Can we talk about Sunday mornings for a minute? They’re supposed to be this magical time when we get our life together for the week ahead, but let’s be real…most of the time they’re just chaos with a side of panic.
Like, how are we already out of bread again? Why is everyone’s favorite shirt suddenly dirty?
I spent way too many Sundays feeling like I was already failing at the week before it even started. You know that feeling when it’s Sunday night and you’re lying in bed making a mental list of all the things you forgot to do?
Yeah, that was basically my every weekend mood.
But then I started testing out different routines and actually paying attention to what worked versus what just looked good on Instagram. These 13 things seriously changed our Sunday game.
Not in a perfect, Pinterest-worthy way, but in a real-life “this actually helps” kind of way.
1. The Saturday Night 15-Minute Reset
Listen, the last thing anyone wants to do on Saturday night is clean. I get it.
Most weekend nights I’m sprawled on the couch in my sweats, binge watching whatever new show everyone’s talking about on Netflix.
But I discovered something weird…a quick 15-minute pickup on Saturday night makes my Sunday morning so much better.
Here’s what I do: set a timer on my phone for 15 minutes. Otherwise I’ll get distracted and end up organizing the junk drawer for an hour.
Then I just walk around grabbing random stuff that’s out of place. Throw away obvious trash, wipe down the kitchen counters real quick, make sure the sink is empty. That’s it.
My middle schooler gives me total attitude when I make her help, but whatever. Even my elementary schoolers can handle putting away their own stuff.
Sometimes their idea of “away” is shoving everything under their beds. You know what? I’ll take it.
The point isn’t perfection…it’s just making Sunday morning slightly less overwhelming.
2. Keep Your Phone in the Kitchen
This might sound super random, but stick with me here. We all know that moment when you wake up and grab your phone to “check the time” but then suddenly it’s an hour later and you’re deep in some random mom group drama on Facebook.
Been there way too many times.
So I started charging my phone in the kitchen instead of next to my bed. The first few mornings were rough…like, really rough.
I actually had to buy a real alarm clock. Found a cute one at Target for $12 and it actually works better than my phone.
Here’s the genius part: when my alarm goes off, I have to physically get up and walk to the kitchen to turn off my phone alarm.
And once I’m in the kitchen? Well, I might as well start the coffee, right?
Plus, no more Instagram highlight reels before I’ve even brushed my teeth. Sometimes I even get a peaceful cup of coffee before the kids wake up.
3. The Magic Coffee Station Setup
This is the thing that’s made the biggest difference in my Sunday morning mood. Remember when we were younger and our moms would have the coffee pot ready with that little timer thing?
This is like that, but better.
The idea hit me one Sunday morning at 6:45 while I was trying to measure coffee grounds and my youngest had already been up for an hour…or more. I was so tired I couldn’t think straight enough to remember if I’d already put the filter in or not.
Now I do this whole setup the night before. Coffee grounds measured out and sitting in the filter, already in the machine.
Water reservoir filled. Favorite mugs ready for me and hubby.
I even keep my favorite creamer right next to it instead of in the fridge. Room temperature creamer actually tastes better anyway. Ummm is this a recipe for food poisoning? Hope not!
Keep a measuring scoop in your coffee container. Total game changer.
No more searching through drawers at dawn trying to find that one tablespoon measure that somehow always disappears. And buy backup filters before you run out.
Past me has definitely used paper towels as coffee filters. Not my proudest mom moment, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
4. The Sunday Box System
Remember when we were kids and our moms had those plastic containers full of coupons and recipes? Well, this is the millennial mom version, and honestly? It’s kind of genius.
You know those clear plastic storage boxes everyone has? Grab one of the medium-sized ones from Target and turn it into your Sunday command center.
Mine has markers, a notepad, meal planning stuff, stamps for those random Monday morning mailings, and even a calculator. Because apparently I can’t do basic math when I’m trying to figure out how many chicken breasts we need for the week.
The real MVP move here is keeping everything in one spot. No more running around the house looking for a pen that actually works or trying to remember where you put those magnetic clips for the lunch calendar on the fridge.
Everything you need for Sunday planning lives in this box.
