Following last week’s post about setting up a weekly reset, now it’s time for a monthly one. It might seem redundant to have both but whilst it’s similar, it’s a chance to look at the bigger picture a little. I like to spread my monthly reset over the last couple of days of the month so I’m starting mine today! Here are some of my favourite ways on how to set up a monthly reset.
ORGANISATION
Brain dump
As with my weekly reset, you should start with a brain dump! It’s always best to get everything out of your head and onto paper/online. Try to categorise if you can, such as housework, planning, and errands. Some tasks might need to be done less frequently than every week so now is the perfect time to get them done!
Write up a monthly review
Before I even start to look forward to the next month, it’s important to look back. I like to do this before I do anything else, purely because I can reflect and move on straight away. It’s not a complicated review: what went well, what didn’t go well, and how can it be improved on next month. Other than that, I reflect on last month’s goals and follow a few prompts that I’ve collated, fill them out on a Google Doc, and then shut the page!
Plan out the next month
One thing I love to do is see the entire month in one place. I actually have an A3 sketchpad where I map out a calendar to add everything to: blog posts, appointments, sports events, routines/resets, theatre trips, travel plans, and the like. I’ll start with my non-negotiables before mapping out my blog posts and business content.
Make a to-do list
With everything plotted out on my calendar, now is the time to collate all of the tasks you need and want to do next month. Once again, I like to categorise them and try to add a deadline if possible. Schedule them in your calendar if you get the chance!
Set monthly goals
As you will all know, I love setting goals. Monthly goals allow me to break down my yearly and quarterly goals but don’t feel as restrictive as weekly goals. I love sitting down after planning out my month and jotting down what I want to achieve in the month.
Choose monthly habits
When my goals are set, I pick which habits I want to focus on daily and weekly. I wouldn’t class these as goals necessarily because they’re meant to be repeated. I’ve been using the Habit app for around a year now. Whilst I’m not always super consistent with it, I’ve been using it daily for the last month or so.
DIGITAL
Review + update budget
One thing that always helps me stay on track with my finances is my budget. I track every single penny that comes in and goes out of my bank accounts, both business and personal. After planning the month, I’ll give each spending category a rough budget. Sometimes, I overspend, it happens. However, I do try to reduce my spending in general!
Update analytics for business + blog
Because I’m a geek, I like to collate data, especially when it comes to my business and blogs. It can be anything from social media following to working out my capacity for the next month. You can keep track of what sort of posts perform well, any keywords you want to target, and any stats you want to track. I keep all of my info in a couple of Google Sheets so I know where everything is.
Tidy up project management tool
Whilst I love planning on paper, it can be handy to make use of online tools. Currently, I use Asana for a variety of things, but I am hoping to move over to Notion soon. It will depend on your livelihood as to what you track in there but I’ve got everything from my routines/resets to blog post ideas and content calendars.
HOME
Choose one room per month to deep clean
In order to keep on top of cleaning and decluttering, I have a weekly routine. However, you can’t get everything done in one day. That’s why every month, I select one room to do a deep clean of everything and declutter whilst I’m there. Some rooms probably need doing more than others (I’ll deep clean the kitchen once a quarter). You can clean the room in one weekend or spread it out over the month, especially with spring cleaning.
Full house declutter
Because I love decluttering, this is one of my favourite tasks to do every month. Grab a box, bag or bin liner, and go around your house placing items you no longer need into the box. I try to recycle or donate as much as possible but sometimes, items are passed their sell-by date and need to be thrown.
Add items to online selling platforms
When it comes to reselling, I can be incredibly lazy about uploading. Doesn’t it just seem to take forever? Leaving it all until the end of the month seems like a better idea to me. You can upload the new items you want to declutter whilst you’re doing it.
Collect new recipes to try
During the pandemic, I developed a love for cooking. Previously, I’ve always been more of a baker but now the tide has turned. Whilst I’m not an adventurous eater, it’s easier to try new recipes at home rather than out of the house. Mostly, I try cooking Asian dishes because they’re packed with flavour unlike British food (sorry, it’s the truth). It also means I can feel a bit closer to my heritage (I’m 1/8th Malaysian).
This routine can be as simple or as complicated as you like. I personally like to do more in my Sunday reset so I can have more relaxation time at the end of the month. If you haven’t figured out how to set up a monthly reset routine just yet, start small, and just do the necessities.
Have you enjoyed this blog post on how to set up a monthly reset? Stay tuned for more routine posts coming very soon! Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram as I’ll try to share my resets on there too.
