As April begins, it’s time to set sites on how to start the month off on the right note. Q1 ends in two weeks, and soon, more planning will be necessary.
For today’s post, I wanted to share the things I like to do to start my month the right way. It can be tricky to come into every month with a plan, especially since the world (and life in general) are so unpredictable right now. However, I encourage you to seek out opportunities for improvement and planning to ensure you rock your next month!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post may include affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
Reflect on last month
The first step you need to implement before planning for the next month is to reflect on the previous month. Self-reflection is a vital part of growth. Without it, we would never know where we were falling behind or why.
When it comes to self-reflection, you need to be willing to take criticism with a strong heart. There’s no need to feel sensitive or upset if you’ve failed in the past. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn!
Additionally, it’s really good to celebrate your wins. Count your victories and blessings and expand on why they made you feel so good. Remind yourself of your successes and look for ways to repeat them in the future.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself at your end-of-month reflection:
- How do I feel about this past month?
- What were some of my wins?
- What were some of my fails?
- How can I repeat my wins in the future?
- How can I avoid my fails in the future?
- What did I learn from any mistakes?
- If I had to sum up the past month in one word, what would it be?
Write down monthly goals
Once I’ve done some reflecting, I like to write down monthly goals. Monthly goals allow you to set priorities and jot down things that matter to you most. I love writing down priorities because it gives my month a sense of direction and allows me to be more intentional with how I spend my time and push towards progress.
I recommend writing down a minimum of one priority and three at the most. The reason for this is that, while yes, months tend to be around 30-31 days of opportunity, it can be challenging to accomplish too many things at once.
I suggest writing down one priority at a time and then making a tree diagram of sub-goals and sub-tasks to achieve your actions on time.
For example, if I want to publish eight blog posts in April, I could branch off and create sub-goals for each article I want to write. I could then assign them dates and timeframes to ensure I meet these goals. Furthermore, I could create outlines for each post to make it easier on myself when it comes time to write.
While everyone’s priorities are different, and we all operate on a unique schedule, it’s highly beneficial to create these diagrams to lay out the direction you want to take for the month and create actionable lists that allow you to achieve your goals.
Lay out big events
This may seem obvious, but every month, I write down all of my significant events on the calendar. For me, this could be travel, meetups with clients or friends, date nights, paydays, or other events that happen only once or twice during the month.
I like to keep these events in order, so I’m always aware of what’s next. Financially, this is an excellent step for jotting down income reports and laying out the timing for bills.
Prepare your agenda/bullet journal
I have mixed feelings about bullet journaling. These feelings may be addressed in a YouTube video sometime, but at the moment, I’ll let you in on how I set up my journal.
I prefer to keep things minimal when it comes to my agenda. I’m no artist, so my bullet journal rarely includes artwork, and that’s totally fine! I create boxed calendars and weekly spreads that are simple, plain, and easy-to-read. This gives me room to write down notes, to-do lists, and major events that are of importance to me.
I think writing down your goals is equally as important.
At the beginning of each monthly spread in my bullet journal, I create a space for “priorities,” “goals,” and “notes.” To give you an idea of what might be in them, I list my April results below:
Priorities:
- Finish freelance articles by the 14th
- Plan and write blog content for May
- Plan and prepare video content for Youtube in May
Goals:
- Craft and schedule 8 blog posts
- Publish 2 youtube videos a week
- Work on blog projects (I label this more specifically in my agenda, but I’m not yet ready to share information just yet!)
- Work on WIP novel
Notes:
- Q1 taxes due April 15th
This is all I have at the moment, and frankly, this list tends to expand and rearrange as the month officially goes underway. The important thing to consider here is that each of these three sections is different and, therefore, detail my overall tasks in their own way.
Priorities take not only precedence but also open doors for goals to be more definitive.
Do a start of the month check in
Perhaps my favorite part of beginning any month is the start of the month check-in. These check-ins are focused mainly on mental health, self-care, and overall wellbeing. I like to perform little journal exercises to gauge where I am at the start of the month.
Here are a few of my favorite prompts:
- How do you feel about the month ahead?
- What are you looking forward to?
- What is one thing you will do for yourself this month?
- What is your theme/word for this month?
- How can you work towards your purpose this month?
I tend to answer these lightheartedly and don’t pressure myself to achieve or act out any one answer to these prompts. The goal is to slow down and fantasize about what’s ahead. Sure, it’s important to work towards my goals. But more importantly, it’s better to live and experience life as it comes and move forward with your month ahead with joy.
If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below!
Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know how you start your month!
You can also email me with questions or concerns you may have at info.amelia.wilson@gmail.com
My new book, Witch in the Water, is available on Amazon!
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Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
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