Yes, Sunday nights are sacred

Sunday nights are sacred to me. Maybe not in the way you’re thinking though. Sunday nights are “Mona time”.

My family and friends know that I turn into a pumpkin at 6pm Sunday nights. My google calendar, where I store all of my appts and timed activities from 6p - 10p every Sunday night says “Mona Time”. Almost without fail, I’m in the comfort of my own home, practicing my Mona Time ritual. (OK, I Christmas Eve, 2016 was a Sunday, and I choose to spend that evening with extended family.) Occasionally I’m traveling, and I do my best to respect this ritual, even in a hotel room.

I realized many years ago that I function better with a plan. A weekly plan. And the best time for me to do this is Sunday night. I grab my monaplanner©, a beverage of choice, which 75% of the time is a cuppa green tea. The other 25% could vary between a dry, smokey cabernet to a glass of home-brewed kombucha. But that’s another post.

Once settled in, I do a Brain Dump.

You know, getting everything out of my brain and on to my Weekly Brain Dump page in my monaplanner©. It’s kinda like clearing out the cobwebs in my brain. I feel lighter, more focused and less stressed. My Brain Dump varies from listing to-do’s I’m working on, ideas for projects, people to contact, tasks to wrap up, things to research, podcasts to listen to, meal prep notes, and anything in between. I’ve found when I do this weekly, I spend more time actually getting things done, and less time PLANNING to get things done.

I’m not sacrificing spontaneity. In fact, I know my weekly planning gives me more flexibility, because I know what I’m supposed to be working on, instead of frequently fretting about what I’m supposed to be working on.

Sometimes I think of something that I need to work on a few weeks from now, or even later. I turn to that Weekly Brain Dump page and make my notes. Now that item isn’t taking up valuable space in my brain. It’s written down. It’s outta my mind, but still in plain sight.

It gives me peace of mind.

I know once I’ve completed this activity, I feel like I’m read for the upcoming week. Do things change? Absolutely. Do I have a good game plan regardless? Definitely.

Want to read my blog titled “The Queen of Procrastination?” Click here.