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Let’s face it: life can get pretty hectic. With all the chaos, it’s easy to forget about self-care, personal goals, and those little things that keep our lives on track. But what if you could hit the reset button every month? Think of it as a monthly tune-up for your life.
Picture this: a checklist of 10 things to do every month that will keep you organized, ensure you’re giving yourself some much-needed attention, and kickstart your productivity.
We’ll dive into activities ranging from financial housekeeping to self-improvement tasks – all designed to help you live your best life.
So, grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and settle in. You’re about to discover how dedicating just a bit of time each month can make a huge difference in how you feel and function. Ready to transform your months ahead? Let’s get started!
10 Things To Do Every Month
Review Last Month’s Goals And Achievements
You certainly know that feeling of accomplishment when you cross something off your to-do list. Let’s get you feeling that way more often. The first of the 10 things to do every month is to track last month’s progress!
Start by looking back at the previous month. What goals did you crush? Which actions and behaviors led to success? Give yourself a pat on the back for those wins, no matter how small!
But let’s be real—sometimes things don’t go according to plan. That’s okay too! Use this time to reflect on what didn’t work out and why. Maybe your goal was a bit too chaotic, or life just threw you a curveball.
By reviewing what worked and what didn’t, you’ll be able to adjust your aim for the next month, so it’s both challenging and achievable.
Do A Brain Dump
Ever feel like your brain is juggling too many thoughts at once? Why not release those thoughts by letting them pour out? Doing a brain dump should be one of the 10 things to do every month for some mental respite.
Each month, set aside time for your mental decluttering session. Just grab a pen and paper and jot down everything swirling around in your head: tasks, ideas, worries, grocery lists—you name it!
This isn’t just about organization; it’s about getting it all out of your headspace so you can breathe easier. It is an effective medium to release anxiety, battle intrusive thoughts, and build resilience.
Budget For The Month
Alright, let’s talk money—no groans, please! Budgeting might not be fun, but trust me, it’s totally worth doing monthly.
Firstly, track where last month’s paycheck went (ouch). Then, set up spending targets for the new month ahead based on what you learned from that little investigation.
Remember those unexpected expenses that popped up? Create a buffer this time so they won’t catch you off guard again.
Set Yourself Goals Each Month
Goals are like personal trainers for achieving your dreams—they keep you motivated and focused! At the start of each month, decide on what you want to achieve in four weeks’ time.
These could be fitness goals (“I’ll run three times a week”), career objectives (“I’m going to network with five new contacts”), or even personal growth milestones (“I will read one book”).
Make sure they’re SMART—that is, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Don’t really know what SMART goals mean? Check out this post, where I explain this in more detail.
Set Up A Meal Prep Plan
Food is fuel, but planning meals can feel like solving rocket science sometimes! Meal prepping as one of the ten things to do every month will save you from lots of trouble.
Start by mapping out what you’ll eat during the week every month. Make sure that the meals you include are healthy, easy to make (no one has time for endless cooking sessions), and satisfying (eating is a pleasure as much as it is a necessity).
You’ll save money (takeout adds up!), eat healthier (veggies over vending machine snacks), and cut down time spent staring into the fridge wondering what to cook.
Organise & Delete Your Phone Photos
Your phone probably has thousands of photos by now—and let’s face it, not all are keepers. Take an hour or so each month to clear out duplicates and blurry shots from your gallery. It’ll free up space on your device and make finding important pics way easier when scrolling through memories later!
On top of that, make sure to store a backup in the cloud (if you have an iPhone, you can make backups on iCloud) so that if an accident happens, you don’t lose all your precious memories.
Back-Up Your Computer
Imagine losing all those important files—yeah, no thanks! To avoid digital disasters, create a routine where you back up important documents and photos from your computer onto an external drive or cloud service.
Moreover, when the documents are stored safely, you might be able to delete them from your computer itself so you can have more storage space again. It will start running smoothly and quickly in no time – thank me later!
Deep Clean Your Home
Dust bunnies, beware because it’s cleaning time again! Once per month, roll up those sleeves for some serious scrubbing action throughout every room in the house—it’ll leave things sparkling clean, which honestly does wonders for both hygiene AND mood!
Indeed, cleaning is considered a chore for a reason (no one genuinely enjoys it, right?). But have you noticed that great sense of satisfaction you get when you stand in the middle of a sparkling home?
Existing in a clean and organized environment will boost your mood and productivity and reduce your time searching for missing things or stumbling on furniture.
If you feel like deep cleaning your whole house is too big of a task and too overwhelming, try to divide the rooms over the days – so, for example, you use five days to deep clean your home. Or, if possible, try to deep clean a few spaces every month, and the ones you didn’t, come the next month.
Make Plans With Friends and Family
It’s too easy to get caught up in obligations and leave no time for connecting with important people. Don’t let your busy life make you a stranger! Make the habit of planning family and friends’ meetings one of the 10 things to do every month.
Schedule some quality hangouts with loved ones each month, whether that means brunch dates, coffee catch-ups, or video calls across miles. Staying connected is crucial!
Oh, and while penciling these into the calendar, don’t forget to consider upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions. Prep cards and gifts ahead of time so they’re ready when needed.
Time flies when we’re busy adulting, which means birthdays can sneak up on us unexpectedly fast—don’t get caught gift-less when celebrating another trip around the sun for someone special in your life!
Schedule Appointments
Finally, stay on top of health and wellness appointments, whether this means scheduling dental check-ups, haircuts, therapy sessions, or oil changes for your car.
For some reason, these are always the things that slip out of your mind, yet they can prove to be the most important (sitting on a bad tooth can quickly turn nasty, yikes!).
Book these in advance to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Plus, early scheduling often means better choosing appointment times – a win-win.
Final Thoughts
You’ve just breezed through many fun and practical things to do every month. Let’s take a moment to wrap it all up, shall we?
Here is a summary list of the 10 things to do every month we talked about. Think of this list as your game plan for staying on top of things:
- Health check-ins keep you in tune with your body.
- Home maintenance prevents those oh-no moments when something breaks down at the worst possible time.
- Financial reviews mean no nasty surprises when you check your bank account.
- Meal prepping saves you from returning home to an empty fridge.
- Brain dumps let you release some steam.
- Setting monthly goals pushes you towards achieving your dreams.
- Planning meet-ups with friends and family helps you stay connected.
- Organizing your digital space streamlines your work.
Always remember that consistency is key. Tackling these monthly tasks can yield some pretty sweet benefits for your health, home, and happiness. It’s like keeping the gears of your life well-oiled so everything runs smoothly.
Now, let’s be real – life happens, and sometimes you might skip a beat. That’s perfectly okay! Just hop back on track when you can. Each month is a fresh start waiting for you with open arms.
Pro tip: set reminders on your phone or mark them on your calendar. Trust me, it’ll make sticking to this routine a breeze.
So go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back because you’re about to become more organized than ever before!
And hey, if there are friends who could use some of this monthly magic in their lives, why not share the love? Spread the word and turn these solo missions into group challenges.
Keep coming back to this list as often as you need—a little refresh never hurts. Here’s to making each month count and enjoying every step along the way!
This was so useful to read as I have been looking for better ways to get a bit more motivated and organized with regards to setting and meeting monthly goals. Thanks for sharing this; you’ve given me a lot of great ideas!