5 Resets to Do Every Sunday

Simple Sunday reset routines that bring order to your week before it even begins.

If you’re wondering how to keep the house clean and tidy without spending your whole weekend cleaning and organizing, and start your week with a fresh home and mind, the answer might be a Sunday reset routine.

Before my son started school, a weekly reset routine was helpful. The day he started preschool, they became essential! Uniforms had to be clean and folded. Backpacks repacked and waiting by the door. Lunchbox ingredients accounted for. Suddenly, Sunday wasn’t just downtime, it was the reset that helped everything run smoother come Monday.

In this post, I’m sharing five of the Sunday reset routines that have made the biggest difference in our home. These are simple, doable tasks that support your weekly rhythm, not overwhelm it. You don’t have to spend hours scrubbing or tidying every inch of your house. These resets are meant to bring just enough order to help you start the week with clarity, not chaos.

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Our Sunday Reset Routines

We usually go to church on Saturday evening, which lets us ease into Sunday mornings with rest. Coffee and a favorite show while I do a little inbox cleanup. I scroll through recipes on Pinterest while adding ingredients to my grocery list on my phone. It’s a mix of stillness and small resets.

No heavy cleaning. No full workdays. Just enough structure to feel prepared while still honoring Sunday as a day of rest.

Most Sundays, we stay home all day. As a tradition, I simmer a pot of Bolognese. The sauce cooks low and slow while we watch TV shows. I will step outside to get some fresh air and tend to my plants. Sunday is not rushed, it’s not rigid. It’s restful, warm, and just structured enough to feel like a fresh start.

Some resets happen in the background, on autopilot. Little things I do out of habit, not obligation. A load of laundry in the morning if something’s needed, although most of my laundry happens on Saturdays. What I always do on Sundays is a quick fridge check. I also glance through my pantry to add things to next week’s grocery list. I try to keep Sundays free from heavy chores, but I’ll spot-clean living areas if needed.

We keep the rhythm loose and restorative. I don’t make rigid rules, just gentle resets that help the week begin with clarity and calm.

Here are five Sunday reset routines that help us start each week with peace and purpose.

1. Reset Your Spaces

A functional home begins with clear surfaces and tidy spaces. So, resetting small zones on Sundays is one of my favorite ways to add a layer of tidiness to my weekly routine.

I take a flexible, grace-filled approach to cleaning and tidying on Sundays. Some weeks, I reset our most-used zones like the living room, laundry room, or the catch-all drop zones. I rotate depending on what needs attention.

Quick Space Refresh Tips

• Clear clutter from flat surfaces (counters, tables, bathroom vanities)
• Do a 5-minute tidy-up with a basket or tray for out-of-place items
• Wipe down high-traffic areas like kitchen counters or coffee tables.
• Fluff cushions and fold throw blankets

I often reset our laundry room on Sundays since it doubles as a mudroom and houses our cat’s litter box. A quick sweep, wipe-down, and organizing the hooks makes Monday feel smoother. Remember, these aren’t deep cleans. They’re quick, functional resets to support your routines, not perfect styling.

2. Reset the Fridge & Meal Plan

Clear space, reduce food waste, and avoid the 5:00 p.m. dinner dilemma.

Every Sunday, I take a few minutes to reset the fridge. It’s not a deep clean, just a scan, a shift, and a mental note of what’s left. I toss what didn’t get eaten, move older items to the front, and rearrange bins so I know what needs to be used up first.

Ever since I added a pull-out lazy Susan to the top shelf of my fridge, clearing out old jars, condiments, and forgotten items has become so much easier. The same goes for my pantry now that I’ve installed pull-out drawers. Scanning through items is a breeze—just open a drawer, do a quick scan, and you can see exactly what you need. These small upgrades have made my Sunday resets so much more efficient, ensuring that we always have fresh, accessible products on hand.

I also rotate the eggs in our egg holder, bringing the older ones to the front, making room for the new ones in the back. It’s a simple rhythm that helps me feel ready for a new week without a formal meal plan.

Kitchen Reset Inspiration

Here are a few quick ways to reset your kitchen without making it a full cleaning session:

• Group like items together. Check out my pantry organization for inspiration!
• Wipe one shelf with a damp cloth while waiting on your coffee or toast
• Toss expired leftovers and rotate older produce to the front
• Scan pantry staples (rice, pasta, grains) to see if anything needs refilling
• Add meals or ingredients to your phone list as you go

I used to use my printable weekly meal planner, but now that we subscribe to ButcherBox, I plan much more loosely. I defrost meat the night before or morning of and keep a mental rotation of our staple meals. My main focus is making sure we have fresh eggs and dairy, deli meat, fresh vegetables, and pantry staples.

One of my favorite tools is the AnyList app, which I use to save recipes and manage my shopping list right from my phone. It keeps everything in one place. If you’d like a closer look at how I use it, I included it in My Favorite Apps for Staying Organized.

