Not to toot my own horn, but several people have asked me how I “do it all.” Mind you, many of the people who ask me this have kids (I don’t) so perhaps they’re comparing their lives to mine. There is no humanly possible way I could work four 12+ hour days per week if I had humans to keep alive.
Yes, I keep an insane schedule and yes, I cook *most* meals for myself M-F (with the exception of dinner; we almost always go out on Friday evenings). What does this entail.. Come aboard, friends. I’ll tell you.
I do all my grocery shopping on Fridays.
As an avid fan of Trader Joe’s, my one complaint is that items are often out of stock later in the weekend. Plus going to any grocery store on Saturdays and Sundays is crazy busy and I’d rather not. Since I don’t see clients on Fridays, I love that I start my weekends off in a productive manner. It usually involves a morning workout class followed by meal planning and a trip to the store.
After 7 PM on Sundays is SACRED.
You know the whole “keep holy the Sabbath” thing? Well, I do do that; We go to church together every week and usually enjoy a chill afternoon, sometimes at a winery, sometimes watching football. It’s always together and relaxing and fun. HOWEVER, I make it a point to always, ALWAYS be home by 7 PM to prepare for the week ahead. What do I do at 7 PM? Read on.
I prepare my smoothies.
I got terrible at drinking smoothies in December and I’m back at it in full force. Armed with a 1/2 cup measuring cup, I make a delicious combination of fruits and kale or spinach, portion them into baggies and stick them in the freezer. I have a carton of almond milk in my home refrigerator and one in my work refrigerator as well as a mini blender in my office… It might sound weird but it’s convenient AF and it’s how I drink smoothies every day! I also portion out the protein powder and collagen so I just dump it in the blender with the fruit and almond milk and I’m ready to roll.
I make my lunches for the week.
One of many things I love about my day job is that we get Chick Fil A delivered on Wednesdays. Yes ma’am. SO, because I’m only there part time (abbreviated hours M-Th), I only have to make three lunches. One of these days I’ll make a blog post of my favorite lunch recipes; I get a LOT of questions about those. But, for now, see my current favorites below:
- Sweet Potato Chili
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad
- Chicken Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad (with Banza noodles)
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Avocado Toast (1 avocado + 2 hard boiled eggs + Everything But the Bagel Seasoning)
- Trader Joe’s Miso Crunch Salad with diced chicken
- Spicy Peanut Pasta (with kohlrabi “noodles”)
I wash, fold, and put away all laundry.
There is absolutely nothing worse than starting off the week feeling behind and few things make me feel more behind than having a hamper full of dirty clothes. Sunday is also my sheets washing day. It’s always great to wake up on Monday mornings in fresh, clean sheets.
I check in on business dealings.
I spent about an hour on Sundays looking at my weekly schedule, scheduling Monday morning emails to go out and taking stock of what all I have going on. It’s nice to go into work on Monday mornings knowing that nothing is looming from the weekend and that I have a plan for the week ahead.
I take an inventory of my week.
Because I maintain a pretty crazy schedule early in the week, I have to make sure I have ALL the things done ahead of time. Am I running low on dish soap? Better buy it on Sunday because I, quite literally, won’t have time on Monday or Tuesday. Are we doing something a little more time consuming on Wednesday date night? It might be worthwhile to plan a morning workout that day instead of a before-bed one. It’s important for me to think about all the things I have to do and all the things that could potentially keep me from doing them before I start the week. It’s always better to be proactive than reactive!
All screens are off by 8 PM
And, yes, that includes the TV.
I’m not sure if it’s age or the fact that I honestly barely watch TV but I’ve found that it affects me IMMENSELY. Because Sunday nights are particularly important for me to get a good night’s sleep, I have a strict no TV/computer after 8 PM on Sunday nights. Instead (if I’m done with my chores), I light a candle, play some classical music and either needle point or read.
And that, friends, is how I usually go into the office on Monday mornings ready to start the week feeling good.
What do you do to start the week on a high note? Anything I’m missing here?
