Mondays used to kick my butt. That’s because I was like a freshman who procrastinated studying for the midterm exam. Instead of prepping and planning, I’d veg on the couch watching episodes of The Office, hoping that if I didn’t think about it, Monday would just go away.

But with four kids with bottomless stomachs and endless activities, a work-from-home job, and a dozen other side pursuits, I realized that what I did on Sunday set the precedent for the entire week. If I whiled away a Sunday, then Monday through Friday suffered. Terribly. The kids were disorganized, I was grouchy, and dinners usually consisted of a smorgasbord of freezer leftovers. Now, I tackle Sunday like a study guide. I examine the week ahead, take notes, and make a game plan of attack. Here are three things I do every Sunday to run the next week like a freakin’ boss.

3 Things I Do on Sunday To Run the Next Week Like a Boss

1. Plan meals and online shop.

Having a meal planned for every day of the upcoming week, even if it’s just frozen lasagna and garlic bread, is a life-saver. When there’s a hot meal to gather around every night, all is right with the world.

My meal planning method is simple. I sit down on Sunday afternoon and choose one source of food-spiration for the week: a Pinterest board, a single cook book, magazine, or favorite HowDoesShe main dishes. I use only one source a week to keep things uncomplicated. Next, I use the notebook organization method I’ve been using for the past few years and make two columns on a sheet of paper, writing “Meals” on the left and “Groceries” on the right.

Immediately after meals and groceries are written down, I order everything online to be picked up at my local Walmart or Fred Meyer the next morning. Easy peasy and there’s always milk in the fridge by Monday morning and a hot meal on the table that night, and every night, even when things get hectic.

2. Write out the weekly schedule, down to the smallest detail.

Using the same notebook method, I use one sheet of paper to plan out the entire week. Under each day, I write all games, practices, obligations, and due dates, down to the smallest detail. Of course I have a lot of these events in my smartphone calendar, but I find that writing them down and then having them visible for the entire family to see keeps us all updated and on track.

3. Clean the main living areas.

Lastly, whenever I start out the week in chaos, the sequential days seem to follow suit. So every Sunday night (when the kids are in bed and incapable of wreckage), I take 30 minutes or so to clean the main living areas: kitchen, living room, entryway. When Monday morning starts, at least our high-frequency areas are clean which sets the tone for the day and it also makes it easier to keep those areas clean the rest of the week.

The week days are still plenty crazy and nothing ever goes perfectly, but I find when I do all three of these small tasks ever single Sunday, it makes a BIG difference in the week ahead. I am more at peace meaning my family is more at peace. I am more organized meaning my family is more organized. Give them a try and tackle your week like the boss that you are.