The Four Staples of My Sunday Routine

Over the last few years, Sunday has become, without a doubt, the most important day of the week for me.?

Sundays allow me to close out the weekend on a positive note, reflect on the past couple of days and the prior week, and importantly, start the new week ahead with structure, motivation, and purpose.

There are four areas that make their way into my Sunday routine. Each serves its own important purpose, but the four of them together... now that's where the magic happens.

Family Time

First and foremost, my Sundays wouldn't be what they are without quality family time. Having a three-year-old son means time is well spent discovering and learning new things... together.?

Every Sunday is a new adventure in pursuit of new experiences, trying new foods, learning new skills, meeting new people, exploring new places, you name it. Sure, we try to make this a habit any day of the week, but Sundays are that much more deliberate.

The part that always amazes me is how I often find myself learning or re-learning just as much with my son and about him, as he does with, and about me.?

Personal Time

Carving out personal time for myself on a Sunday is a much-needed break from the fast-paced week.

My time is often spent reading articles of personal interest, watching a documentary, going for a walk while listening to a podcast… anything that allows me to completely clear my mind of any stress or concerns and to invest the time into my personal growth. It's an investment for and in my overall well-being, propelling me to become the best person I can be in all facets of my life.

Gratitude and Reflection

This component of my Sunday routine has been an absolute game-changer.?

Reflecting on the past week has me looking back at and learning from the wins, the areas of improvement, my time management and capacity, the collaborative efforts across our teams, and everything else in between.?

Gratitude is the biggest output of this reflection and makes it easy for me to be that much more appreciative of the opportunities that present themselves and to show appreciation to those who continue to impact me, both personally and professionally, in positive ways.

Preparation

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

You better believe there's truth to that.

I often find myself capping off my Sunday evening by preparing for the week ahead.

My prep here is twofold; macro and micro.

On the macro level, I spend time looking at the week ahead, taking a snapshot of the meetings in my calendar, blocking off time for weekly priorities and the "impact drivers", scheduling necessary meetings that haven't yet made their way into the calendar, and importantly, reviewing our marketing goals/OKRs to identify our top objectives for the week based on where we stand relative to our monthly, quarterly, and annual goals.

On the micro level, I make sure to spend time quickly reviewing each meeting, project, and priority individually. This allows me to create notes for meetings where needed, pre-write emails and schedule them to send at a certain time, and break down the requirements needed to get projects and tasks across the finish line.

The four areas above allow me to have a successful, fulfilled, enjoyable, and productive Sunday.

Having this type of Sunday almost always leads to a successful Monday, which significantly improves the chances of having a successful and productive week ahead. And having a successful week makes it easy to relax and enjoy the weekend.

This is exactly why I invest in these four areas -- it’s not about a fulfilled Sunday in isolation -- but that is certainly great! -- it’s about the bigger picture and the connection between the days. Sunday, for me, just so happens to be the starting point.

Do you have a Sunday (or any day) routine that you stick to? If so, what are the components of this routine that help you in your business, personal, and family life?