While it’s intended to be a “day of rest,” unfortunately Sunday oftentimes serves more as a source of dread for the week ahead than anything else. It’s happened to the best of us: You start the day off with good intentions, but before you know it, it’s 5 pm and you’re still in pajamas. Woops…

Avoid the Sunday scaries AND the Monday blues with these five tips:

1. Work out

Prep your body for the week by sweating it out on Sunday. You’ll feel mentally accomplished (more on that below), and your body and mind will thank you. Richard Branson has shared that working out gives him at least four additional hours of productive time each day, so carving out some time for fitness on Sunday will prime your week for productivity. No need to forego all relaxation for the day though! Your Netflix binge-sesh will be there waiting for you when you’re done.

2. Cross something off your to-do list

Nothing will set your mind right for the week ahead like knocking off a task you’ve been meaning to accomplish before the work-week even starts! Is there a book you’ve been meaning to start or finish? A side project you want to put some time into? Some task you just haven’t found the time to do for weeks? Check the box on Sunday, and reap the benefits. When all else fails, call your mom; it’s a surefire way to feel like you’ve done something worthwhile.

3. Check your email

While you may prefer to just disconnect from all work-related communication, or email in general on your weekends, it’s worth your while to reconsider. When you check your email first thing on Monday morning, it makes you reactive rather than proactive in your plan for the day, and maybe even for the week. Add to that the fact that it can take over an hour for some people to weed through the emails in their personal, work and other accounts on Monday, and you’re already starting off your week at a severe disadvantage by waiting til Monday morning to check your email.

The key here: you don’t have to respond to any emails. Simply go through and delete the ones you know are trash, and flag the rest appropriately for follow up action in the morning.

4. Clean up

Let’s face it, the chance that you will vacuum any night during the week after you get home from work is slim. Very slim. Sunday is a great day to clean up around the house, not only because you have the time (or at least more time), but also because it will put you into a calm mental state going into the week ahead.

Studies have shown that cleaning and organizing can actually improve your physical and mental health. According to that article, “Women who described their homes as ‘cluttered’ or full of ‘unfinished projects’ were more depressed, fatigued, and had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than women who felt their homes were ‘restful’ and ‘restorative.’

“Restful and restorative” may be a little lofty, but it’s pretty much guaranteed that a sink free of dirty dishes will make you feel more at ease.

5. Schedule mid-week plans

Regardless of how your week starts out, knowing that you have a happy hour, a special workout class, or dinner with friends scheduled at some point during the week will give you something to look forward to and break up the monotony of the week.