In a pre-kid world, Sundays may have involved the lengthy New York Times Sunday Edition, a leisurely brunch in a trendy restaurant, and a good long nap curled up with a paperback novel. Now? The New York Times is being cut up for a class art project, the brunch lasts 22 frantic minutes, and after age 3, only the dog gets a nap. And while these new Sundays aren’t quite as relaxing, they’re certainly fun in a new way.
We have one more wrinkle to add to the Sunday pile, it’s parental anxiety about the week ahead. AKA: Beginning of Work Week of Stress.
This week, try rethinking your Sunday for success with one of our favorite new routines. The Sunday Planning Meeting. Start by gathering your co-parent or other caregivers, the school, work and after school schedules, and a handful of highlighters. Grab a weekly schedule (we love this one) and get started.
Step 1 : Talk it out. How many dentist appointments, work dinners, back-to-school nights, relative visits, and music lessons have come as a complete shock to you? Take some time to compare schedules and discuss what everyone has for the upcoming week. We guarantee that there will be a few surprises in there that are better known on Sunday 🙂
Step 2: Get it all on the calendar. Go through each day and add each person's activity. Include their initials, the start and end time, and any notes relevant for the rest of the family (for example, who is driving or doing pick-up).
Step 3: Assignments. Grab the colored highlighters and assign a color to each person in the family, plus one for “all family” activities. Go through and highlight all of their activities in their assigned color.
Step 4: Post it. When you’re done, post the calendar in a central place (like the fridge) and hold a brief family meeting to discuss it with the kids. Start with something like, “Let’s make sure we all know what we have going on this week and talk about anything we need to prepare, know or plan for.” This way, your children are asked to think through the logistics of each activity and work their executive function skills. What do they need? What did their teacher say? What did they forget to do? Remind them to check the schedule every morning and night to stay up to date on what is going on with the family (for example, the night that mom is working late and grandma is coming for dinner).
Step 5: Get prepped. After mentally looking at the week ahead, it’s time to get physically prepared too. Take out the backpacks, lunchboxes and water bottles, the soccer bag, dance shoes and sheet music, it’s time to organize. Make sure you put out everything that you may forget or run out of time to organize once the week gets going. A birthday party you just remembered on Saturday? Order the gift now! Grandpa’s birthday on Thursday? Make the card in advance! School book report due? Get reading at bedtime. Using Sunday to get ahead can make a world of difference for our busy lives (and mental states).
The final step? Let it go. Once the weekly schedule is up, assignments are given out, and everyone knows what to expect, it’s time to enjoy a Sunday evening without the worry. Putting things on paper can free up valuable space in our minds, and quiet some of the anxious voices in our heads. Settle into a family game night, a family meal, or a family movie. Quality time is hard to find, but easy to enjoy.