I live in Arizona. It never rains here. That said, my bedroom just flooded because of the unanticipated sideways rain that poured through my window. GRRR! That was a lot of extra work sopping up water that I wasn’t anticipating. Sopping up soaking wet carpets certainly does not help me be more productive.
Sometimes, you really can’t control what life throws at you. But that’s OK! More often than not, you can! When I am in the flow of life, there are things I like to reset in order to have the most productive week possible. I also need to have some recharging time to set my self up for success and week-long productivity.
Listen Below For The Entire Episode On The Systemize Your Life Podcast
How To Have The Most Productive Week
Now that my children are older, my weeks are a little more busy than they used to be. The day of the week truly dictates what we have going on each day. Our Monday through Friday schedules display a stark contrast between our weekend schedules due to school. This is different from when my children were younger, because in that season, everyday was a lot of the same.
Our family dynamic has a few extra layers because neither my husband or myself have a classic 9-5 job. Our girl’s school schedule does dictate most of our time and I embrace that! I’ve been collecting a lot of data as to what works, what doesn’t with regards to our schedule. After this data collection, I’ve come up with the top five things that I reset and recharge every weekend so we can have the most productive week ahead.
Why Do You Need Rest and Reset Time?
What I ask you to do is think of these two categories “reset” and “recharge” and think about how you get back into balance. It’s about reframing these words into “what you can do to bring things back in order,” and “what feels really depleted and is in need of rest/recharge?”
If you’re taking notes, (which I always recommend) divide your paper into two columns. Here are the top five things that I am resetting each weekend, which is putting it back into the state that is ideal. You may think to yourself, “I don’t even know what the baseline/ideal state for this thing to be in.” If that’s the case, my home management system is for you! Check that out at Systemize Your Life and think about getting that onboard in your life.
Resetting For Home Productivity
The first thing I reset every weekend is my Google Calendar. I would like to be able to reset my google calendar for longer than seven days, but right now, my life does not afford that kind of consistency. When I look further out than that seven day period, I end up having to re-do it. I typically reset my Google Calendar on Saturday mornings. Candidly, I do this in bed, while looking out the window. It feels so nice to slow down and do something productive at the same time.
Next, I reset my paper planner. If you have yet to get yours, you simply must try the Dream Planner by Horacio Printing. Use the code ‘CHELSI20’ while you’re there! I simply love it, and if you want to hear more about how I use this planner, check out episode 7, “How to Reduce Stress as a Busy Mom by Using a Paper Planner, or episode 225, 4 Advanced Tips To Use Your Paper Planner More Productively.
Within my paper planner I put in my tidy ques, my time blocks, my routine stacks, my fundamental needs, my habit trackers and my to-do list for the week. More on this in episode 283, Get A Glimpse Into My Daily Routines.
Laundry Tips For The Busy Mom
Next, I reset my laundry. I have to be honest, this is not my favorite part. My goal is to reset the entire house’s laundry every weekend. My husband is on board, I just need the discipline and the kid’s buy-in. I do know that when I successfully pull this off, my week runs so much smoother. If I’m not fully resetting my laundry, I ensure that everyone has the clothes they need to get through the week. That’s my bare minimum. Like I said, ideally this looks like resetting the entire house’s laundry. If you want a glimpse into my laundry system, check out this Bonus Episode, Quick Laundry Tips to Help You Manage Your Laundry as a Busy Mom.
Meal Planning for Sanity, Savings and Health
Next thing I like to reset on my weekends are my family’s meal plans. By the way, if you aren’t meal planning, check out episode 281, Quick Guide to Meal Planning and Prep. I plan lunches, breakfasts, dinners and snacks. Literally all of it. This became a priority because I felt like I wasn’t varying my kid’s lunches often enough and it has been a game changer. Meal planning is so imperative for our budget, our health goals and my sanity. We eat out once a week currently, and that’s because we have it planned out. It’s such a game changer.
You know I am an advocate of bringing your kids to the grocery store with you, but, I just learned you can print out your online order grocery list and it does wonders for your budget! Try it out! I thought I’d throw in an extra pro-tip for you.
