My perfect Sunday routine is, well, imperfect

Not all Sundays are created equal.

Some are productive and set you up with a wholesome sense of coming full circle as you close out your weekly routine.

Others, we tell ourselves, fall short of this ideal and are therefore inferior.

You might feel a Sunday tainted by impending dread that Monday morning’s return to work looms.

You could collapse headfirst into doom scrolling or hours binging YouTube and Netflix and chalk it up as a day wasted.

And when our heads bob above the stagnant waters of procrastination for air, guilt rises up and a new sense of dread floods in.

Yet in a society that celebrates ultra-productivity, side hustles and the hedonic treadmill where we pursue pleasure after pleasure – perfection seems to be the ideal to strive for and Sundays are presented as the prime time to pursue it.

But it is when we place pressure on Sunday as the make or break day in our week that we set ourselves up for failure.

I’ve come to realise in my own experience with mental health that it is only when I have accepted and embraced how life is perfectly imperfect that I can let go and be contented with it.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always reach such zen conclusions – I have to work consciously on being kinder to myself.

But when we apply the sentiment life being imperfectly imperfect to our Sunday rituals things ease up a little.

We can carve a nourishing space where, yes, we get some bits and bobs done – maybe even a lot of them – but we also allow ourselves the space to decompress at the end of our week and exhale into the new one.

And before all the weekend workers jump in – I recognise that not everyone has a regular Monday to Friday gig. If so, replace Sunday with whatever day in the rhythm of your job that serves as the calm before the storm in your working week.

So when I close my eyes and think about a perfect Sunday, it might involve some of the following:

• An early-ish start:

Because sleep and rest are important but there's a wholesome feeling when you're starting your day as others nurse their Saturday night hangovers or haven't even gotten home yet.

• Namaste exercise

Or, low intensity exercise. For me it's either a long run or perhaps a cycle ride. Something where I can relax and hit the reset switch but not undermine my intentional exercise that factors in progressive overload.

• Taking an untaxing adventure

Go for a coffee or head to the local bakery for pastries. Nip to the library. Do your groceries. See somewhere new but don't bust a gut with it.

• Spending time outside, ideally in the garden

Vitamin D and being in nature are good for the soul. Seeing some greenery and water perhaps.

• Setting out a coffee, putting water in the kettle ready to boil, laying out my gym clothes and cycling gear

A night-time endeavour for a seamless start to Monday - a part of my daily routine in the week as well.

• Listening to some music

Familiar or new, ambient or vocal - I tend to treat Sunday as a creative day and music helps me find a flow state.

• Batch cooking

Make life easier in the week. Have your lunches ready to roll. Remove the element of choice and therefore the tendency to choose convenience.

• Taking the bins out

Monday is bin day in NR3.

• Cleaning

Who wants to start the week with a pile of dishes in the sink?

• Writing a weekly blog post

My first hint of accountability on this website. Watch this space and let's see if I can keep up the streak.

• Planning the week ahead

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail, right?

• Meditating

I'm reconnecting with meditation after falling into the trap of using it as a sleep-inducing mechanism not an intentional practice.

• Plumping the sofa pillows

My neverending quest for fresh, doughy seating is hindered by my hand-me-down sofas which have the structural integrity of a stale marshmallow.

Honestly, a disproportionate amount of my time is spent battering my sofa cushions to bully them into providing a semblance of comfort.

• Cuddling my cat

Lina will feature in person soon, I promise. She's an absolute sweetheart and her affection and company helped me survive lockdown.

• Playing videogames

Currently I'm hooked on Elden Ring. For me, playing videogames on my Xbox provides a sense of escapism and wonder in light of some pretty trying times.

• Contacting family or friends

You don't need me to preach the benefits of staying in touch with and making time to see your nearest and dearest.

• Checking if the house plants need watering

The extent of my green-fingered expertise stretches to sticking a finger into the soil of my house plants and if dry, watering them.

Outdoor gardening is a different kettle of fish, of course.

• Catching up on email newsletters

The Minimalists, ghost.org, Ali Abdaal and my dear friend Charles Bliss are the fab four I drift towards each Sunday.

I can honestly and confidently say that there has never ever been a weekend when I have gotten all these things done.

It would be exhausting.

But if I get a couple, maybe even a handful, of these things done I generally find myself feeling recharged and ready for the coming week.

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