How I Reset on Sunday and Start Monday With a Plan

I like to start the week knowing what matters before the week starts making demands on me.

That does not mean every hour is scheduled or every loose end is finished. It means I have taken the things competing for my attention, put them somewhere I trust, and decided what deserves my effort first.

I also want Sunday to remain a day of rest. My weekly reset is a short preparation block with a stopping point. I am making room to enjoy the rest of the day without repeatedly reminding myself of everything I need to remember.

The routine I use combines four ideas: a Sunday Sweep, David Allen’s GTD Weekly Review, the 1-3-5 Rule, and the Ivy Lee Method. Each has a different job. I capture, review, size the work, and then choose an order.

1. I start with a Sunday Sweep

Before I decide what to do, I collect what is already asking for my attention.

I check the papers on my desk, loose notes, downloads, and reminders I have left in different places. I write down the things I have been mentally carrying too: the message I need to answer, the appointment I need to make, the project I keep meaning to move forward.

I call this my Sunday Sweep. It is inspired by the kind of practical weekly reset Tiago Forte describes, rather than a claim that he invented that specific name. His guide to a weekly review emphasizes a repeatable process for getting clear about the coming week.

I give each item a destination. Useful files get filed. Unneeded material can go. Something actionable becomes a task. Something I am waiting on gets a follow-up reminder. An idea I cannot take on yet goes on a later list.

Clearing my downloads folder means reviewing and organizing what is there, not deleting files indiscriminately. Clearing an inbox means deciding what its contents require, not finishing every task inside it.

My practical rule: when I write a task, I name the next visible action. “Work on the article” becomes “Draft the opening and outline three sections.” That gives me a starting point when I return to it.

2. I review the week before I plan another one

Once the loose ends are collected, I look backward and forward.

I review the previous week’s calendar for commitments that need follow-up. I check my project list, unfinished tasks, and anything I am waiting to receive from someone else. Then I look ahead at appointments, deadlines, and family commitments.

This is the part I borrow from David Allen’s GTD Weekly Review: bring the system up to date so the next decisions reflect reality.

I ask myself three questions:

• What moved forward last week?
• What is still open, and what is its next action?
• What does the coming week already require of me?

An unfinished task does not automatically deserve another place on Monday’s list. I may need to make it smaller, delegate it, schedule it for a more suitable day, or decide it no longer matters.

I use the same reflection habit in Continuous Improvement: Lessons from QA Engineering for Better Systems. Looking at what happened gives me something concrete to improve.

3. I use 1-3-5 to check how much I am taking on

The 1-3-5 Rule, shared by The Muse, provides a simple daily structure: one big task, three medium tasks, and five small tasks. The Muse also recommends adjusting the list when meetings or unexpected work reduce available time.

I use those numbers as ceilings, not targets I must fill. A day packed with appointments should not carry the same task list as a day with several open hours.

For me, a big task needs a substantial focused block. A medium task needs deliberate effort but has a narrower scope. A small task is a brief, clearly defined action. Those labels are relative to my day, so I add rough time estimates when deciding what fits.

A Monday might include drafting an article as the big task, reviewing a document and preparing an agenda as medium tasks, and confirming an appointment as a small task. Empty slots stay empty.

I sketch the week ahead, but I leave room to adjust it. This connects with building habits that actually fit my life: the plan has to work with the time I have.

4. I choose Monday’s six priorities with the Ivy Lee Method

On Sunday evening, I choose up to six important actions for Monday and put them in a strict order. That is the central practice of the Ivy Lee Method, traditionally traced to Lee’s work with Charles Schwab in 1918. James Clear’s account describes the six-item list, sequential focus, and carrying unfinished items into the following day’s planning.

I rank by consequence and importance, taking deadlines and dependencies into account. I do not assume the biggest task must always come first. A short action that unblocks someone else may deserve priority.

Monday morning, I begin with number one. I give it my attention until it is complete before moving on. If I hit a genuine external blocker, I record what I am waiting for and choose the next available priority. A scheduled appointment still happens when it needs to happen.

The six priorities come from the same daily task pool I sized with 1-3-5. I am not adding six tasks to nine more. In my combined version, up to six are commitments; any remaining small items are optional. That is my adaptation of the methods, rather than a rule from either original system.

5. I make the first action easy to start

Before I finish planning, I identify when and where I will begin my top priority and what “done” looks like for that action.

For example: “After my Monday morning routine, I will sit at my desk and draft the article opening before opening nonessential messages.”

Research by Masicampo and Baumeister found that making specific plans for unfinished goals reduced their interference with other tasks in laboratory studies. That supports the value of a concrete plan; it does not prove that this particular combination of four methods will work for everyone. Read the study.

I treat these methods as established planning practices, not a guarantee of productivity. The useful test is whether they help me follow through and revise the plan when life changes.

My short Sunday reset

As a starting template, I allow about 30 minutes: ten to collect and process loose ends, ten to review commitments, and ten to size the work and rank Monday’s priorities. Those timings are a guide, not a requirement. If there is more to process, I capture the remainder and schedule another block rather than letting preparation consume Sunday.

I finish with a readable plan. The Weekly Reset Planner puts the sweep, weekly review, daily capacity, and ranked priorities in one place, with a version I can print and keep nearby.

Readers can pair it with How to Start Your Mondays for the broader morning routine, and How to Journal for Self-Improvement for deeper reflection.

The most useful part of this routine is that Monday has a starting point. I know what I have committed to, what can wait, and what I will do first. Then I can put the plan down and return to Sunday.

Open the free Weekly Reset Planner to capture your tasks, set priorities, and print your plan.