How to Organize Your Fridge
Without fail, every weekend I reset the refrigerator. My fridge gets wiped down and cleaned. This might sound lofty to you, I know many of you haven’t touched your refrigerator shelves for a year or more. That is OK! I’m here for you! Check out episode 361, Mastering Fridge Organization: Simple Steps for a Clean and Functional Refrigerator. I’m at a point where I know exactly what is in my fridge, at all times.
Our fridge is the highest traffic area of our home. We have four people eating three meals and two snacks a day, a lot happens at that doorway. I can promise you if your fridge system is not in check, your week is going to be significantly harder.
The laundry, the fridge, the meal planning and your calendar do require some thoughtful, intentional effort. That’s why we have two columns in our notes and we are going to address what we can do to recharge every weekend as well!
“When I take the time to intentionally recharge, I can enter the week from a calm, collected, rested, non-achy place.”
Top 5 Things I’m Doing to Recharge Every Weekend
I don’t want to work all week and work all weekend. I need to be at a place where I can recharge. When I take the time to intentionally recharge, I can enter the week from a calm, collected, rested, non-achy place so I have the energy to get through Monday through Friday.
Self Care Sunday
First up is “Self Care Sunday.” This is not a new concept, but I will share what I do in my beauty routine. In my beauty routine, I exfoliate my body, I use a super-clean self tanner, I paint my nails and I blowdry and deep condition my hair. I just love this routine so much! It is so energizing for me and makes me feel truly pampered. This sequence takes about two hours on Sunday mornings, but it’s worth it!
Sleeping In For Productivity
On Saturdays, I sleep in. This is a really restorative practice for me. I get so much more done when I enter the week rested. When I don’t have to jump out of bed to make school lunches, get the kids ready for school and pack my bags, I take advantage of the time by staying in bed for a little extra time. This really recharges me and sets me up for productivity come Monday.
Lose the Phone to Gain Mental Clarity
I seriously lose my phone on the weekends. I delete all social accounts and I cannot recommend that enough! The amount of time and energy and expansion you get from being unplugged from your phone is a game-changer. I delete all of the apps from my phone including Facebook, Twitter, Voxer, Slack, Tic Toc, Instagram, literally all of it. To delete apps, all you have to do is hold down the app and press delete. It is so easy to bring them back come Monday/Tuesday. You get them back on the App Store and you login with the device’s remembered password and it is so freeing!
Family Connection
All week long, we are extremely busy and scattered. People are coming and going all the time. On the weekends, I like to take things a little slower and schedule in some informal family connection time. This does not have to be anything big. Sometimes our family connection time just means we use a little more eye contact than usual. During this time, there aren’t any screens. Sometimes we use this time to be with our extended family. What I’m looking for here is purposeful family time. If you don’t have family around right now, that could be friend connection time. Spending time with people that make you feel at peace goes a long way for the week ahead.
Faith Leads To Clarity And Connection
Faith is a foundational practice for me. We are just a tiny piece of this magnificent tapestry. Where the thread that you are is one tiny microscopic piece. There is so much more happening than we can see day-to-day. There is a greater purpose. Connecting to that is what carries me through. Connecting with that every weekend helps me let go of the stress and fret and worry that drain and exhaust me. I have to recharge my faith every weekend so “my cup overfloweth.”
Be it Bible study, church, meditating, praying or reading by candlelight, I cannot recommend connecting with faith every weekend enough.
How To Be More Productive Monday Through Friday
I know these five top things to reset and recharge every weekend will help you become more productive, happy, calm, centered and all the blissful things that I wish for you and are within everyone’s reach. In using your time more intentionally, you will become more productive and inspiring to everyone in your path.
Thank you for joining this conversation! Please take what you learned today and implement it! If you need help with your own home management system sign up for Systemize Your Life right now! If you need extra help, join our free Systemize Your Life Facebook Community to share your struggles and triumphs in home productivity and rest. Let’s connect and support each other on this journey to unleashing the power of productivity!
Frequently Asked Questions
I can't imagine having time for recharging. I feel so depleted. Where do I begin?
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