Principle-First
There’s a version of Monday that feels twice as hard.
The laundry is still sitting there. The fridge is empty. There are dishes in the sink. And suddenly, before the week has even really started, you’re already playing catch-up.
My debut book, How to Be Good at Life, comes out October 6. And today’s system gets at one of its core ideas: anticipate your future needs, then build simple systems that make tomorrow lighter and freer.
You spend a little effort upfront to make everything downstream easier. Because a lot of weekly stress comes from small, predictable points of friction.
Each one is minor. Just annoying. But stack five of them on top of each other and you get the feeling that your life is slightly out of control.
The Sunday Reset is a simple way to get ahead of them.
SUPERHUMAN SCORING
In every edition of System Sunday, I assess the featured system across three superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, and maintenance.
Unlike your typical review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.
Impact (9.5/10)
In my 20s, I often used the weekend to escape the life I had rather than build the life I wanted.
Boozy brunches that turned into day drinking. Staying up too late. Eating whatever I wanted.
It’s a pretty normal response. We try to cram as much fun as possible into two days before heading back into five that can feel mostly devoid of it.
Then I’d wake up Monday morning completely unprepared for the week ahead.
Eventually, I realized that a small amount of preparation on Sunday could dramatically change how Monday felt.
The productivity benefits are real. But I think of the Sunday Reset more as nervous-system management.
Good systems make you consistent. Great systems make you calm. This one does both.
Setup (9.0/10)
Let’s create a simple Sunday Reset checklist. If it only lives in your head, something eventually gets missed.
I made a free printable Sunday Reset checklist you can use as a starting point. Grab the Google Doc here or download the PDF here.
You’ll want to put it somewhere visible, like the fridge or the back of a cabinet door. I prefer the fridge. The easier it is to see, the more likely you are to use it.
The exact items will depend on your life, but I’d think about it in three buckets:
1. Reset the house
- Start the laundry
- Take out the trash and recycling
- Clear the kitchen sink
- Wipe down the countertops
- Put away obvious clutter
- Change sheets or towels, if needed
2. Restock the basics
- Get groceries
- Make sure you have coffee, breakfast staples, snacks, or anything else you rely on during the week
- Refill toiletries
- Reorder anything you noticed running low
3. Stage Monday
- Lay out your workout clothes
- Lay out your work clothes
- Pack your bag
- Pack kids’ lunches, if applicable
- Put anything you need to bring by the door
- Charge your devices
- Put your keys, wallet, and headphones where they belong
A useful question to ask: What regularly makes Monday harder that I could take care of on Sunday?
And remember: a system doesn’t mean you personally have to do everything. If you have the resources, laundry can be outsourced. Groceries can be delivered. During especially busy seasons, paying for convenience can free up a surprising amount of time and mental space.
This may look like a lot on paper, but much of it can happen in parallel. With laundry running and groceries being delivered, you might only spend 30–60 minutes actively resetting.
Maintenance (8.0/10)
When you first build the system, use your checklist as Read → Do. Read the first item. Do it. Read the second item. Do it.
Once the routine becomes familiar, switch to Do → Confirm. Run through the reset naturally, then use the checklist at the end to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.
And feel free to add things that aren’t strictly necessary but give you a sense of calm.
Water the plants. Take a bath. (Resetting your mind counts, too.) Whatever gives you that satisfying feeling of, Okay. I’m ready.
You can also make the reset more enjoyable. Put on a playlist. Listen to a podcast or audiobook. Set a 20-minute timer and see how much of the kitchen you can reset before it rings.
BRINGING IT HOME
You don’t have to complete the entire checklist this Sunday.
Start with one thing. Maybe today you do the laundry. Next week, add the kitchen reset.
The goal is to enjoy the life you have while doing a few small things to make the life ahead easier.
Before long, you start to win the week before it begins.
All systems go,
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Cheers to less meeting admin.