Instagram’s hashtag ‘Sunday fun day’ does not appeal to all and if it does, come a certain hour, much of the developed world gives a collective groan. Even after the best of weekends (or especially after the best of weekends), there’s a cloud that descends. Monday is fast approaching, and the blues set in. What if Sunday remains the lazy day that we know it to be? A day when depression and melancholy slip in, putting you into couch potato mode? – PJs stay on, mood resembles physical appearance, house untidy, brain unorganised. Know the feeling?
Sunday’s have adopted a stigma for being the laziest day of the week. Is it because Monday is the least liked day of the week? If we sit around doing nothing on Sunday, does the day stretch out making it feel longer and gloomier prolonging the inevitability of ‘Monday’? Do we feel Sunday is the day where we do absolutely nothing to make up for the frenetic tasks we had to take on during the week before? I’m not 100% sure why Sundays are so stereotypically lazy but feeling this recently, I decided to re think what Sundays should be about and to start making them productive instead of fritting away time and fretting about what the new week has in store.
Forgetting the jam packed ‘Sunday fun day’, how can we be productive on a ‘lazy’ Sunday?
- This is the day where you have time at your disposal to look after and take care of your home. During the week I personally, don’t give my house a second thought. All my energy goes on to everything else! Spend time in your home, tidying it up, seeing what needs fixing, replenishing and re-styling. A sense of accomplishment will re-energise you knowing that your home is clean, laundry is done, bedsheets are changed, and lunch is cooking in the oven – a feeling of buzzing contentment.
- Clean out the kitchen cupboards and fridge!!! Dump anything that’s gone off or all the leftovers you’ve convinced yourself you are going to eat but deep down you know is unlikely. Doing a regular clean every week means it’ll always be quick and easy, unlike those monthly purges which end up being gross and take forever. Nevertheless, once done, what a feeling? Seeing is believing!
- Prioritise! More often than not the only thing holding us back from being productive is not knowing where to start. If you know me, you know I’m a fan of to-do lists. I even plan when to do the to-do list!!! What better way to begin a productive-lazy Sunday than prioritizing tasks? Tasks for the day and tasks for the week!
- Whilst prioritising, make lists! Making your menu for the week keeps you focused – you plan well thought out ‘healthy’ meals, plus you know exactly what to buy. This takes off pressure and stress and it makes your shopping time easier and faster. Monday definitely won’t look so bleak if this big headache has been removed.
- Go food shopping! Why leave it for another day? Start your week in the most organised way possible. This could be done early on Sunday morning when supermarkets aren’t so crowded. Try it!
- Organize for the week ahead – Sunday can set the tone for the week ahead and what better way to have a productive Sunday which puts the week into clear perspective.
- Simple family bonding is necessary. This is extremely productive! Do we have time for bonding during the week? Rarely. Family bonding is vital. Go for a walk, play a game, watch a family movie, cook together… These are precious moments which last a lifetime.
- Spend a couple of hours on a Sunday to catch up with your extended family too. A quickie coffee is ideal. Coffee is not only for Wednesday mornings and it is an easy way to socialise and catch up with your nearest and dearest.
- Make Over Sunday Night!!! Why is it that 7 p.m. on a Sunday feels like 11 p.m., but on every other day of the week 7 p.m. is just the start of the evening? Maybe because our idea of “doing nothing”—say, binge-watching our fav series—is not the best medicine for relieving the Sunday blues. “If you’re engaged in an activity that keeps you moving, you’re absorbed in the moment and your mind has much less room to allow workweek worries to sneak in and take hold,” says Mogilner. So while we’re forever grateful to Netflix for transforming Sunday nights, you may want to watch your favourite episodes on a less depressing night. A close friend of mine once told me after putting the kids to bed, he always takes his wife out for a quick drink. Now that is what I call a makeover Sunday night- if you strike it lucky with babysitting that is!
