By Sarah

One of my favourite things about our weekly skills shares at Pomegranite, where someone from the team “teaches” us something that interests them, is that they don’t always have to be about work.

Sometimes we dive into technical topics – always so useful in an industry where things change so rapidly. Other times, we learn about MCC so no one ever calls it Champagne (imagine that was you, how embarrassing, shame).

Recently, I ran a skills share called Your Perfect Ordinary Sunday. The idea was simple: imagine it’s five years from now. Nothing dramatic has happened. You haven’t won the lottery or completely reinvented your life. Things have simply unfolded in a way that feels right for you.

Then, with a pre-chosen treat in hand and no pressure to be realistic (or overly ambitious), everyone answered a series of questions about an ordinary Sunday in that future life.

I loved deliberately focusing on the little things that we don’t often appreciate with the fullness of delight that can be found in them. Which is a pity – because our lives are mostly made up of ordinary days. But if we can create ordinary Sundays that feel good, we’re probably creating lives that feel good too.

If you’d like to try the exercise yourself, grab a cup of tea (and ideally a treat like the chocolate mousse cake Jesse chose) and spend 20 minutes or so answering the questions below.

The setup
Imagine it’s five years from now.

Life isn’t perfect, but it fits. You’ve made some choices that feel like “you”, maybe let go of a few things, and settled into a rhythm that feels right.

Now imagine an ordinary Sunday.

As you answer, don’t worry about what’s realistic. Don’t dismiss things because they seem too small. 

Morning

• What wakes you up?
• What time do you wake up?
• What sounds can you hear from your bed?
• What’s the first thing you do before looking at your phone?
• What’s the view from your window?
• What’s your first drink of the day?

Your surroundings

• Where do you live?
• What does your home smell like?
• What’s one object in your home that you’re particularly proud of?
• What’s outside your front door?
• What’s your favourite place nearby?

The people

• Who do you spend your Sunday with?
• Who do you call?
• Is your day mostly social or mostly peaceful?
• Who or what makes you laugh today?

How you spend your time

• What do you do after breakfast?
• Is there a hobby you’ve discovered, or made time for?
• Do you exercise? If so, what kind?
• What book is on your bedside table?
• What music is playing?
• What are you looking forward to next week?

Food

• Where do you have lunch?
• What’s cooking for dinner? 
• Or are you going to a restaurant you love?
• What’s your favourite little treat today?

How you feel

• What are you most grateful for?
• What gives you energy these days?
• What makes you feel proud when you climb into bed?

The 5% rule
The last part of this exercise is to choose one thing from your perfect Sunday… and bring it into next weekend. More than one, if you like!

The goal isn’t to build a whole new life overnight. It’s to borrow a small piece of the future you’ve imagined and make it real now.