10 Things I Always Do Before Monday

Saturday morning: is there a lovelier phrase in the English language? I practically live for the weekend rituals we love in our household: homemade pizza and movie night on Saturday evenings, jazz and brunch and the smell of coffee on Sunday morning, picking up fresh bread and flowers and weekend papers, and walks in the botanical gardens near our place.

Whatever else is going on in life, my weekends are geared around three things: recharging my batteries, doing what makes me happy, and setting myself up for success for the week ahead. Though my social plans will change, these are the things I always do each weekend so that I’m refreshed and ready to go again on Monday morning:

1. Plan next week’s ‘To Do’ list // Before I leave my desk on Friday, I’ll make a list of anything I haven’t got to but still need to tackle. This way I already have half my ‘to do’ list written when I sit down on Monday morning, and don’t spend the weekend worrying about work. I also go through my diary and schedule in any workout classes I want to take or life admin / errands I know I need to take care of, new projects I want to start on, at least one social event so I already have something to look forward to. On Sunday evening I also check my schedule and the weather forecast and make sure I have a couple of outfits planned so that I’m not frantically trying things on when I’m rushing to catch a train.

2. Catch up with friends // The older you get the harder it is to coordinate schedules with the people you actually want to spend time with, but I always try to catch up with at least one friend or to spend time with family over brunch, an exhibition, or a walk. I also make sure I reply to all the text messages I’ve probably forgotten to reply to during the week so that I’m not still feeling guilty about that on Monday morning.

3. Spend time alone // As an extroverted introvert (I love spending time with people who inspire me but need time alone to recharge my batteries), I always crave some quiet downtime by myself or with just my husband. I’ll take an hour to go for a walk in the park, watch an episode of Sex and the City, or even just to put on some music and clear out my wardrobe. Even just that little bit of alone time means I’m less likely to get annoyed at being crammed into a rush-hour train or over-subscribed workout class on Monday morning.

4. Grocery shop, cook and meal prep // I hate wasting free time grocery shopping when I’m already hungry after work, so we schedule an online grocery delivery for every other Saturday morning (we use Ocado and I automatically order the things we always use and then add things to the ‘trolley’ on the app whenever we run out or I think of something). It saves so much time, I don’t impulse buy things just because I see them, and that way I can visit the local farmer’s market to just buy fresh produce on the alternating weekends and it be a pleasure rather than a chore. Similarly I always like to cook something delicious – but a little more time consuming than I can manage during the week – for brunch and dinner, and while that’s cooking I’ll usually make a big pot of soup or a batch of roasted vegetables + quinoa for salads so I always have quick and healthy lunches on hand for the week ahead. Even if I have zero free time during the week, I know I’ve at least got a fridge full of healthy ingredients and can throw something together for lunch or dinner in a couple of minutes.

5. Get organised + clean // I normally like to live by the rule that my house is never more than 10 minutes from guest-ready, but more often than not, by Friday I have left shoes everywhere, jewellery on every surface, and an overflowing laundry basket. I always like to do a deep clean and sweep of the entire house to put things back where they belong, action and clear any papers and mail that have entered the house, wash my makeup brushes, sort out the contents of my handbag, and do a few loads of laundry. Mess actually makes me feel stressed, so this way I can start the week with a clean house + organised wardrobe that feels calm rather than chaotic and makes getting ready in the morning easier.

6. Get some exercise // I wish I could be one of those people who gets up at 6am to exercise before work, but I’m not (see next point about never going to bed before midnight), so I usually schedule my workouts for lunchtime or after work. But sometimes life gets in the way and I’m not as consistent as I’d like. So I always try to get a longer workout or class in first thing on Sunday morning so that I’ve already got one workout ‘in’ for the week, and that way I don’t feel so bad if I need to skip another day during the week.

7. Get enough rest // I sometimes feel like a failed adult because I seem incapable of going to bed before midnight or having the sort of consistent bedtime routine that every ‘wellness expert’ tells me I should be implementing. But I always compensate by making sure I get enough sleep and relaxing downtime on the weekends so that I can at least start the week feeling completely recharged, even if I don’t end it that way.

8. Read // I love reading and view it as essential self-development, but never seem to get enough time to get properly stuck into a book during the week. So I always make sure to find a couple of hours to read a good book (usually while I’m doing a face mask on Sunday evening), my favourite blogs and lifestyle sites, and catch up on all the important global news and an educational op-ed article or two over a coffee (now that I don’t work in politics I don’t have to know what’s going on 24/7, but I still like to be informed).

9. Switch off your devices // I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with social media this year. On one hand I love connecting with like minded friends and readers around the world and getting a glimpse into things I wouldn’t otherwise encounter in my daily life, but on the other it can feel so demoralising – it can be hard to completely detach your self-worth from the number of likes or followers on Instagram, or to not negatively compare yourself to someone else’s highlight reel. I’ve found I enjoy the social side of social media when I’m not constantly on my phone, and feel so much happier when I just completely ignore my phone for a day and instead use that time for something more productive. Usually no one has even noticed if I haven’t posted anything, and I can still catch up on my favourite accounts when I check back in.

10. Self care Sundays // During the week I can be showered and ready in 15 minutes, but that’s a result of being properly prepped. On Sunday evenings I indulge in a fairly extensive grooming routine which I call my ‘self-care hour’ – exfoliating my whole body, fake tanning (so that people don’t tell me I look tired when I’m my natural shade of alabaster), doing a hair mask so that my hair is quick and easy to style during the week (not that you’d know it from these pictures – it was so windy that by the last photos it looks a mess), giving myself a pedicure and painting my nails (I hate wasting time and money on nail appointments), washing all my makeup brushes, and retreating to the bedroom or bathtub with a face mask and a good book or jazz soundtrack for bonus relaxation points. I know this is a perk of being childless, but even my mum friends swear by that hour when they get to lock themselves in the bathroom and do whatever they want.

Wearing: J.Crew blazer (similar style available here + here) // Whistles sweater (similar style available here + tshirt version here) // Sezane shirt // Gap jeans // Christian Louboutin shoes (similar style here) // Aspinal bag c/- // Karen Walker sunglasses (also in black) // J.Crew earrings (past season but similar style here) // Michael Kors watch // Charlotte Tilbury ‘Red Carpet Red’ lipstick.

I’d love to know; what are your weekend rituals?

Love, Briony xx

Photos by Joe Galvin