My Sunday Reset Routine for a Calm Week (Plus a Printable Checklist!)

I don’t know about you, but this season of motherhood has felt overwhelming lately. Some days it feels like I’m constantly moving from laundry to clutter to dishes and back again. I’m never actually getting ahead of any of it. I haven’t really found a rhythm yet that keeps the home running smoothly without sacrificing rest or the little moments with my kids.

And while the cliché Saturday deep-cleaning montage with loud 90’s music sounds fun… I don’t want every Saturday to become a giant catch-up day. I actually want to enjoy the weekend. I want margin. I want calm. I want to start the week already prepared rather than trying to recover from it.

So I started experimenting with what would feel better and I realized a simple Sunday evening reset routine sets the entire tone for my week. A small rhythm I can repeat every Sunday that leaves me waking up Monday feeling calm, grounded, and prepared.

My Sunday reset isn’t about scrubbing the entire house or catching up on every little thing I ignored during the week. It’s more like gently clearing the runway so Monday feels light instead of heavy.

Here are the simple steps I walk through every week:

1. Quick tidy of the main living areas

Not a deep clean,  just putting things back where they actually belong. Vacuuming and mopping if I didn’t get to it on Friday (my usual mop day). 

2. Reset laundry

I gather all the remaining dirty laundry from the week. I wash, fold, and put away all clothes, towels, and sheets so I’m not starting the week already behind. I usually try to do one load a day anyway so in theory, there isn’t a mountain of laundry on Sunday. Just a few loads that need finished. 

3. Reset Kitchen

I do the usual clear and wipe down counters, but I also do a quick scan of the fridge and throw out any expired food or leftovers we didn’t get around to finishing. 

4. Bedroom + Bathroom Reset

Again, no big deep clean here. Vacuuming, wiping surfaces, and making the bed. Super quick. Super easy. 

5. Anything to note for the week

I look ahead and see if there’s anything I need to know about this week. Doctor appointments, birthdays/holidays, meal ideas, etc. 

These steps aren’t complicated. They’re repeatable. They are predictable anchors so you don’t have to mentally carry everything at once.

I created a printable checklist for myself so I wouldn’t have to think about it or remember all the steps. I just go down the list, one thing at a time, and it keeps my Sunday reset simple, doable, and gentle.

If you’re like me and do better with a simple routine you can follow, you can grab that Sunday Reset Printable too. It’s a digital checklist you can print or keep on your device and use every single week to start your Monday with more intention and less chaos.