How to Set Up a Weekly Reset Routine That Saves Hours

How often do you wonder, “How the heck is it {insert month/day/year} already?”

I do all the time. Life seems to fly by while we’re busy trying to keep up. While there’s no way to slow it down, you can do your best to spend your time wisely. A weekly reset empowers you to manage your time, feel more organized, and create space for self care, calmness, and joy. 

What is a weekly reset? It’s simply spending some time each week planning to ensure your next week runs smoothly. 

Step 1: Choose Your Weekly Planning Time

Designating a set day and time to plan your week is the best way to make it a habit. I like to sit down on Sunday afternoons with my favorite beverage and plan my week. But the best day for you might be different! Choose a day and time when you have the fewest interruptions and schedule changes. Treat this time like any other important commitment, and try to do it before grocery shopping so you can plan meals effectively.

Step 2: Review the Family Calendar

Before jumping into planning, take a few minutes to review your family’s calendar. This includes:

• Checking appointments, school activities, extracurriculars, and deadlines. This is a good time to check emails from teachers or review your kids’ school schedules with them so you know about upcoming projects.
• Schedule time for self-care, reading, workouts, or hobbies you enjoy.
• Reviewing travel schedules, evening events, and commitments.

Use a shared digital calendar like Apple Family Calendar for family activities or responsibilities.

Step 3: Plan the Week’s Schedule

Once you’ve reviewed the calendar, break the week down further:

• Coordinate logistics: Who is handling drop-offs, pick-ups, or extracurriculars?
• Assign responsibilities: Can older kids help with meal prep or chores?
• Prepare in advance: Gather supplies for school projects, sports gear, or party items.

If you like visual organization, a magnetic whiteboard or Skylight can keep everyone on the same page.

Step 4: Meal Plan Like a Pro

Meal planning is one of the biggest time-savers in a weekly routine. Instead of scrambling to figure out dinner every night, take a few minutes during your planning session to:

• Plan out meals for the week (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks)
• Check your pantry, fridge, and freezer for staples
• Make a grocery list based on your meal plan

Meal planning is a great task for AI. Use ChatGPT to create a meal plan based on your shopping list, preferences, dietary restrictions, and the time you want to spend prepping.

Step 5: Meal Prep for Efficiency

If you already have the ingredients, taking the time to prep can save you from stress and help you keep meals nutritious throughout the week. Here are a few ways to prep ahead of time:

• Stay Organized: Use MealPrepPro to find recipes perfect for prepping ahead. Paprika is also a great app for organizing recipes and creating grocery lists. Using meal prep and planning tools saves so much time and helps you keep mealtime healthy and interesting.
• Prep Freezer Meals: Batch-cook versatile meals like soups, casseroles, or marinated meats. Use reusable freezer bags with labels noting the meal and cooking instructions. Apps like Plan to Eat can help organize recipes and track what’s in your freezer.
• Grab-n-Go Snacks: Portion nuts, trail mix, or fruits and veggies into small containers. Keeping snacks ready in clear containers makes it easy to grab healthy options throughout the week. 
• Lunch Prep: Cook grains that keep well, like rice or quinoa, ahead of time, shred chicken, or boil eggs for quick lunch assembly. Compartmentalized containers can help portion lunches for grab-and-go convenience.

Pro Tip: Make meal planning and prep fun so you don’t dread doing it each week. Have your spouse take the kids or put on a movie so you can do it without distractions. Pour a glass of wine or another favorite beverage, play music, and enjoy your time. The less it feels like a chore, the more you’ll want to do it. It’s the most time-consuming task, but it makes a BIG difference in your week!

