Getting into the habit of conducting a weekly productivity ritual to regularly reflect, plan and prepare can fend off Mondayitis, keep you focused, and motivate you to stay on track for the second half of the week due to a successful start.

Rituals that precede creative or fitness pursuits are widely documented and practiced, but a holistic ritual that precedes a busy week ahead produced but a handful of results on Google. Although morning rituals have become increasingly popular in recent years, preparing for the week ahead should be on our agendas too, as it's far easier to fail over the course of a week than it is in 24 hours.

See also...5 Reasons to Write Your Goals

Some of us suffer from hump day blues or late week fatigue, others dislike their job so much that Monday is the gloomiest day of all. These issues can be difficult to snap out of, setting the mood for the days that follow and discouraging progress. By putting the wheels in motion a day before a new week begins and sticking to our plans for the first few days (and nothing unforeseeable occurs), we enable productivity, improve self-discipline and worry less about what, how and when we need to do things.

The best day to execute the weekly productivity ritual is the day before the new week begins, whichever day that is for you – for the majority of our readers, that would be Sunday. Mornings or afternoons, whichever works for you personally, but don't let the ritual be the only productive thing you do on the day, nor should it disrupt good habits that would otherwise take place.

it's easier to fail over the course of a week than it is in 24 hours

Plan and schedule

If there's just one thing that you do as part of your ritual, it's plan and schedule the entire week. Planners and journals are obvious tools to use for this task, but calendar apps, alarms and paper or Post-It reminders around the home and desk area need updating, too.

Set no more than five to eight medium, measurable goals for the week, including personal goals that balance work or study-life, such as leisure reading, watching your favorite TV shows, eating out or seeing friends.

See also...The Importance of Planning

Review successes and failures

When you fail to get something done, write a short note about why in your planner (e.g. ad hoc request from boss, headache, etc.). When planning the following week, keep those obstacles in mind and work around them or add contingency time. For example, if you're tired every Saturday, call it out and do less next Friday night or don't pencil in important work on Saturday mornings. If you couldn't make it to the gym on a Monday morning but made it to every other session, schedule your Monday workout to the afternoon or evening or make it rest day.

See also...Best Calendar Apps for Productivity

Plan meals

Plan and prepare meals as far ahead as expiry dates and health standards permit. If you have the luxury of eating out every meal, planning what you'll order ahead of time will facilitate healthier eating habits, a better understanding of what you're eating and how that affects the bank, your mood and energy levels for post-meal activities.

Shop for the next few days or order online for delivery early in the week or before the end of next week. To keep things fresh and reduce waste, plan to go shopping or order again in a few days.

Phone calls and emails to close friends and family

We're social animals that require regular contact with friends or family. As an adult, it's commonplace to make a routine call to close family members and as we get older, even the more relaxed of friends are consumed by work and personal commitments that eat into what once might have been time to meet.

Merely updating a Facebook status is not the answer to maintaining meaningful friendships or letting loved ones know you're doing ok. Use this time to drop a few lines or make a few short calls to see how people are doing and possibly arranging something for the coming weeks. Some genuine contact is better than none and may even increase happiness and longevity.

Make time for sleep and leisure

Leisure time, or everything that isn't work, study or a serious hobby, is essential to getting things done. Schedule in however much time you think you need to not feel overwhelmed by productive pursuits, which often results in bingeing. If you usually feel you need a lot of free time, possibly due to a demanding career or study load, work your way down to only a few blocks per week. When you start to lose focus and feel like Netflix, check when you had a movie planned and either swap it for right now or know that relaxation is on the horizon.

The same goes for socializing and sleep. Plan ahead, even weeks ahead; the further out the plans, the more time you have to work around social activities so that you don't fall behind and don't feel guilty when you ought to be enjoying your time off. With sleep, a morning and evening routine is most effective, and around seven consecutive hours per night for the average adult.

Clean and tidy

Depending on the size of your living space, responsibility and preference for spreading it across multiple days, at least prepare your home, workspace and bag for getting things done in the coming three to four days. Creativity and clarity has been shown to improve when we reduce clutter and chaos.

See also...Mess-Stress-Free

Laundry

Prioritize clothes that need washing on an ongoing basis. Of particular importance are exercise clothes and work or study outfits. If by the last day of the week there are clothes of high importance unwashed, take care of them now.

Budget

Spend a few minutes reviewing bills and expenses due in the forthcoming weeks. Based on recent impulse buys or unplanned expenses, adjust next week's daily budget. When you're not rolling in it, one of the easiest ways to stick to a daily budget is to only carry the cash that's been budgeted for the day and leave the plastic at home. If there's something you absolutely must have, ask the sales assistant to put it away for you, sleep on it, and return the next day if you really can't live without it.

Happy New Week!

Elsewhere...A sample ritual for students