image source: My Scandinavian Home
YOUR TO-DO AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH MONTH…
I love the idea of having a monthly checklist, and when I started hearing about this idea, I knew I wanted to write my own – and start my own. I sometimes feel like time just goes by in the blink of an eye and if you aren’t conscious about it, goals and life does, too. So I am VERY much into the idea of doing certain things at the beginning of each month. Some of these ideas are ones II have been doing without having a schedule for them, and some are ones I want to start incorporating. Either way, I really love this idea and I hope you are all on board. With June starting fresh, let’s all do them together!
DO A QUICK CHECK OF YOUR FINANCES
I won’t pretend that I am about to start making a serious budget every month, but I do think this is doable. What I am suggesting here is pretty simple. Go through your accounts to make sure nothing looks weird, like fraudulent charges or random things that you need to handle. Do a quick sweep to make sure all bills are paid/scheduled and that your accounts are in order. Plus, you can see if you have been spending too much and might need to take a step back this upcoming month.
If you are feeling really motivated, make a goal for the month – like save an extra $100 a week this month, or make coffee at home. It takes discipline for sure!
REFLECT ON THE PREVIOUS MONTH
This one is something I have really been focusing on lately because I am realizing, through experience, that frequent reflection is incredibly important if you want to grow and learn from mistakes. But also, I challenge myself to reflect so that I can make sure I am aware of the direction I am headed – rather than just continuing to do the same things hoping for a different result. It is so easy to do that!
When I reflect on my month, I typically set aside 30 minutes or so and start listing out everything that happened that month in my personal and work life. This exercise helps me have a broad outline of the past 4-5 weeks and sets me up to ask myself a few core questions. My questions change each month, but they usually send something like this:
- What happened over the past month? note key events
- What went well?
- What didn’t go so well?
- What mistakes did I make that could have been prevented?
- what can I do to improve the situation for next time?
- which friends have I lost touch with? Make a list of whom to reach out to and check-up on.
- Did I take a day to truly rest each week? If not, why?
MAKE PLANS WITH FRIENDS
If friends are a priority in your life, let the beginning of the month serve as a reminder to make plans with them. If you don’t have any plans on the books, make them. Start that group text and throw out a couple of dates and a location to make it easy.
GO THROUGH YOUR CLOSET
A friend of mine does this and I think it is GENIUS so I wanted to share it with you! Hopefully, your closet is as crazy as mine right now (even though I did go through it recently and it is way better), but either way, dedicate about 30 minutes to your closet each month. Go through and see if you can donate anything, or pack anything away for other seasons. Then, move some pieces you are really loving to the front of your closet. This will make getting ready so much easier and simple.
SET PERSONAL GOALS
This can be really quick and the list doesn’t need to be massive (and it shouldn’t be).
Think of 1-3 things you would like to work on this month on a personal level. For example, my goal last month was to start getting rid of clutter. Or maybe it is to have better posture or go to bed earlier – just think of something that would improve your life and then work on it.
DIGITAL CLEAN OUT
Delete old shows on your DVR, text messages and voicemails, and any old files on your computer. I also delete photos from my phone. All of this can take a bit of time, but it feels so good!
A few other things to consider cleaning out:
- Google Drive folders.
- Gmail/Inbox.
- Photos on your iPhone but also your photos folders!
- iPhone apps you don’t use anymore.
- Tabs piling up in your browser.
CHECK EXPIRATION DATES
I am talking about your fridge and cabinets and this shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. Put on a podcast and get to work. Your space will feel much, much better and you don’t need to stress about eating old hummus.
MAKE A LIST
This is one of my favorite things to do at all times, especially at the beginning of each month. Simply do a brain dump of all the lingering tasks or thoughts in your head. Make the list as long as you need to, but prioritize which MUST get done this month. Then, schedule out your tasks throughout the month. Try to batch some of the tasks together – like getting your car’s oil changed the same day as you wash it and so on.
TREAT YOURSELF
The beginning of the month might seem busy and almost daunting, but if you do everything on this list, it will be a lot better. And you know what else makes it better? Treating yourself! I love this idea to celebrate the newness of a month and it is just a great reminder to take care of yourself. Maybe that is getting a massage or facial or buying the vacuum that is going to change your life – whatever it is, don’t feel guilty about spending a little on yourself.
Are you on board with this? Is there anything you do to start each month? I would love to hear!
