyable weekly planning ritual that sets us up well for the week-to-come. How then might we move forward with a sense of readiness and ease on Monday morning? My strong recommendation is to reserve Sunday night for grounding, review, relaxation, and light prep. City’s Simple Sunday™ routine both closes the week that was, and serves as the beginning of the week ahead. For this reason, my clients think of Sundays as CIRCULAR because Sunday serves as both a beginning and as an end. The routine we use to close the week that was, and to look ahead to the week to come includes the following:
1 - Sunday Night Starts Early
Sunday evening begins early. Home for the day by 4:00pm is ideal.
2 - Complete the Previous Week
Close the week that was by laying out Monday fitness gear, prepping work attire & materials, and following both with an easy 5:00pm lengthening and relaxation sequence.
3 - Then Begin the Week to Come
Well-spent Mondays begin Sunday night. After supper, take an hour to design how you’ll invest your time the next two weeks. Start with your big rocks first which for most people are fitness, family, creative projects or side hustles, and scheduled fun & rejuvenation time. Determine deadlines, then block out when and where you’ll attend to 2 to 3 needle-moving matters you’ll complete or advance each week. Do this no matter who signs your paycheck. Be sure to include fitness, and two slots for important non-urgent work only you can do.
4 - Sign Off Early
Aim to rest early on Sundays nights, with twenty to thirty minutes of phone-free reading and journaling before sleep - this is another recommended part of City’s Simple Sunday™ routine. To help ensure I have a well-spent, energized Monday, my aim on Sunday night is to be screen-free, resting and reading by 10:30pm, and sleeping by 11:00pm which is early for me.
5 - Frame Sunday Calm as PART ONE of Your Great Monday
My clients consistently report the benefits of making Sunday rest and light planning an integral part of Monday. As for me personally, I’m exceedingly systematic about exercise. My Mondays changed for the better long ago when I made night-before rest and planning part of my Monday morning workout, because everything important really does begin the night before.
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Reframing, protecting, and prioritizing Sunday wind-down and planning has been a great win for my clients, transforming Monday and the week to follow. Protecting Sunday has transformed my Mondays as well. I categorize Sunday rest and prep as can’t-miss, integral components of my Monday morning fitness practice, and I categorize my fitness practice as part of my WORK. In other words, my Monday morning workout begins Sunday night, and every workout I do is part of my work in that working out with rigor enables me to show up and do my job well every time.
In Summary
Creating a Sunday routine that we happily anticipate brings great benefits. Such a routine is NOT a quick fix however. Creating a routine that works for one’s particular situation will always involve some hit-or-miss. Crafting great routines requires trial and error. A well-considered approach to Sunday helps create terrific Mondays - this has consistently been true for my most-successful clients, and it has 100% done so for me.
For more information about City’s Perfect Week Formula™ click HERE to book a call. Good luck as you sort out and upgrade your Mondays on Sundays, and thanks for reading.