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Health & Fitness

Believe in Sunday

What causes chaos and stress? The answer is simple – situations that we are unprepared for and that are out of our control. Sunday is the answer.

The past few months I have noticed that my clients have been asking for a quick and effective answer to work life balance issues. Of course, every issue that comes up is different, because every one situation has a different problem. However, I found that most of the problems don’t need a different answer – it comes down to one simple concept – utilize Sunday.

Sunday is the answer. Most of us like to relax on Sunday, hang out with family, and watch TV or football – and by all means this type of Sunday relaxation is important in order to unwind. But we can also try a little multi-tasking, and allow ourselves to utilize Sunday, and Saturdays, as a time to get ourselves prepared for the week.

What causes chaos and stress? The answer is simple – situations that we are unprepared for and that are out of our control. So in order to minimize such stress in our lives, we need to stay organized and prepared – let’s minimize the possibility of chaos.

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 I learned this the hard way myself. Many years ago when I first got divorced I was thrown into a complete world of constant chaos – I could hardly keep up. I have young children, 2 dogs, 2 cats, a career, and my own personal emotions to deal with. I found that I was leaving everything until the last minute. I was late to work for teacher conferences, my bills weren’t paid on time, I would go to bed late because I needed to run to the grocery store of get pet food, my gas tank was always empty, and I could hardly handle the daily events of my life.

I had to re-evaluate my life and find a solution – and my solution was Sunday. It is a day that can be used to wake up and get everything done for the week so that you have time to actually enjoy the week! Make a list of the things you need to do for the week, and get them prepared for as best you can on this day – erase the last minute panic from your life once and for all!

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Make sure food is in the fridge and maybe even prepare a few lunches for Monday and Tuesday. Take the time to pay your bills, there is no need for them to creep up on you causing you to miss a payment.  Update your calendar. Get some exercise. Fill up the gas in your car, do the little errands that you find yourself consumed with during the week. And don’t worry about relaxation and missing family time – these house hold activities actually aren’t stressful when they are done on your own time, and none of them take long at all.

I know it sounds too simple to be true, but this simple trick has proven success stories – including my own. Now I can come home after work, enjoy having dinner with my kids and helping them with homework, and get to bed at a reasonable hour without wondering what I’m forgetting. No last minute emergencies, no panic, no missed deadlines. Utilizing Sunday is a simple way to take control back and relieve yourself of unnecessary, and exhausting, stressful situations. 

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