Weekend Printable Checklist for a Productive Week

Relaxing during the weekend is great but, since I’ve started using this weekend checklist, I’ve had the most productive weeks ever!

If you’re like me (and most moms), you look forward to going off your routine a bit on the weekends. You don’t have to pack school lunches, alarms may be set but for a later time, and while you probably are doing the ‘mom taxi’ thing for sports and activities, there is a sense of peace knowing that the weekend breaks up the weekday grind.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commission. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

I intentionally take Saturdays off.

Yup, you heard me right. I take off. If I don’t want to do something or attend an event, I don’t. I don’t worry about doing any work unless I feel like it. I even take a NAP when my kids do for an hour and recharge.

This practice has been the best thing that has happened to my week.

Because now I know, that if I can keep pushing throughout the week, I can have that moment to myself each Saturday. And yes, things have to get done, events pop up and I don’t always get the nap, but just knowing that it’s my ‘off’ day, changed my mindset about the rest of the week and the tasks that have to get done.

The Most Productive Day of the Week

Sundays are typically my most productive day of the week.

I start my week on Sunday (just like the calendar), instead of Mondays. I look at Sunday as another day to keep my routines together and another day that I can use to set my week up for success.

I found that, if I stick to this weekend prep checklist, I can actually be productive over the weekend, without feeling stressed out about it, get a ton done, and make my life less stressful during the week.

By taking time intentionally over the weekend to do some simple tasks, I save myself HOURS during the week and so much stress trying to figure everything out.

The Best Weekend Routine For Productivity

You can leave a lot of this checklist to just Sunday or space it out over the weekend so that you’re not trying to cram it all in. Even though Saturdays are my ‘off’ day, I still use it to work on projects or get my grocery shopping done so that on Sunday, I can be ‘game on’ in preparation.

I split up what needs to be done into 4 categories;

Meals & Food

Schedule & Goals

Errands & To-Dos

Cleaning & Home

This allows me to break down the things that have to get done and find the best time get them done. Here is a sample of how I split up my weekend and which tasks I focus on to have the most productive week.

Friday:

Clean Out Fridge:

Fridays are leftover night so I go through and line up what we have left so that we can piece together today’s, and the rest of the weekend’s meals. This also helps set me up for a great meal planning session because I am familiar with what things we have.

Review Week’s Tasks:

I think it’s important to take time to reflect on your week, pay yourself on the back for all that got done, and assess what still needs to get finished. We put WAY too much on our daily task lists anyway so, it’s interesting to see what gets shuffled from week to week, decide if we really even need to do it or why we keep putting it off and pick 1-2 tasks to put on our ‘looming household tasks’ list.

Create Next Week’s Schedule:

Friday nights during my TV session (can you tell this is my fav time to multitask?) I also start to plan out next week. This helps because I know what our week looks like, which days we need to pack dinner to go, or not to make lunch. I like to make sure to do this before I meal plan so I am not wasting time finding a meal for a day we don’t need it. I look on my Trello dates board for what is coming up, put in all of the events and appointments that we can’t change and pen them into the calendar. This then allows me to see what time we have this week for other projects, fun stuff, or to work on goals!

Create a Meal Plan:

I also complete my meal plan on Friday nights after the kids go to bed and I and my husband sit down to our weekly Netflix date (which really means he falls asleep on the couch and I make our meal plan). Since the ingredients that we have on hand are fresh in my head, this is super simple! I create my meal plan using theme nights (go grab this great guide on how theme nights save SO much time) and my use meal planning template to map out the week.

Organize Shopping List:

Since the meal plan is fresh in my brain, I take another 10 minutes and create my shopping list (again while I’m watching tv and relaxing from the week). I go through my coupons, organize which stores I’ll be going to, and making sure I have everything written down that I need.

Saturday:

Plan Out Next Week’s Tasks:

When I have my morning coffee, I like to plan out what next week will look like. We typically have a slow, no alarm, Saturday morning, and since everyone else is home, I can get some time without toddlers crawling on me and my brain works again. And since I went through last night and already thought about what didn’t get done this week and wrote down what has to get done this week, I have a better idea of the time I have to work on tasks that matter. I reassess my priorities and pick just 3 tasks each day I want to accomplish. I don’t try to overdo it and set myself up for failure by adding everything down. Instead, I use the Eisenhower method and pick what matters most and what must get done to fill my time with.

