Strategic Sundays!
Sundays are a great time to rest and restore as well as get a jumpstart on your success for the week ahead. Here are a few ways that high achievers make the most of this day to gain a strong footing on the racer’s block and nourish the mind, body and soul!
- Silence
While I’d love to claim that I do this each and every week, I don’t. But I do every so often and see the huge benefits of “Silent Sundays”. This means turning off all electronic devices, disconnecting from social media and tv and instead basking in the silence of either quiet reflection or a walk in nature. So why take the break? Maybe you think that scrolling social media IS your way of relaxing. Consider this, According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, “excessive and pathological internet use has been recognized as an internet addiction, which shares features with substance-use disorders or pathological gambling. Common features include preoccupations, mood changes, development of tolerance, withdrawal, and functional impairment”. (1) If the very thought of limiting your exposure to the internet for just one day gives you anxiety, your body may be telling you that it’s time for a break!
- Nourishment
Sundays can be a fantastic way to accelerate the success of your week ahead by mapping out your meals. While I’m not someone who typically enjoys being in the kitchen (my husband has a way better handle on cooking than I do), I do enjoy the end result of meal prep. On Sunday it feels empowering to look in the fridge and see lunches and dinners laid out so that during the week I can focus on bringing my A-game to work. When I’m hungry I quickly pop upstairs and grab my pre-made meal so I’m not wasting time debating on what to eat. Instead, I dive into a nutritious option, sit outside to soak up the sun or read and disconnect from work.
- Reflection
High achievers are always reflecting on their successes as well as their failures. They simply take more time to be intentional about how they showed up that week. They make note of what went well so they repeat it the following week and they make a note of what challenged them. How did they respond to each challenge? Did it trigger them to act in a way incongruent with their values or did it create change in them? Were they able to adapt and use the situation to display their best selves?
- Mental prep
While it’s important to reflect on the week behind us, its equally important to map out the week ahead. After all, this exercise of Strategic Sundays is meant to serve as your secret weapon to feel empowered and get ahead. Mental preparation can be anything from running that extra couple of miles that are a stretch for you so you tackle a mind-block. Mental prep could be visualizing difficult conversations or situations you may encounter during the coming days and preparing for different outcomes. Mental prep could simply be reviewing your schedule and getting on the same page with your partner so everyone knows what to expect. Does your schedule include any downtime? Is it realistic or do you need to ask someone to support you? Many of my coaching clients will spend this time in prayer or meditation to feel rebalanced as well.
- Growth
We all have an inherent need to grow and Silent Sundays are a great way to take advantage of the quiet time needed to dive into a great book. Learn something new, challenge your current perspective, discuss challenging topics with a partner or friend. Stretch your current limitations on what you think is possible for your growth! I recently started learning about investing. The biggest book I could probably sink my teeth into is “The Intelligent Investor”. It’s a challenge to read AND it’s forcing me to grow and step outside of the norm.
When you start looking at Sundays as a strategic way to accelerate your success, you’ll never let one go to waste again!
As always, we would love your thoughts and hear your perspective on Silent Sundays! How do you set yourself up each week for success?
Reference: (1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366948/
