You ever start Monday like…

“Alright. This week I’m getting it together.”

You’ve got the motivation.
You’ve got the vision.
You’ve got the cute little mindset.

And then Tuesday hits. Now you’re renegotiating your whole life in your head.

What you thought you needed was a stricter schedule. No ma’am.

What you really need is a realistic plan.

Because a realistic plan doesn’t only work in a perfect week. It works when life is doing what life does.

And that’s the kind of plan I want for you.

Why “trying harder” isn’t the problem

Let me be honest.

Most weeks don’t fall apart because you’re lazy. Or because you’re not organized. Or because you “just need to be more disciplined.”

Your week falls apart because you’re making too many decisions in real time.

And decisions are sneaky. They don’t show up like a big dramatic choice.

They show up like:

• “What are we eating for dinner?”
• “When am I going to do that thing?”
• “What’s the most important thing today?”
• “Wait… what time is that appointment again?”
• “Why do I feel behind already?”

And when you’re tired? Those little decisions hit harder.

It’s like your brain is running a marathon… but nobody handed you water.

So instead of trying to force yourself to be “better” during the week, we’re going to do something smarter.

We’re going to move the decisions earlier.

The phrase I want you to remember

Here it is. Write it down somewhere you’ll actually see it.

“Make the big decisions once and stop renegotiating them every day.”

Because the realistic plan isn’t about controlling every hour.

It’s about removing the daily mental load.

It’s about waking up on Monday and not feeling like you’re already behind.

The 10-minute realistic plan: 3 decisions to make before the week starts

Not ten decisions. Not twenty. Just three.

And yes, you can do this even if you’re tired.
Even if you’re doing it late on Sunday night. Even if you only have a few minutes before bed.

This is meant to make your week lighter. Not give you more homework.

Decision #1: Do a quick calendar scan

This is not you planning every hour.

This is you taking a quick look so nothing sneaks up on you.

Because when you don’t look… you get surprised. And surprises are what make you feel behind.

So look for:

• appointments
• meetings
• deadlines
• kid stuff (spirit days, games, pickups, school events)
• anything that messes with your normal rhythm

And here’s the key:

You are not trying to solve it all right now.

You’re just naming what’s coming.

“Okay, this week has two late meetings.”
“Oh yep, dentist appointment Thursday.”
“Wait, why do we have three things on Saturday?”

That quick scan alone can calm your nervous system. Because your brain stops feeling like it’s waiting for an ambush.

Decision #2: Decide what’s for dinner (in a simple way)

Whew. Dinner.

Dinner is the daily decision that eats up more energy than it should.

And I’m not talking about you becoming a meal planning queen overnight.

I’m talking about a basic plan that works in real life.

Here are a few ways to keep it realistic:

• Pick two easy meals you already know how to make
• Choose one leftovers night
• Choose one grab-and-go night (sandwiches, breakfast for dinner, rotisserie chicken… whatever saves you)

That’s it.

Dinner decisions made early = less stress later.

Because at 5:30pm, when everybody is hungry and somebody is whining…

You don’t want to be standing in the kitchen asking yourself,
“So… what do I do now?”

You want to be able to say: “We already decided.”

Decision #3: Brain dump and pick your top 3 priorities

This one is big.

Because when everything feels important…

You either do nothing.
Or you do random things.
And still feel behind.

So do a quick brain dump. Get all the mental tabs out of your head.

Work stuff. Home stuff. Kid stuff. Life stuff.

Then choose your top three priorities for the week.

Not top twelve. Top three.

Because top three gives your week direction.

And it also gives you permission to stop carrying the entire world in your brain.

“This week, these are the things that matter most.”

Everything else?

Can wait.
Can be delegated.
Can be delayed.
Can be done later.

You’re not dropping the ball.

You’re choosing what matters.

A real-life example (because this is how it actually looks)

There have been nights when I had just a few minutes before bed.

And I literally wrote down:

• scan the calendar
• decide meals
• brain dump top three

And that was it. No pretty planner. No three-hour Sunday routine.

Just a tiny reset.

And even that changes how you wake up on Monday.

Because you’re not waking up like: “Wait… what do I have going on today?”

You already decided.

Try this today (yes, today)

You can do this on Sunday night. Or Monday morning. Or right now.

Give yourself 10 minutes.

1. Look at your calendar
2. Decide dinners (even just 3 meals)
3. Brain dump and pick your top three priorities

That’s it.

Then pay attention to how Monday feels when you’re not making all those decisions on the fly.

If you want it laid out step-by-step

If you want a simple guide that walks you through these weekly decisions without you having to remember them, check out Sunday Prep Workbook+. It’s designed to keep everything in one place so you can stop carrying it all in your head.

Because you don’t need a perfect plan.

You just need fewer decisions.

Make the big decisions once… and stop renegotiating them every day.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | STITCHER

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• Sunday Prep Workbook+

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