This quick Sunday reset brings order to the fridge and pantry and helps the week start with better meal options. Even when I don’t feel like cooking, there’s always a pantry staple that saves the night!

And even without formal meal planning, this rhythm helps with grocery shopping and keeps the fridge from becoming chaotic.

3. Reset Your Entryway / Drop Zone Spaces

Tidy up the zones that help you walk out the door with less stress.

Our drop zone isn’t a single space. It is actually a small flow between the garage, the laundry room which acts as a mudroom, and the closet under the stairs. These three spaces are adjacent to each other. My son’s shoes stay on a shelf in the garage. His backpack hangs from a hook in the laundry room. My purse and keys go in the closet, where I also keep a shoe cabinet and coat hooks. Everything is close together, so it’s easy to touch up these spaces with just a few minutes of attention.

Now that my son’s older, I share the tasks of this reset with him. He handles his own backpack on Sundays. He tosses what he doesn’t need and prepares it for the week ahead.

In my quest for simplifying my home, I no longer hold on to every school paper. We review what’s important, I sign what’s needed, and the rest goes in the trash. I also clean out my purse, tossing receipts, wrappers, or transferring things if I’m switching bags.

Drop Zone REset Ideas:

• Repack school bags and toss old papers
• Wipe shoes or toss them in the wash if needed
• Clean out your purse or work bag
• Hang jackets and place items that need to go back (library books, water bottles, etc.) by the door

This “get-ready zones” might be small, but get a lot of traffic during the week. Resetting them during our Sunday reset routine, helps our mornings feel less rushed, and our minds less scattered.

These little resets don’t take long, but they have saved us from plenty of ‘ last-minute “Where is my (fill the blank)?” moments’ on Monday mornings!

On a Personal Note: Commercials Breaks? Who watches commercials anymore? We do. We subscribe to YouTube TV and watch NCIS marathons on Sundays on ION TV.

I always keep my Neat To-Do List Notepad nearby. That’s where I write urgent items, reminders, and appointments. Between the notepad and my planner, I have a clear sense of where my time is going, without needing to over-schedule.

Weekly Calendar Reset Ideas:

• Flip through last week’s planner pages and carry forward anything unfinished
• Review appointments, school events, or bills for the upcoming week
• Add reminders or recurring tasks you don’t want to miss
• Write down 3–5 priorities for the week ahead
• Check your email inbox or texts for anything that needs action

Planning for the week doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to be clear. This little reset gives me peace of mind and a gentle nudge toward what matters most.

5. Reset Your Mind

Because starting the week calm matters just as much as starting it clean, I always make time for a mind reset.

This reset is last—but certainly not least. It’s the one that carries all the others, because when my mind is at peace, everything else flows more easily. I practice prayer daily—at least twice a day—and that rhythm has become the anchor in both calm and chaotic seasons. Immersing myself in Scripture (I am currently on Day 280 of the BIY podcast) and practicing imaginative prayer helps me stay grounded, centered, and steady, no matter what life throws my way.

This is where I reset not just my schedule or my space, but my spirit. The motto for my weekly newsletter The Neat Reset.

For me, this reset begins before Sunday even arrives. Most weekends, I attend Saturday evening Mass. That time in church sets the tone for everything that follows. It grounds me, shifts my perspective, and gives me space to reflect before the noise of the week begins again. My Every Sacred Sunday journal, helps me reflect on the week ahead.

By Sunday evening, I move slower. I head upstairs a little earlier and spend time in my quiet corner. Sometimes listening to Scripture or prayer reflections on Hallow, other times reading a book. I offer my work to God, quietly asking that I show up the way He would want me to. That’s the intention that guides me every day: to do His work, and to make Him proud.

These resets aren’t about elaborate routines. They’re about making room for stillness, so we can go into the week rooted, not rushed.

Mindful Reset Practices:

• Attend a religious service or set aside quiet time to reflect
• Journal thoughts from the past week or write what you’re grateful for
• Sit in stillness with a candle, calming music, or nature sounds
• Read something grounding—a devotional, poem, quote, or passage that inspires calm
• Reflect on how you want to show up in the week ahead
• Practice breathwork, prayer, or meditation to settle your mind and body

This final reset isn’t about productivity. It’s about peace.

How Sunday Reset Routines Help You Stay Organized All Week

You don’t need to overhaul your home or block off hours to feel prepared for the week. These Sunday reset routines are meant to be light, realistic, and rhythm-building—not overwhelming. Even one or two gentle resets can shift the tone of your entire week.

They’re not about doing more. They’re about doing what matters—clearing a bit of space, softening your mental load, and creating a routine that helps you walk into Monday with clarity.

Whether you’re tidying the fridge, prepping your calendar, or sitting in stillness with a candle and a prayer, these small resets work together to support a calm, functional home—and a centered heart.

Start where you are. Keep it simple. And let Sunday become your quiet place to begin again.

to fresh starts, Flavia 🌿