If you think Paris is always a good idea and the French do everything better, especially leisure—then this one is for you.
Unlike Americans, who treat their weekends as a sprint to see who can do the most chores, Sundays are sacred in France—a time to slow down, reset for the week, and do as little as possible. “Even protests in France happen every day except Sunday . . . that’s how sacred [they] are,” Céline Kaplan, cofounder of upcycled products marketplace OOOF (Out of Office Forever) and a PR agent for French clients in New York, tells The Zoe Report.
Looking for more work-life balance? Try treating Sunday as a holiday instead of the first day of a new week, and you may find some surprising results—a calm start to your workweek instead of an anxiety-producing day of “Sunday Scaries.”
So, what is a “French Sunday”?
I will admit, I’ve been doing my own version of a “French Sunday” for as long as I can remember. Sleeping in late? Check. Lounging around with coffee and a paper? Check. Brunch? Bien sûr.
Like most fashionable trends, “French Sunday” comes from France, but was most recently popularized by Vogue. In short, the art of Sunday à la française is an antidote to the burnout and anxiety many Americans feel come Monday.
For one thing, most shops are closed by noon on Sundays in France, eliminating the need to feel “productive” or cross things off a to-do list. Instead, Dimanche is for connecting with family and friends—not isolating on digital devices, something Americans commonly do as a way to decompress, but that actually severely affects mental health, increases stress and anxiety, and creates even more loneliness.
According to the Vogue article, “French Sundays” are supposed to be “lazy, stress-free days, when the main activity is to do nothing”—the exact opposite of productivity hacks that encourage people to use Sundays to prep for next week’s meals, do that load of laundry, clean your space, review your calendar, and lay out your work clothes (making Sundays practically a sixth day of work).
How to have your own French Sunday
First, French Sundays are a mindset, not just a day.
Try embracing your inner Frenchie—which means starting the day by letting your body decide when you get up, sans alarm clock.
Other suggestions on how to make Sundays your own: Prioritize meeting up with friends and family, take a walk, and even allow yourself to indulge in life’s simple pleasures, which, for the French, is food.
One Sunday ritual in France is the family lunch, a big meal that goes on too long, often involving a roast chicken and many, many people. (Social connection, it turns out, is good for your mental health.)
Here are a few more suggestions from Vogue:
- Take an obscenely long nap.
- Be a flâneur or flâneuse, and stroll aimlessly.
- Snack.
- Cook something that takes forever.
- Find a pretty view to stare at.
- Indulge in watching two movies back-to-back in an actual theater.
And of course, the most French thing of all—and something you never see as a productivity hack—make love. Bon weekend!