The secret to a good week’s work often lies in the preparation the day before. And I don’t just mean the getting an outfit sorted, meal prep, packing your bag kind of preparation.

Those things are good and your day certainly goes better when you aren’t hunting around for lost shoes two minutes before going out the door. But there are two other types of preparation that I believe are key.

The first is about making sure you’re in a good way. Physically fit, well slept, feeling like you’ve had enough time to do the you things, whether that’s having a lazy Sunday morning bubble bath, a crazy long run, filing paperwork and trimming your toe nails, whatever. I mean, making sure that the things you need (and taking time to yourself and genuinely relaxing is a need too) are done. 

The second is about knowing what you are doing with your week. Some of that is scheduling, so making sure you know what you have coming up and what prep is required for that. But it’s more than that. What are you going to achieve this week and how does it add to the vision of how you want your life to be? What are you going to do this week that takes you steps nearer to your goals? 

I spent years in a kind of low level dread on a Sunday evening. I didn’t have the self-awareness to really get how much my job was draining me. I never spent time thinking about big goals and visions and lived from week to week, building up stress. 

Now, I can’t wait to get back to work. A large part of that is now my work relates to my dreams, vision and goals. I love what I do. But I also set appropriate boundaries and switch off work much more often. I’m better rested, more relaxed and come to my work fresh, eager and knowing what I need to do to make a difference. 

So this Sunday, take time to prepare yourself physically, mentally, emotionally for your awesome week ahead!