It started with guilt.
Not the dramatic, life-shattering kind — the small, nagging kind you feel on a Sunday night when you’ve “been busy” all week but can’t point to what actually moved the needle.
As a founder-author, I live in two worlds. One runs on deadlines, client deliverables, and launch dates. The other runs on long, slow arcs — books, research, and ideas that may take months to bear fruit. Balancing both meant I needed more than a to-do list. I needed a way to run my week like a business.
That’s where my Sunday ritual came in. Over time, it’s turned into the single highest-leverage habit I have — a 45-minute session that has consistently tripled my meaningful output.
The Sunday Edge
Most people start planning on Monday morning, reacting to what’s already urgent. By then, you’re behind.
On Sundays, the world is quieter. My phone buzzes less. My team is offline. That calm gives me the status advantage — I start Monday already knowing what matters most, while everyone else is still checking emails.
I’ve learned that your week is won or lost before it even begins. My Sunday ritual is about setting up those wins deliberately, not stumbling into them by accident.
Step One: The Brain Dump
I start with a blank A4 sheet of paper. Yes, paper. It feels slower, but that’s the point. I draw three columns: Work, Writing, and Life. Then I empty my head onto the page — every task, half-thought, loose end, and random “oh, I should do that.”
There’s no judgment here. I’m not sorting or prioritizing yet. I’m giving my brain autonomy — the freedom to get messy, to surface what’s actually on my mind instead of what an app thinks is important.
By the end of this step, the noise is out of my head and in front of me. My shoulders drop. I can see what I’m dealing with.
Step Two: The Big Three
From that brain dump, I pick the three most important outcomes I want by next Sunday. Not tasks. Outcomes.
For example:
- Finish Chapter 4 draft for the new book.
- Close contract with the SaaS client.
- Complete health checkup I’ve been postponing.
Everything else is secondary. This is where certainty kicks in — I know that if I nail these three, my week is a win, no matter how many curveballs come.
Step Three: The Calendar Lock
Here’s where most people fail. They identify priorities but leave them floating, hoping they’ll “find time.”
I block them into my calendar first — before meetings, calls, or admin work get in. Writing time goes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, when I’m sharpest. Big business calls happen midweek. Personal errands go Friday afternoon.
This is fairness in action — I’m making sure my calendar reflects my real priorities, not just other people’s urgencies.
Step Four: The Energy Map
Planning isn’t just about what you do; it’s about when you do it. I’ve mapped my own energy:
- Mornings: creative work (writing, strategy)
- Afternoons: meetings and decisions
- Evenings: light admin or reading
By matching tasks to my energy curve, I’m working with myself, not against myself. That sense of relatedness — of understanding my own patterns — is a quiet productivity superpower.
Step Five: The Drop List
I keep a small section called “The Drop List” — things I’m deliberately not doing this week.
Sometimes it’s small (“No new podcast appearances until next month”). Sometimes it’s big (“Not chasing that investor lead right now”). This clears mental space and protects my focus.
It also builds autonomy. I’m not at the mercy of every incoming opportunity; I’m choosing my plays.
Step Six: The Sunday Reset
The final step is physical. I clear my desk. I close all browser tabs. I file loose papers into their place. My Obsidian vault and Notion dashboard are tidy.
When I walk into my workspace Monday morning, it’s like stepping into a freshly cleaned kitchen. I know exactly where to start, and there’s nothing to trip over — physically or mentally.
The Compounding Effect
Here’s the thing: this ritual didn’t triple my output in week one. But over months, the compounding became obvious. I was shipping more client work, producing more chapters, and actually having bandwidth for long-term projects.
Why? Because I wasn’t starting from chaos every Monday. I was starting from clarity.
The Ritual in 10 Minutes or Less (If You’re in a Rush)
For those weeks when time is tight, here’s the compressed version:
- Brain dump everything.
- Pick your Big Three outcomes.
- Block them on the calendar first.
Even this mini-version works better than winging it.
Your Sunday, Your Edge
This isn’t about being a productivity machine. It’s about owning your week before the world does.
My Sunday ritual works because it’s simple, repeatable, and rooted in psychological triggers that keep me consistent:
- Status: I start ahead.
- Autonomy: I choose my priorities.
- Certainty: I know exactly what matters.
- Fairness: My time matches my goals.
- Relatedness: I work in sync with myself.
If you’re reading this and feeling that creeping Sunday-night guilt, try this once. See how Monday feels when you’ve already decided what matters. You might just find — like I did — that your best week starts before it begins.