Step 6: Declutter & Reset High-Traffic Areas

A cluttered home can contribute to stress, irritation, and even decision fatigue. When your space feels chaotic, it’s harder to focus, relax, and enjoy time with your family. Use your weekly reset time to declutter high-traffic areas. These spaces tend to collect the most mess, but with a little attention each week, you can keep them clean and functional! Focus on: 

• The Entryway: The entryway is the first thing you and your family see when you walk in the door, and it often becomes a drop zone for shoes, bags, coats, and piles of mail. A quick reset here can prevent clutter from creeping into the rest of the house.
• The Kitchen: Clear countertops of random items that don’t belong. Do a fridge clean-out to make room for new groceries and take stock of what you have. Empty the dishwasher and scrub the sink.
• The Living Room: Pick up toys, books, and miscellaneous items- this is a great one for the kids to help with. Fold blankets, fluff pillows, and clear your coffee or side tables of anything that doesn’t belong.

Spending 15-20 minutes resetting these areas each week creates a calmer space and makes daily tidying much easier. 

Step 7: Laundry & Outfits for the Week

Do your laundry if you have time so you start with each week with clean, fresh clothes. If you can’t do laundry on the same day that you do your weekly planning, you can still get organized and plan accordingly. Based on what events and activities you have for the week, decide what you’re going to wear ahead of time so you can ensure it’s cleaned, ironed, and available when you need it. Here are a few steps for staying on top of your laundry and avoiding weekly wardrobe problems:

• Finish folding and putting away last week’s laundry.
• Wash and prep any uniforms, sports gear, or special outfits.
• Set aside a few go-to outfits for yourself and the kids based on the upcoming weather and activities. 
• If you have older kids, have them do and/or put away their laundry so they know where it is.
• If someone else helps you with your laundry, bring what you need washed, pressed, or steamed to the laundry room that day and prepare directions for them to get your clothes ready for the week. 

This step prevents those frantic morning searches for missing socks, uniforms, or game shirts!

Step 8: School & Homework Prep

With your kids, prep for how and when they will complete their homework assignments and what involvement is needed from a parent.

• Spend a few minutes with each child going over homework assignments, deadlines, and tests they are expecting for the week. Have them go through their backpacks to pull out papers, food, or clothes from the previous week. Put deadlines or study reminders on the family calendar.
• Restock the homework station. Make sure it’s equipped with pencils, sharpeners, paper, glue sticks, and any other school essentials. It saves so much time when you have a designated place for school supplies.
• If your child has a project or paper due, ask them when they would like to work on it and block off time on the family calendar. 

Weekly planning for homework and studying with your child helps them learn time management skills, organization, and responsiblity. Plus, it helps prevent last-minute supply runs, late-night study requests, and stress over lack of preparation for you and your child.

Step 9: Clean Out Car, Refresh Essentials

If you’re like me, your car is as “lived in” as your home and could benefit from a weekly refresh. Cleaning and running a vacuum through it at the end of each week will help keep it fresh and organized. If you keep items on hand in your car, such as hand sanitizer, wipes, snacks, or water, refresh them so they’re ready when needed. 

You can do the same for your tote, diaper bag, or purse. Mine accumulates wrappers, receipts, toys, and papers every week. A weekly clean-out keeps it organized and clean!

Step 10: Mom’s Self-Care & Weekly Goals

This step is crucial to completing steps one through nine and functioning at your best during the week. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so make sure you have a plan to fill yours! How are you going to take care of yourself this week? 

• Review personal goals. Whether it’s meeting work deadlines, keeping up with workouts, or tackling a home project, take a few moments to reflect on what you want to achieve. Writing these down can help keep them top of mind.
• Schedule at least one small joy a day. Plan a relaxing bath, 10 minutes of reading, or savoring a solo coffee break. These small moments are necessary for recharging your mental and emotional batteries and often, the only way to make them happen is to schedule them!

Make Your Weekly Reset Even Easier!

Your weekly reset doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming— it needs be consistent. By setting aside a small window of time each week, you can eliminate stress, save hours, and create space for the things that truly matter.

To help you get started, I’ve created a free Weekly Reset Checklist that breaks down each step in a checklist. Download it now and do you your first reset this week. You’ll be amazed at how much it impacts your week and your mood!