You know the advice (that actual creates Sunday Scaries):

“Spend Sunday afternoon planning and you’ll feel so much better about Monday!”

“Batch all your planning on the weekend to free up your evenings!”

“Just prep everything Sunday and the week will run smoothly!”

And I get why it’s tempting. That Sunday afternoon planning session promises to:

• Calm the Monday anxiety
• Set up an organized week
• Free up evening time
• Create better lessons
• Give you that “prepared” feeling

But here’s what those productivity hacks miss: Your best teaching ideas probably don’t come during stressed-out Sunday planning sessions.

The Weekend Planning Paradox

Think about your most creative teaching moments. When do they actually happen?

• During your shower
• On your commute
• While making dinner
• Walking your dog
• Doing literally anything except forced planning
• In random conversations with colleagues
• When you’re actually relaxed enough to think

Why? Because real planning isn’t about filling in calendar slots. It’s about recognizing patterns that work, building on what succeeds, and engineering better systems.

The Sunday Scaries Cycle

Here’s what typically happens:

1. Feel anxious about Monday
2. Force yourself to plan Sunday afternoon
3. Rush through it to save some weekend
4. Feel unprepared anyway
5. [Insert Sunday Scaries]
6. Get more tired during the week
7. Need more recovery time
8. Feel anxious about losing next Sunday
9. Repeat

We’re not just losing our weekends – we’re working against our natural thinking patterns and creating a cycle of burnout that affects our whole week.

The Hidden Cost to Sunday Scaries

This constant anxiety isn’t just about Sunday – it’s reshaping our entire teaching practice:

• We plan from stress instead of strength
• We create from depletion instead of inspiration
• We build systems based on survival rather than sustainability
• We normalize anxiety as just “part of teaching”
• We sacrifice recovery time that actually makes us better teachers

Beyond the Sunday Scaries Scramble

Instead of sacrificing Sundays, try:

1. Use weekends for genuine inspiration

• Read things that interest you
• Watch shows you enjoy
• Let your mind wander
• Notice interesting patterns
• Allow real rest

2. Build systematic planning during the week

• Create reusable frameworks
• Design adaptable structures
• Plan during peak energy
• Use natural thinking times
• Build from regular insights

3. Protect real recovery time

• Allow actual rest
• Enable genuine recharge
• Build sustainable systems
• Honor energy needs
• Create true boundaries

Breaking the Anxiety Cycle

Look, I get why the Sunday planning session is tempting. When you’re staring down Monday morning, any port in a storm feels better than no port at all. But here’s what I’ve learned after years of fighting the Sunday Scaries:

The anxiety isn’t actually about being unprepared. It’s about:

• Working against our natural rhythms
• Fighting our need for real recovery
• Trying to plan from depletion
• Attempting to create from exhaustion
• Forcing systems that don’t actually serve us

The real solution to Sunday Scaries isn’t finding better Sunday planning hacks. It’s building systems that:

• Honor our natural energy patterns
• Create sustainable planning routines
• Allow genuine recovery time
• Support actual creativity
• Enable real teaching growth

So, in other words, figuring out how you can keep work at work. I know this is easier said than done, but I do think we have a lot of power to beat this burnout cycle.

Making It Work

Sometimes that quiet Sunday morning is perfect for creative thinking or inspired planning, so I’m not suggesting you never use that time.

But there’s a difference between:

• Jotting down an exciting idea vs. forcing detailed plans
• Noting an interesting connection vs. creating all your materials
• Building on natural inspiration vs. stressed productivity
• Working with your energy vs. fighting against it
• Creating from rest vs. rushing from anxiety

Want weekend freedom AND better planning? The free Energy-Aligned Teaching Guide will help you:

• Build systems during work hours
• Plan when your energy aligns
• Create sustainable structures
• Protect real recovery time
• Transform your teaching practice

Good teaching doesn’t come from Sunday sacrifice – it comes from sustainable systems that work with your natural rhythms, not against them.

Download the free Energy-Aligned Teaching Guide!