Goal Assessment:

During this time, I also look back to my Trello boards and quarterly goals to determine which task I want to focus on. I make small goals for myself (workout 5x a week, don’t bring any sugary snacks into the house, plan 2 intentional crafts with the kids etc…) and put them in my planner. This helps me have more of a focus during the week and actually make moves on my goals, instead of them just being ANOTHER thing that doesn’t get done. Each night before bed, I look at my lists and make sure that I have one task each day that moves me towards my goals so having this planned in advance saved me time and allows me to be intentional.

Grocery Shopping:

While I go to the store at least one more time during the week, I do shop on Saturdays. Most people think I’m nuts because I could go when it’s not as busy during the week but, the reason I don’t is that on Saturdays MY HUSBAND STAYS HOME WITH THE KIDS (Can I get an AMEN!). I love to coupon, I love grocery shopping and it’s honestly a hobby for me. So I take an hour or so on the weekends and enjoy being by myself and not distracted at the store.

Looming Household Task:

I am not handy or crafty and I hate doing projects around the house. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to organize things, but I have to be really motivated to get things done. By assigning Saturdays as my ‘just do the dang project’ day, it forces me to do things. Since this is my ‘off’ day, I typically only work on the things i feel like, which means many things keep getting put off (seriously… someone just come to my house and frame these pictures!) but eh, at least something gets done. This is a great time to declutter, clean up something in the yard, or patch that hole my toddler so graciously left in the wall.

Weekend Laundry:

Since everyone is typically home, we make sure to get a lot of laundries done (so I’m not the only one putting it away). I have a system where I do a load a day so the weekends leave us with sheets or leftover laundry.

Household Pick Up:

A new routine we’ve started is a Saturday morning household pick up. We put on a 20-minute timer and everyone goes to a zone and we straighten up. This lets us pick up the clutter that has gotten out of place all week (and let’s be real, will be back in a few days) and just give some sense of calm to the house. This is another initiative I am trying in my efforts to not be the only one to do everything around the house and it’s going well! I don’t like to make Saturdays a huge ‘let’s clean everything’ deep clean day but a nice pick up makes it not as bad to do while still straightening up.

Sunday:

Meal Prep:

I do a hefty meal prep each Sunday which takes about 2 hours. I prep all of my husband’s lunches, muffins, and snacks for the kids, and some crockpot meals to make dinner easy. Since I already did my meal plan, my assembly line style prep doesn’t take me too long and it saves me HOURS during the week.

Sweep and Mop:

After my meal prep, my kitchen tends to be a bit messy and like a grenade has gone off. There are apple peels on the floors, crumbs, and flour everywhere and just stuff that needs to be scrubbed. I do a good clean up of the kitchen and sweep and mop all of the floors downstairs. Again, I sweep every other day as part of my cleaning routines already but I like to mop on Sunday because my husband can entertain the small people while I can do it unbothered.

Review with Family:

Over dinner, on Sundays, we have a family meeting where we go over what our week looks like, what tasks have to get done, and make sure everyone is on the same page with what needs to get finished tonight to set up the week for success. This includes a secondary clean up, packing of bookbags and whatever is needed for sports, and some intentional family time (we’re a big Monopoly house) so that we can make sure to connect with each other before the crazy week starts!

Weekend Goals Templates and Checklist

I know that I can get a checklist crazy in my house but it’s for a good reason! Having lists make it so easy to reference and know exactly what needs to be done!

So, what does this weekend checklist help with?

Everything!

By using a weekend checklist, you are focused on the little tasks that move the needle forward. I suggest printing it out each week or putting it in a sheet protector on the fridge so that you can just check things off with a dry erase marker.

Having the weekend checklist on the fridge or your family’s command center, allows you to delegate out tasks (because mama, we don’t need to be doing everything by ourselves) and see at a glance where your time should be spent next.

I’ve put together a free download for you with all that you need to create your own weekend prep checklist! There is one already filled out for you with the things from my weekend routine that you might need to do too! I’ve also put together a blank one so that you can add in things that your family needs to make sure it specifically gets done!