MPW Insider is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for: What is your Sunday routine? Is written by Lynn Jurich, CEO and co-founderof Sunrun.
Sundays are an opportunity to regroup both personally and professionally–to strive for balance and success in the coming week. Over the last eight years Sunrun has grown from zero to 2,000 employees. This type of growth is demanding, which is why I utilize Sundays to mentally and physically prepare for the week ahead. Here’s how:
Plan the week according to priorities
Sundays are my chance to manage my schedule and hone in on my weekly goals to ensure I’m in a proactive mindset, not reactive. This means a combination of catching up on any emails and identifying the two or three high-impact items I need to focus my efforts on for the week ahead. These items vary from week to week. One week, it could mean traveling for investor meetings and the next it could include meeting with my executive leadership team to discuss innovative ways to continuously foster a productive workplace. Whatever the priorities may be, the key is to ensure that I allocate the appropriate amount of time to accomplish these before Monday begins and the demands pile on. And to smooth the transition even more, I begin Monday mornings with a 15-minute leadership meeting, which typically starts with meditation and breathing exercises. This helps brings us together as a team.
Set aside time for yourself and family
As part of my personal Sunday routine, I like to set aside time for exercising, such as yoga. While I typically prefer a fast-paced Vinyasa yoga, I’ve recent been attending pre-natal yoga classes since I’m eight months into my first pregnancy. I find that the pre-natal yoga classes help me focus on fostering a peaceful and calm environment, which is my top priority at the moment. Additionally, I will go for long walks with my husband (co-founder of TATCHA) on Sunday afternoons. This gives us time to bounce ideas off each other and provide fresh perspectives into any challenges we may face during the week ahead. Additionally, I really enjoy cooking. Every Sunday my siblings (who also live in San Francisco) and I rotate who cooks dinner. This is a great chance to unwind at the end of a busy weekend, catch up with family, and try new recipes.