My husband laughed at me when I first started this system. But guess who asks where the Sunday box is when he needs to write down the soccer schedule?
Yeah, that’s what I thought. Even my middle schooler knows to check the box when she needs to fill out forms for school…which seems to happen every other day now.
5. The 20-Minute Kitchen Reset
This one sounds kind of intense but stay with me. You know how sometimes you open your fridge and it’s basically a science experiment in there?
Or you go to pack lunches and realize every single container is dirty? Yeah, we’re gonna fix that.
Here’s what you do: grab your phone, set a timer for 20 minutes, and just attack the kitchen like a crazy person. Open the fridge, throw out those mystery leftovers.
If you can’t remember when you made it, it needs to go. Wipe down the shelves real quick.
Check the fruit drawer for anything that’s about to turn into a science project.
My youngest actually thinks it’s fun when we race against the timer. She’s weirdly good at organizing the snack drawer.
It makes me a little suspicious about how often she’s in there, but hey…I’ll take the help.
The best part? When you’re done, you actually know what food you have and what you need to buy.
No more buying another bottle of ranch dressing because you couldn’t see the three you already had hiding behind last week’s takeout containers.
6. Super Simple Meal Plan Method
Okay, let’s talk about meal planning without making it a whole thing. I used to see these gorgeous meal planning boards on Pinterest with color-coded categories and fancy magnetic systems.
They stressed me out more than not having a plan at all.
Here’s what actually works: grab a piece of paper or your phone and just write down what you’re gonna eat this week. That’s it.
Don’t overthink it. I usually do dinner only because breakfast is just rotating through the same three cereals anyway, and lunch is either leftovers or sandwiches.
My weekly dinner lineup is super basic. Monday is always taco night because it’s easy and everyone will actually eat it.
Tuesday is Crockpot night because after-school activities are wild. Wednesday we do pasta because midweek needs to be simple.
Thursday is breakfast for dinner when we’re all dragging. Friday is takeout night because mama’s tired.
Weekends might get a little more ambitious if I’m feeling inspired.
The real trick is being realistic. Those busy Thursday afternoons with back-to-back activities? Not the time to try that complicated TikTok recipe.
Always keep one super easy backup meal ready for when everything goes sideways.
7. The Backpack Check
This might be the most underrated Sunday task ever, but it seriously saves my Monday morning sanity. Five minutes of backpack checking saves so much drama later.
Here’s the deal: dump out those backpacks completely. Turn them upside down and shake.
You’ll find last month’s permission slip, that missing water bottle that’s been driving you crazy, and about 47 half-used pencils. My middle schooler’s backpack usually has at least one moldy apple she swears she was “going to eat later.”
While everything’s out, give the bags a quick wipe down. Trust me, you don’t want to know what’s growing in there.
Check for any holes or broken zippers. Nothing worse than finding out at 7am on Monday that your kid’s backpack finally gave up the ghost.
Keep a sticky note checklist of what actually needs to go back in. My kids somehow think they need their entire Harry Potter collection at school every single day.
Like, I promise you don’t need “Goblet of Fire” for math class.
8. The Lunch Container Inventory
I know this sounds like the most boring thing ever, but hear me out. You know that panic when you’re trying to pack lunches and suddenly realize all your containers are either dirty, missing lids, or have mysteriously vanished into whatever dimension missing socks go to?
Take everything out of your container cabinet. Match containers with lids.
Make sad little homeless lid and container piles. Toss anything that’s stained beyond recognition or warped from that time someone decided to microwave spaghetti without venting the lid.
I actually turn this into a game with my kids. They match containers with lids like some weird puzzle, and I pretend not to notice when they get distracted and start using them as drums.
The point is, you’ll know exactly what you have to work with for the week.
Also? This is when you figure out if you need to grab more containers next time you’re out. Those 3-packs of containers are basically just going to live in our cart anyway.
9. Grocery Game Plan
Remember when we used to actually go to the grocery store on Sundays with our kids? What were we thinking?
These days I’m all about that pickup life, and I’m never going back. But you need a system or you’ll end up with 6 boxes of fruit snacks and nothing to actually make dinner with.
Take that super simple meal plan you made and turn it into a grocery list. I use the notes app on my phone because I always have it with me.
