Restful Sundays

One of the magazines I read regularly had an article this week that blew my mind – and not in a good way! Usually I find advice or “life hacks” that are interesting and helpful. This week was not the case!
In a one-page piece on how to use Sundays to “reset,” it basically had you doing a week’s worth of chores on Sunday. First of all, Sunday is a day – at least in our house – that, barring emergencies, is reserved for WFF. That’s not World Fighting Federation, that’s for worship, family, and fun. So using that day for chores was mind-blowing for me.
It got better (or worse, depending on how you look at it). The chores and suggestions were as follows:
1. Change your sheets on Sunday and don’t make the bed until the evening. This allows the mattress to air out. First of all, whenever you change your sheets, the mattress can air out while you wash and dry them. And secondly, waiting until you’re dog-tired to put sheets on the bed (especially if your bed is large), is dumb.
2. Grocery shop with an “electronic cart.” Add a grocery list app to your phone, then when you run out of things during the week, add it to your phone app. Then, go shopping on Sunday. The article says “it’s the most popular day to shop.” It is. It’s also the most crowded. This is dumb, too.
3. Get rid of “email clutter” by devoting an hour to reading and sorting email. On Sunday. Oh, they also suggested creating a SECOND email for special things. This is way dumb.
4. Prep all the ingredients for your meals for the rest of the week on Sunday. I can’t even imagine. I’m speechless. Just don’t do this.
5. Speed through laundry by doing it all on Sunday and then putting your “five outfits” for the week on hangers and leaving the rest in the tub. Clean. So during the week, you put your dirty clothes, where? This is the dumbest of all.
Instead of spending your Sunday changing your sheets, doing your laundry, shopping, preparing food for five days, and selecting outfits for the week that you won’t want to wear, I have a better list.
This Sunday, start by worshipping at the place of your choice. Then, come home and have a nice meal. Have a cookout. Invite friends and family over for games. Walk your dog. Sit in your garden or on your porch. Read a book. In the evening, go to bed feeling happy and ready for your week.
As for those other things, try this:
1. When you wash your sheets, wait until they are washed and dried to make your bed. But do it then, so it’s done. Do it any day you like.
2. Tape a paper to the fridge, or keep a notebook in the kitchen. Make a paper and pencil list of things you need and shop whenever you want.
3. Check your mail a few minutes every day. Also, NEVER create a second place you have to check things.
4. Plan your meals for the week and shop for everything you need for them once a week. But prep them the day you’re eating. If you don’t think you have time, use a crock pot.
5. I don’t know what I will want to wear, or need to wear, five days from now. Fold and hang your laundry – all of it – when you do it. Then it’s all ready when you need it.
These “life hacks” will save you a lot of stress and make your Sundays ever-so-restful.