A little preparation before the week begins can make everything feel a bit easier.

I've found that a weekly reset helps me feel less like I'm starting Monday already behind.

I don't try to get everything done. I just take a little time to see what's coming and sort out the things that will make the week easier.

I start with what's coming up

I'll have a quick look at the family calendar — school, appointments, activities, work commitments and anything else happening that week.

It doesn't need to be a detailed plan. I just want to know what sort of week we're heading into.

Then I look around the house

I'll check the things that tend to cause problems later: laundry, school bags, the kitchen, things that need to leave the house.

Nothing gets a deep clean. It's more about getting the basics sorted before the week starts.

Dinner is usually next

I've found that having five weeknight dinners in mind makes a big difference.

I'll check what we already have, choose the meals and make a shopping list.

No elaborate meal plan. Just fewer “What's for dinner?” decisions during the week.

Then I stop

This is the important bit.

The reset isn't about getting the whole house sorted. It's about giving myself a clearer starting point.

One reset. A clearer week.

Put the kettle on. Sort the week out.

I've found that having a rough plan for dinner makes the end of the day feel a lot easier.

There are plenty of days when 5 o'clock arrives and I'm looking in the fridge wondering what we're going to eat.

I've found that I don't need a complicated meal plan to avoid that.

I start with five dinners

I usually think about five weeknight dinners rather than planning every meal for the week.

I'll have a look at what's already in the fridge and freezer, think about what the family will actually eat, and then work out what we're missing.

That becomes my shopping list.

I don't try to reinvent dinner every week

There are meals we come back to again and again because I know everyone will eat them.

Over time, I've found it much easier to have a list of 15–20 family favourites to choose from rather than starting from scratch every Sunday.

Some weeks I'll try something new. Most weeks I don't.

I like having the plan where everyone can see it

It means I don't have to answer “What's for dinner?” quite so many times.

And if someone else is home before me, they can see what's planned too.

For me, meal planning isn't about being organised enough to plan every meal perfectly.

It's really just about taking a few decisions out of the week before I have to make them.

Five dinners. One shopping list. A little less 5 o'clock thinking.

Put the kettle on. Sort the week out.

I've been slowly selling things on Marketplace over the past few months.

It started fairly casually. There were things around the house that we weren't using anymore, and I figured I might as well see if someone else could use them.

Then I realised I was actually quite enjoying the process. Things were leaving the house, I was making a little bit of space, and I was putting some of the money aside for the Christmas spending that inevitably comes with having a family.

Someone else's junk really can be another person's treasure.

I'm definitely not suggesting you start a huge decluttering project now. I'm certainly not planning to turn the house upside down before Christmas either.

But when I look around the house, there are still plenty of things that we don't really use anymore.

The kids' clothes they've outgrown. Toys they've moved on from. Sports equipment that's been sitting untouched. Things in cupboards that seemed like a good idea at the time.

And then there are those things I've been meaning to put on Marketplace for months.

“I really should sell that.”

I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Some things are worth the effort of taking a few photos and putting them up. Others aren't. Some will sell, some will be donated, and some will probably sit in the I'll deal with that later pile for another six months.

That's okay too.

I'm not expecting it to pay for Christmas, but it's been nice to put a little aside along the way.

A little less stuff. A little more room.

That's what I've been doing — slowly, rather than trying to clear everything at once.

Put the kettle on. Sort the week out.