We all love the idea of being a productive lady but it’s not always so easy to execute, am I right?
I think a successful week for me requires more than just a feeling of productivity but also a feeling of balance and contentment. If I check off everything on my to-do list but I feel overworked and exhausted then I wouldn’t necessarily classify that as a “good week”.
Life isn’t all about just getting things done, it’s also about feeling good. That looks different for everybody, but for me, it means that I have a clean house, time to unwind and am wearing outfits I feel my best in. That being said, my time is limited during the week and I can’t always throw together a killer look, make my bed, do the dishes and squeeze in some time to read all before I walk out the door or open my laptop for work.
That’s why I leverage my weekends to make sure that my weeks run smoothly and I don’t feel like my life is a mess while also trying to work through my inbox and meet deadlines. Here are the five things I do every weekend that make my weeks so much easier.
I PLAN MY OUTFITS
After I do my laundry every weekend I like to plan out my outfits for the week and then steam them. I hate wrinkly clothes and think they look sloppy af so this is personal preference but you do you boo.
I am someone who loves to walk out of the house feeling fabulous and like I’m wearing something that’s flattering and truly expresses my personal style. Duh! We all like to look good. But if I don’t plan my outfits out ahead of time I am often left rushing to my closet, throwing on a big sweater and jeans and rushing out the door. Not my cutest moment!
I also often find myself wearing clothes that aren’t always weather appropriate because I didn’t have time to check the temperature that morning (I live in San Francisco, this is something you have to check every day because our climate is weird as hell and it changes constantly). So to skip the outfit stress I take 30 minutes every weekend to plan out what I’m going to wear.
I always check the weather app first to get an idea of what I’m working with for the week and then I plan out my looks. I have a lot of clothes and I want to make sure I’m actually wearing them and not just the same things every week. So I style 5 looks (sometimes more if I know I have a date night or special event that week) and then steam them all. Then I have them hanging in my closet, ready to wear!
This saves me from trying to figure out what to wear every morning and ensures I’m stepping out into the world feeling like a queen!
I MEAL PREP FOR THE WEEK
I like to eat really well during the week and allow myself to indulge over the weekend. Besides the occasional weeknight dinner out, I typically am eating at home for all of my meals. I rarely eat out or order in because 1. it’s a lot of food that typically goes to waste 2. it’s always unhealthy and 3. it’s an uncessary expense. I’d rather save my money for nice restaurants where I can enjoy the entire experience of going out to dinner and eating something delish, ya know? Take out is reserved for hangovers.
If I barely have time to pick out an outfit in the morning then I definitely do not have time to cook three meals a day. That’s why I love meal prepping. I know what’s going into my food, it’s cost-effective and I can do it all in a couple of hours and have my meals for the week ready to go.
I always meal prep on Sundays after I’ve done my weekly grocery shopping. I plan out my grocery lists during the week (an activity I weirdly look forward to) after finding some recipes I want to try. I usually try new recipes every week but sometimes I go back to old favorites when I need something easy. You can check out some of the recipes I’ve tried and loved here!
Meal prepping usually takes me anywhere from 1-2 hours and I honestly really enjoy it. I put on some music or a podcast, I have some wine and then before I know it I’m done and I don’t have to worry about cooking for another week.
I GET A FEW WORKOUTS IN
I do reformer pilates three days a week and I absolutely love it. It’s a super-efficient workout (only 40 minutes and targets your entire body) and has really helped me tone and get a lot stronger. For months I’ve been getting up at 5am three days during the week to go before my workday. Recently I’ve decided to switch things up and start doing two of my workouts on the weekends.
I realized that I was using some of my precious writing time (I am at my best early in the morning) to work out and that if I could just workout once during the week and then use Saturday and Sunday mornings as my other two workout days I would be freeing up a few hours every week to get more work done or sleep in and rest. On the weekends I obviously don’t get up at 5am and schedule my classes in the late mornings so it’s a much more leisurely experience. I usually go run errands afterwards since I’m out of the house already and I end up feeling super productive.
You work really hard during the week, give yourself a break and save some of your workouts for the weekend!
I CLEAN MY ENTIRE HOUSE
There is nothing that I enjoy more than being in a clean home. I hate hate hate clutter and messes but I just do not have the time or energy to clean during the week. I definitely try and maintain the clean, but you won’t find me scrubbing my bathroom sink on a Wednesday night.
I like to put my laundry in on Friday nights and when I wake up in the morning I switch it over to the dryer and then get to work. I thankfully live with pretty clean roommates so it really only takes me an hour or so to tidy up. I sweep, vacuum, run the dishwasher, swiffer, change my sheets, etc. I do it all so I don’t have to think about it for another 7 days.
There is nothing better than winding down from work on a Monday night in a house that smells good and doesn’t have a sink full of dirty dishes staring at you. Highly recommend!
I MAKE A TO-DO LIST
Groundbreaking, I know. But stay with me here. I am a planning freak and love to fill out my planner and my calendars and then put everything into my google calendar because apparently I need access to my schedule in every form it can take. But the thing that really keeps me on track is my to-do list.
I create a “master” list every weekend of all of the things I want to do that week. Some are work-related, some are chores, some are errands. I just get them all out so I know what I want to get done. Then I assign each item to a day. This helps me plan out my schedule for the week in my planner and google calendar.
Then every morning I take a look at the day’s schedule and my list and make a much shorter to-do list for the day. I’m one of those cheesballs who likes to list things like “shower” so I can have the satisfaction of crossing it off even though yeah, the bare minimum of personal hygiene isn’t exactly a huge accomplishment. But it makes me feel good so whatever!
Today’s list for example, is:
- finish Friday’s post (aka this post you’re reading right now)
- edit and send in campaign photos for approval
- pull blog and IG analytics
- clear inboxes
- review this week’s budget
- take out trash
There’s a mix of larger tasks that will take me longer and simpler tasks that won’t take me long at all, along with some at home to-do’s I want to get done. The one thing they all have in common is that they need to get done today. Realistically, I’ll be able to get more done today but that’s kind of the point of my to-do lists. I don’t overschedule myself each day. I make sure that my list is super realistic and achievable so I can 1. most likely get more done 2. I can feel good and stay in a good place mentally when it comes to what feels like my never-ending list.
Give yourself an easier to-do list every day and then reference your “master” list once you’ve finished your tasks and get started on something else! Or go watch the new season of Queer Eye. That’s probably the best use of your time honestly!
What do you like to get done on the weekends? Tell me in the comments below!
Xo,
She
