Using Sundays to Recalculate Your Destination

It's easy to fall victim to the Sunday night blues.

We spend the entire week worrying about things we have to do. We look forward to the weekend, a brief window when we can do the things we want to do. Hence, "working for the weekend".

From this perspective, Sundays are like the calm before the storm — a quiet, lazy day when our brains can't help but accumulate all of our upcoming tasks, to-dos, and obligations.

A few months ago, I wrote about the clean slate Monday theory, which uses the tying up of loose ends and a plan of attack to ensure the week starts on calm, fresh note.

Today, I'm thinking about Sunday as a day for recalibration and course-correction.

After a long workweek, I tend to let myself go on the weekend. I shut my brain off and indulge in a whole lot of bass playing, Archer watching, and self-indulging. As last month shows, my dietary restrictions tend to become a bit more lax. This rest period is crucial, because it allows my brain and body to get back to neutral. It's OK to do nothing once in a while.

They say a plane is off course 90% of the time. That means it constantly needs to course-correct if it's going to get to its destination.

Similarly, as the week goes on, we tend to get off-course. Our focus tends to atrophy. The closer the weekend gets, the harder it is to think about the things we have to do. By the time Friday rolls around, we're ready to cut loose a bit.

And we do. Shutting down our brains for a day or two is a good thing. Enjoy it. But it's equally important to take the time to prepare for the week ahead. That's how I treat Sundays: as a chance to recalibrate and refocus. I clean, put laundry away, refine my to-do list, and think about what I'm going to do this week to work to where I want to be.

Instead of being sad that tomorrow's Monday, I relish the opportunity to remind myself of who I want to be. I remember what I want to achieve, and spend at least a few moments on Sunday to bring that back into focus.

Sunday could be the start to — ugh — yet another week, or it could be the start to a week that brings us a little closer to where and who we want to be.

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