We all know the Sunday scaries are a very real phenomenon, and it can be legitimately paralysing (couch burrito watching Netflix, anyone?). While avoidance is tempting, there are some things you can do to feel much more prepared for the week than you would be in your loungeroom bunker. Don’t worry, the aim isn’t to use up your whole precious weekend day with chores; but rather to spend an hour or two getting little things done to eliminate stress later on in the week.

Laundry

We’ve all been there; had the most beautiful indulgent weekend not doing a thing because we deserve it (and we do!), only to realise Monday morning we have no clean underwear. Yikes. So run some cycles, at the very least your clothes. But I would also recommend your sheets, towels, tea towels, and any other everyday linen that’s likely to be forgotten aka stinky. But what about folding? I agree, folding is the worst. In an ideal world, we could Marie Condo our way through life, but sometimes it’s a struggle to even do laundry let alone fold our sleep shirts. If it doesn't need to be ironed or folded, chuck it in your loungewear or any other basket you may need. And if you must iron or fold; do it in front of the tv to take the edge off.

Food-prep…sort of

You don’t need to pretend that eating 5-day-old leftovers is appealing because it's not. But you also don’t need to eat takeout every day (or worse, nothing) because you went into the week with no idea what to have. Plan some options that you like to eat and make sure you have the ingredients for them. Have backup frozen food for when your motivation goes on vacation. You can even prepare one or two main ingredients that you can do a lot with ahead of time, like rice or raw, chopped veggies that you can chuck into whatever you end up having. Taking an hour to plan and prep the food you may need during the week will save you a lot of grief (and guilt) down the road.

Power clean your main spaces

As much as the internet would have us believe it's vital we scrub our homes within an inch of their lives every weekend, it’s actually not. But no one likes to feel disorganised and gross in their own home. This is where your new best friend, the timer, comes in. Setting 15-minute timers to tidy as much of your bedroom, bathroom or kitchen can be the difference between a week where you feel like you’re drowning and a week where you feel like you’re kind of rocking it. Decide what areas are most important to you, set a timer and then do what you can in each space. It might not be perfect but an untidy room is better than a filthy one.

Refill

I’m not talking about those “stock my fridge with me” videos we’ve all seen and drooled over. I’m talking about things that actually help us get through the week. If you have medicines you need to take, fill your pill dispenser and put it where you can see it. Refill to toilet roll. Make sure you’ve got enough food, drink, dog food and breakdown chocolate to get you through the week. Stuff like that.

Plan week

Finally, get a grasp of what your week will entail. You don’t have to plan every minute; but make sure you know what appointments, meetings, deadlines and catch-ups you have coming up. If your week is looking full, maybe hold off on booking anything else. Plan some time to relax and do something you love. Consider if any of your commitments need prep of any kind and schedule that in too. It doesn’t have to go to plan, but it shouldn’t take you by surprise and leave you wrecked either. Plan your lifestyle in a way it works for you.