The art of the Sunday Reset
Or, how to defeat even the ~notion~ of Sunday Scaries.
There are many rituals that are sacred to me: Going to Barney Greengrass whilst visiting New York, walking for miles through bouts of writers block, and publicly contemplating that maybe JD Vance is into other pieces of furniture besides couches. Another ritual I hold near and dear: The Sunday Reset. It’s everything I do in my (one-bedroom and in the words of Dr. Oz, “under-babied”) apartment to be mentally and physically prepared for the week ahead. So light a candle, open the windows, turn on your preferred background accompaniment (Modern Family, Kacey Musgraves’ new album, or a podcast about the fucked-uppedness of American democracy, pour moi) and get your space ready to have a productive week.
Note: This is a long-ass list and cannot possibly be done every Sunday. Consider it the 'everything shower’ of your home, only to be done once a month or so, and then pick and choose what your space needs in between.
BASICS
Vacuum. I’m an adherent of three religions: Judaism, The Great British Baking Show, and this Levoit vacuum cleaner. The order depends on the day. Some additional spots you may not have considered: Under your bed (move it, it’s dusty as fuck under there), your couch cushions (not just under the cushions, the cushions themselves with the hand vac attachment—if you never do this prepare to be horrified), behind and around trash cans. After vacuuming, mop or Swiffer.
Empty aforementioned trash cans. And immediately put fresh bags in them, because the situation can otherwise devolve very quickly into just throwing things into one of the many Trader Joe’s paper bags you have in your coat closet.
Replace filters. When was the last time you changed your water filters? Your AC filters? (If you rent, have you ever changed your AC filter? Because I never once thought about it til the LA fires.) Write down today’s date somewhere, either on the filter itself or in a planner, so you know when to do it next. If you live in a city where the air and water are clean enough as is, god bless!!! But if you don’t—I use these for drinking water, this for my bathroom sink, a variety of air purifiers (in a 700 SF space, I know, but it helps), and MERV 13 AC filters.
LAUNDRY + DISHES
Do laundry all day long, if it’s in your building or apartment. Start with all your bedding and your towels, your bathroom rugs, your kitchen runner (one of my better decisions was getting this machine washable one.) Every time a laundry cycle ends, start the next one. Don’t leave your sheets til 10 pm, lest you just end up sleeping on a bare mattress and thus defeating the purpose of cleaning your sheets in the first place. (But who would do such a thing???) After home stuff, then wash your clothes. And don’t forget high traffic items: throw pillow cases, sofa blankets, kitchen towels, fabric scrunchies. I said what I said.
Wash and put away all your dishes. Whether via dishwasher or by hand, but either way—the reason your kitchen smells weird is because your egg pan has been “soaking” for three days. Then deep clean the kitchen sink and dish drying rack. Baking soda and steel wool go a long way here.
DE-GROSSIFY
Fridge deep clean. This includes the shelves, and the items themselves. Wipe the sticky exterior of the hot sauce bottles with a wet paper towel. Pour out and throw away the kombucha you opened and drank half of six weeks ago. Take seltzers and sodas out of the box and organize condiments in a neat, color-coded way that would make people come over and think, damn, she has several kinds of mustard—and therefore must have her shit together.
De-crumb. Vacuum under your table, in the table seams + on your kitchen chairs. Wipe the crumbs and seeds and burnt bits out of your toaster/air fryer, oven, and stovetop.
Don’t avoid the tasks that suck. Clean your toilet. Wipe down your shower curtain liner/shower door and counters. Spray and scrub the tub. Dust your bookshelves and ceiling fan blades. Clean your espresso machine’s drip tray and throw away old coffee grounds. Windex your windows and mirrors and the glass coffee table you got fingerprints on while eating late night chicken nuggets.
PREP FOR THE WEEK
Buy and grind fresh coffee beans. Hot tip: Most coffee shops give you a free cup of drip or cold brew when you buy a bag in person.
Do small things to make Wednesday you grateful to Sunday you. Meal prep easy items, like roasted sweet potatoes, a pot of farro or rice, black beans, balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes, chia seed pudding, overnight oats, etc. Bonus points for making things you can just throw together in a bowl with lettuce and sauce. I also like to boil water and make a bunch of iced tea for the week.
Set reasonable expectations. Put one book on your nightstand that you actually want to read, not a pile of books that mock you every time you get in bed. Don’t shame yourself if you want to reread something, or if you’re not into reading at all. I also love doing the NYT Crossword Puzzle before sleep.
ORGANIZE + RESET
Schedule. Get your planner/Google Cal set up for the week. Doctors appointments, meetings, lunches, séances with the souls of wronged women, whatever is on your to-do list.
Re-fold and hang stuff. Open your dresser drawers and properly fold the clothes that are likely just in piles. Get the clothes off the chair in the corner and hang them up. Sit in your chair and appreciate the use of it as a chair. Consider an ottoman. You probably don’t have room, but it was fun to think about, wasn’t it?
Refill items. Put new heads on your razor and toothbrush and refill your hand soap. And if you don’t have any—order new heads for your razor and toothbrush and more hand soap. Wash the cup and/or toothbrush stand and wipe down the dish with all your skincare products on it.
To-go. Prep a small pouch to keep in your car or purse with things like floss, deodorant, gum, lip balm, mini sunscreen, and ibuprofen. Hand wash your sunnies with warm water and dish soap. You are now prepared for almost anything the universe plans to throw at you.
Switch from overhead light to lamps at 7 pm. I also have two of these very chic nightlights (a phrase I didn’t know was possible but is) that make my bathroom a peaceful place to be on a Sunday evening.
BONUS POINTS
If your rug or couch need cleaning, the Bissell mini green is great.
Wear Bala bangles while doing any and all of this for a little extra workout.
Go through the car wash and vacuum out your seats/floor mats. Your commute will feel 20% chicer tomorrow.
Water your plants, repot the ones that have outgrown theirs, prune dead/unhelpful leaves, and put out a bouquet in water if you have time to go buy one—or if your neighbors won’t miss a few of their roses.
PERSONAL CARE
Start off the day strong. For me, this means a morning trip to the farmers’ market, a coffee, and a pastry.
Brick your phone. You don’t have to go totally tech-free, but social media free while you’re doing all of this helps. It’s a slippery slope from watching one story to learning everything about your former roommate’s ex-boyfriend’s (who you never even liked) wedding in Portugal.
My favorite once-a-week skin, body, and haircare products: Christophe Robin scalp scrub, Ouai thick hair treatment mask, Peter Thomas Roth peeling gel, Caudalie pore minimizing mask, Celisse cuticle oil. Drink some tea while you have a mask on and lie in your robe in your clean sheets and watch last night’s SNL.
Survey your kingdom. Before you go to bed, just stand there and look at your clean as hell space. You did that!!! Sunday scaries, be gone.
this is sooo inspiring!!!
This is hysterical. You have every one of your readers in a panic about those fan blades. May I add, purchase and read the Sunday print Times cover to cover. 1.) Gets you out the door. 2.) Supports real journalism. 3.) Reminds you you know how to read, not skim. Dutifully submitted by a guy with iffy fan blades.