Wondering how do some people always achieve their goals? And what you should be doing at the start of each month to hit your goals and make progress in life? Well, here are 10 things to do at the start of each month. Doing these things at the start of each month will make sure you have everything organised and ready to have the best month ahead.
You see, setting goals only works when you keep tracking your progress. Writing them down in your diary at the beginning of each year and then forgetting about them is probably not the right way to go. You need to be constantly checking in with yourself, evaluating your progress and making changes in how you go.
And doing this will allow you to finally hit your goals like you’ve been meaning to.
And the start of each month is a great time to reset and re-centre. Just like the start of each year brings in new fresh feeling, a new months brings in the same new fresh feeling. And it’s a great idea to start your month fresh no matter how your past month has gone. Some times life gets in the way, but it is up to us to make sure we are on the right track. And doing these things at the start of each month will help.
So, here is everything you NEED to get done at the beginning of each month:
#1: Review previous month:
At the start of a month, review how your last month has gone by. It is only when we analyse our goals and performance, do we get an idea of how we should go ahead. When you review your previous months, you will get an idea of what went right and what didn’t.
Of course you could just contemplate and try to think what all happened and where you excelled. But if you had set goals, you’d be able to see which of those you’d been able to hit.
I usually review my month by reviewing the following from my bullet journal:
- Check my habit tracker to see where I have been lacking and which habits I need to focus more on.
- See my blog analytics to see whether I hit my traffic goals or not.
- Review my monthly income and see which streams have been most successful.
- I also make it a point to see how many gratitude journal entries I have, because it is something I want to do more of.
#2: Celebrate your wins:
Celebrate your wins, no matter how big or small they are. Celebrating every single win is important. It helps you start your next month on a positive note and with the right attitude.
I always feel really motivated to see my wins and if I have achieved some major goal, I actually make it a point to celebrate that with wine sometimes. Haha how else!
While we celebrate our wins, It’s also important to acknowledge our failures. Because that allows us to see the mistakes we made and helps us understand how we can do better.
#3: Set goals and break them down:
Did you know that when you write down your goals, you are 42% more likely to achieve them? Setting goals for the new month is perhaps the most important task you should do. When you set goals, you give yourself a direction in which you are supposed to be working. I make sure to set myself realistic goals that push me as well.
Setting goals and actually breaking them down into actionable steps makes them far more achievable. I always set 1-2 big goals for the month and then I also set my focus areas for the month. Focus area for me is something I need to actively work on in the coming month. It could be Pinterest, could be email list building or something else.
And then I also go ahead and set my top 3 priorities for the month. So I will write down 3 tasks that I absolute NEED to get done, even when I get nothing else done. And at the end of the month, if I have finished these 3 tasks, I will still count that month as successful, no matter how I do in the rest of the areas.
#4: Plan your content:
This is for you if you are a content creator on any of the platforms. Planning your content ahead of time will give you a peace of mind. And it will help you be more consistent when it comes to posting.
I plan and sometimes schedule my Instagram content. As for the blog, I usually have all the posts ready at the start of each month. And throughout the month I only have to publish them and of course write posts for the next month.
I never write posts at the very last minute, because it gives me anxiety lol. But also because I am a hyper organised person when it comes to my blog and I like it that way. And I think it allows you to compose better posts and not missing out on details you want to share. Because it gives you ample time to go over the posts.
#5: Get organised:
Getting organised is so important to start your month on the right note. So take some time to organise everything. I usually organise my clothes, shoes and wardrobe. I also take some time to organise all the business stuff. Here are some things you could do to be more organised for the coming month:
- Organise your work desk and stationery items
- Organise your bills etc for tax season
- Organise all the papers in their respective folders.
- Take some time to organise the pantry.
- Organise clothes, shoes etc.
- Organise linen closet ( I don’t know how that gets messy)
- While organising, make a list of things that you have run out of. So make lists for groceries, stationery items etc.
#6: Declutter your space:
As important as organising is, decluttering is even more important. I have noticed that a clutter free space allows me to think properly and gives me more mental clarity. So at the end of each month, or the start of a new one, I ALWAYS take some time to declutter.
Here are some ideas for you to declutter your space:
- Declutter work desk and throw away pens etc that have run out of ink.
- Declutter paper work you no longer need
- Declutter email inbox and spam folders
- Declutter kitchen and refrigerator
#7: Create your monthly budget:
Creating your monthly budget is so important and if you are not doing it yet, you need to start RIGHT NOW.
Creating a monthly budget will help you hit your financial goals and save more. This is even more important if your income varies from month to month. AT the beginning of each month, transfer money into your savings and investment accounts and make a budget for the rest. This will help you be more financially free.
#8: A grocery shopping trip:
Yes! This is something I really look forward to on some months. I always do my groceries at the start of each month. Well, everything except for fruits and veggies etc, which I do weekly. I find that when I do basic groceries at the start of each month, I can manage my finances better.
I also always make sure to go grocery shopping with a list. And like I said in #5, I make the list while decluttering and organising my pantry and the refrigerator. And I highly recommend making a list before you go too. Otherwise you end wasting a lot of money and time in the grocery stores.
#9: Deep clean:
Deep clean your entire house to be ready for the coming month. A clean space means giving your mind more space as well. And that will automatically help you in being more productive. Moreover, you won’t be constantly thinking about all the cleaning you need to do.
My husband likes to joke about it, but at least once every month, the cleanliness freak inside me comes out for a party. And on a weekend usually, we turn the entire house upside down and then back. We clean everything possible.
Here are some things that are the obvious ones:
- Change and wash sheets
- Vacuum sofas & carpets
- Clean all the mirrors and glass panes in the house
- Clean all the fans
- Clean refrigerator and Microwave
- Clean pantry
Here are some that are not that obvious, but we still like to clean:
- The cabinet under the kitchen sink that holds all the cleaning supplies
- Move all the dressers and clean behind them and also under them
- Clean the back of tv and all other electronics
- Clean my Mac book and my desktop too ( I download a lot of stuff haha)
- Take out all the kitchen drawers and clean the floors under there (Surprisingly, they accumulate a lot of dust)
#10: Schedule appointments/ Meetings:
Last, to start your month on the right note, schedule all your appointments and meetings and make notes in your calendar. I do this monthly and then weekly as well, just so I know when I am busy and when relatively free. Usually appointments involve things like doctor’s appointments or dentist appointments and meetings are more of a business review thing which happens bi-weekly for me.
While talking about appointments, who else absolutely hates calling to book an appointment? I know I can’t be the only one. So I always make sure to get it out of my way for the month. And if you hate calling to book appointments as much as I do, you need to get it done at the beginning of the month, because otherwise you’d never do it. Or you’ll keep dreading the idea that you have to call and have an awkward conversation with the receptionist haha.
There you go. Everything you need to do to start a new month on the right note. Getting these things done will help you have a much better month ahead. Because when you plan ahead and are organised, you get more done. And doing these things at the beginning of the month also makes sure you are starting the month feeling productive and motivated to get work done and to smash your goals.
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