Way harder to lose than those paper lists that used to live permanently on my kitchen counter.
Here’s my trick: I organize my list by section of the store, even though I’m not actually going in. Produce together, dairy together, snacks together.
Because let’s be real, the snack section is its own food group. This makes it super easy to check if I forgot anything in each category.
Sure, I still sometimes forget stuff. But it’s way better than dealing with three kids touching everything in sight while I try to remember if we need milk.
Plus, pickup means no impulse buying that weird flavor of Oreos that looked good in the store but no one actually likes.
10. The Genius Laundry Hack
This is probably going to be controversial, but here’s my Sunday laundry philosophy: do ONE load. Not five.
Not trying to wash everything everyone owns. Just one strategic load of whatever absolutely has to be clean for Monday.
I used to try to do ALL the laundry on Sundays. You know what happened?
By bedtime I had four baskets of clean laundry sitting in my living room making me feel bad about my life choices. Now I just focus on the essentials.
Uniforms, favorite clothes that will cause morning meltdowns if they’re not clean, that one specific pair of leggings my daughter needs for dance class.
The key is actually finishing the load. Wash it, dry it, and put it away.
I know, the putting away part is the worst. But it’s just one load.
You can do it. I believe in you.
Future you will be so happy when Monday morning rolls around and everything that needs to be clean actually is clean AND put away.
11. Family Calendar Quick Check
This takes five minutes but saves so much drama. Pull up your phone calendar, paper planner, or that giant whiteboard calendar on your fridge and actually look at what’s happening this week.
Like, really look at it.
This is when you catch those sneaky half days of school that somehow always surprise you. Or remember that Thursday’s soccer practice got moved to Wednesday.
Or realize you have three different doctor appointments that you definitely didn’t coordinate well.
I actually do this with my middle schooler now because she has her own stuff going on. She sometimes forgets to tell me about things until 10 minutes before they need to happen.
We sync up about tests, projects, and whatever else is giving her seventh-grade anxiety this week.
The trick is not trying to solve everything right now. Just know what’s coming so you can at least pretend to be prepared.
Maybe try to avoid scheduling that dentist appointment on the same day as the school talent show this time.
12. The Sunday Essential Bag Check
Let me paint you a picture: It’s 6am on Monday. Everyone’s rushing around trying to get ready.
Suddenly your kid remembers they need their basketball uniform. The clean one.
The one that’s definitely not in their bag right now. Yeah, we’re gonna prevent that.
Take five minutes to check everyone’s activity bags. Dance bags, sports equipment, library books that were due last week, whatever extracurricular chaos you’re dealing with.
Make sure everything that needs to be clean is clean, and everything that needs to be packed is packed.
This is also when you check for permission slips, forms that need signing, or any money that needs to be sent in for whatever random thing the school is collecting this week.
Nothing says “Monday morning” quite like trying to find exact change for a field trip while making breakfast and breaking up a fight about cereal portions.
13. Set One Priority for Monday
This is the last thing I do every Sunday, and honestly? It might be the most important.
Pick ONE thing that absolutely has to happen Monday. Just one.
Write it down and stick it on the fridge.
I’m not talking about your whole to-do list. We all have those mile-long lists of things we should do.
I mean the one thing that will make you feel like you’re winning at life if you get it done. Maybe it’s finally calling to make that dentist appointment.
Maybe it’s returning that Amazon package that’s been sitting by the door for two weeks. Maybe it’s just remembering to defrost the chicken for dinner.
Whatever it is, write it down. There’s something about having just one clear priority that makes Monday feel less overwhelming.
And when you actually do the thing? Major mom win.
The Brutal Truth
In spite of good intentions, somme Sundays, everything will still fall apart.
The kids will fight. You’ll run out of coffee right when you need it most.
Someone will wake up with a stomach bug. Your mother-in-law will call with surprise lunch plans.
But here’s the thing: having these things as a loose gameplan helps more Sundays work than not. And honestly? That’s good enough for this mom.
Perfect Sundays don’t exist, but slightly less chaotic ones definitely do.
And if all else fails? There’s always next Sunday. And coffee. Lots of coffee.
