A weekly reset routine can help bring order to chaos or calm to overwhelm. Use these suggestions and create a weekly reset routine that works for you.
When we don’t take time to reset our homes and other areas of our lives, things build up, weigh us down and hold us back. With everything else going on in the world and our lives, a consistent weekly reset routine can help calm your heart and clear your mind. We need that, not just once in a while but at least weekly.
A weekly reset routine can help calm our living areas, our calendars and our minds. It may seem impossible to take the time when life is unusually busy or stressful but that’s often when it makes the biggest difference.
The Weekly Reset Routine to Calm Your Heart and Clear Your Mind
Use the following suggestions to create your own weekly reset routine. Pick one day each week that works best and set aside some time for this soothing ritual. Some weeks you’ll have more time to reset than others so prioritize a few things you want to do each week and include the other items when you have time for an everything reset.
1. Set the mood for a reset.
Turn on your favorite music, or use this playlist I made you for your weekly reset routine. Light a few candles and define how you want to feel by resetting.
2. Declutter and make space to reset.
Grab two bags or boxes and set a timer for 15 minutes. Move around the house (especially in the space you’ll spend the most time) and use one bag to collect items that need to be decluttered and one bag for things that need to be put away. Spend 15 minutes or fill the bags (whichever comes first) and then set them aside. Make sure you have a clutter-free tabletop or area to work on some of the other reset suggestions.
3. Make a better to-do list.
Get your to-do list(s) out and all of the sticky notes or digital reminders of tasks you want to accomplish. Having them all in once place will help you see what you really have going on. Instead of making a daily to-do list that is too long for any human to complete, make a weekly list. We tend to be more realistic about what we can accomplish in a week vs. what we can accomplish in a day. A weekly list is especially helpful if you measure your worth by your accomplishments. With a weekly list, you’ll be less likely to measure the quality of your day by the quantity of things you get done.
Other ways to actually enjoy your to-do list include NOT adding more items as you complete items. When you finish something or something falls off your list, use that time to rest or enjoy your life in another way instead of trying to do more. Resist the seduction of getting things done.
4. Review your calendar or planner.
To avoid stressful midweek surprises, review your calendar or planner during your reset routine. Is there anything you need to reschedule or cancel? Do any appointments require advanced prep that you need to consider for your weekly to-do list? Check the time you have built in between appointments. Is there enough margin there so you don’t have to rush from thing to thing to thing? If not, start scheduling in more in between time.
While you are reviewing your weekly schedule, add in time to take care of yourself. Self-care shouldn’t be an after thought or something you do only when everything else is done. Schedule time to rest, walk, read a book, get a haircut, go to a fitness class, enjoy a pedicure, connect with a good friend or anything else you need/want to do to benefit your wellbeing.
5. Check in on your digital habits.
Review the last week and the time you spent on your phone, computer and other digital devices. Use this weekly reset time to consider how your digital exposure affected your mind, eyes, shoulders, mental health and sleep. If there were some downsides, how can you shift things for the week to give yourself a bit of a break. For instance, would taking a five minute screen break every 30 minutes help. Listen to the Body Electric podcast for more inspiration.
Set some digital boundaries to experiment with just for the week. Next week, you can reassess and see what worked and what did not. You might want to try sleeping with your phone in another room and/or turning on do not disturb from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. Try deleting a social media app for the week or unfollowing any accounts that make you feel bad. For more ideas listen to this podcast episode about social media habits from Bad on Paper.
6. Create a 3-day meal plan.
If you aren’t a natural meal planner, trying to put together meals and groceries for a whole week is asking a lot. That said, some planning does reduce stress. Start by creating a 3-day meal plan. Stay consistent and repeat the first two meals of the day. If you can batch cook or prep for a few days, try putting that together during your reset. For instance, try these dense bean salads for a few lunches each week. Learn how to throw together a 4-minute healthy dinner. If you want to meal plan for the whole week, you can simply repeat your 3-day meal plan.
7. Make things easier.
If you have a full week or feel stressed about your workload, ask yourself how you can make things easier for yourself. Is it time for a conversation with other family members about how everyone is contributing? When you are looking at meals for the week, it may be easier to eat similar meals or the same meal every night to alleviate decision fatigue. You may consider scheduling a grocery pick up instead of shopping at the store or even ordering delivery one night.
Consider automation. When you look at all of the bits and bobs of your day and life, you’ll notice there are some things that don’t need your constant attention. Schedule bill payments, turn your snail mail into email when that is an option, reschedule medical and other appointments during your existing appointment. Schedule reminders for monthly and quarterly tasks or for things you don’t do on regular basis.
8. Reach out.
During the week you might push off connecting with the people you love as you move between appointments and obligations. During your reset make time to reconnect. Send text messages, make phone calls, write letters and reach out to people you love and people who have made a difference in your life. If an hour long phone call seems like too much, send a photo of you and the person you are thinking about with a quick note, “thinking of you.” You might also send a postcard or your favorite book to someone you love. We can reach out and connect in different ways and they all count.
9. Reset your space for a clutter-free week.
While you might not be able to declutter your entire house in a day, you can reset your space. Start by revisiting the two bags or boxes you filled. Put the declutter bag by the door or in your car so you remember to drop it off at a donation center. Go through the other bag and put everything where it belongs. If you have a few things that don’t have a place, instead of putting it in the junk drawer or leaving it out, ask yourself if you really want to keep it. Maybe it goes in the donation bag, or consider an area where things you aren’t sure about live. Keep them hidden and out of sight for 30-90 days. It will be easier to let go by creating some distance.
Once your bags are taken care of, turn up the music and take some extra time to put the dishes and laundry away. Schedule bigger chores by creating monthly and quarterly task lists (scheduled as events or reminders) so you aren’t always thinking about what has to get done. Finally, wipe down all of your surfaces. Notice how much you have to move to wipe down a counter or the top of a dresser. Remember that less stuff = less time cleaning and think about adding more to your donation bag. This will be a process that gets easier each week.
10. Reset yourself too!
Now that you’ve reset everything around you, it’s time to reset you. Choose an activity that helps you step into the week feeling lighter than you stepped out of it. Read Gentle: Rest More, Stress Less and Live the Life You Actually Want. Try a gentle yoga class or a silent walk. If watching your favorite movie, baking cupcakes or dancing in the kitchen helps you reset, do that. Drawing, painting or writing in a journal may help you reset. Here are a few journaling prompts to help you reset and release stress. If you want a bigger creative reset, try The Artist’s Way.
11. Be gentle.
Once you’ve moved through your reset, consider ways to slowly and softly move through the rest of your day. Honor not only your time but your energy availability too. If you tend to rush through the week, pull back today and create a block of time every day where you commit to move more slowly and intentionally. Moving fast doesn’t always mean getting more done. In fact, it usually means being completely worn out by the end of the week. Would a slower pace feel better?
Don’t wait until you are exhausted to rest and slow down. As Nicola Jane Hobbs suggests, “Instead of asking, ‘Have I worked hard enough to deserve rest?’ ask, ‘Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?”
Create a Weekly Reset Routine that works for you.
Some weeks, you might include two or three suggestions. On your more spacious days, you can extend your reset activities. When you create a routine or rituals that help you reset, you can slow down, be more present and enjoy your life. Calm your heart and clear your mind for a little while every week.
