It’s near the month’s end again. How are you feeling now after all the hustles and socializing? Did you reflect on how the month went and what goals you want to set for the next month? Without being intentional to reflect on what has happened and plan for what is next, we can be passing the time like robots. If you are feeling unfulfilled, anxious, or depressed, sit down and take some time for yourself at the end of the month with a monthly reset routine.
I have been practicing weekly and monthly reset routines for quite some time. The routines help me stay on top of my busy schedule, and I will share with you the step-by-step below.
What can a monthly reset routine do for you?
Having time just for yourself is great for mental well-being. A monthly reset routine can help you with the following:
- Let go of your bottled-up emotions and thoughts
- Clear and organize your environments
- Improve your financial health
- Keep track of social life
- Appreciate the good things and raise your positivity
- Set goals for the coming month
- Be more prepared for the coming month, it helps with alleviating anxiety and stress.
How to make your monthly reset routine a success
Set a calendar reminder
Instead of setting it at the last day of the month, I usually put it at the last Sunday of the month to have enough time for the monthly reset routine.
Prepare a notebook
You need a notebook to record your reflections and plans. Ideally, it should be a digital notebook so that you can look up anything in the past quickly. I used a few apps for my monthly reset routine:
- GoodNotes: I use my digital notebook from my shop to write down my monthly reflections and plan
- Money Lover: An expenses tracking tool that I have used for years
- Gsheets: I love spreadsheet, it is how I track my monthly financial health
- Notion: I use this for quarterly reflection and goal; you could try it for your monthly reset routine.
The 9 steps of a productive monthly reset routine
I like to start my monthly reset routine with tasks relate to our essential needs like money, home, and relationships. After that, I move on to more abstract parts such as reflection, planning, and making to-do lists. This sequence helps me prioritize tasks from the most important to the least important, reducing the things I need to remember throughout the routine.
Sort out your finances
Money talk can be stressful and even a taboo in some communities, but not at Wondefull. I’m an advocate for good personal finance management because living a good and happy life needs money!
Here’s my monthly finance health check. I settle my debts, bills, and commitments once my salary is in by the end of the month. No shopping until I finish crossing off every task I need for my monthly finance check.
Then, I look through my bank and card statements and tally all the expenses. I have been using Money Lover for years to record my expenses. I love its expense category breakdown that helps me understand in which areas I have overspent each month. Next, it will be my savings for my emergency fund and investing. I auto-invested to StashAway monthly and occasionally bought stocks at IBKR. I have been using their services for years, and I enjoy them so far with affordable rates.
If you sign up for an account at StashAway using my link, we each get up to RM30,000 managed for free for 6 months.
If you sign up for an account using my link, you can get up to $1000 of free IBKR stock.
There’s no cost imposed onto you to sign up through my links.
After every commitment and savings are cleared off, now is the time to budget for the rest. You can divide the remaining money into a few categories, such as food and drinks, entertainment, shopping, etc. A budget will keep you from overspending and put you on a stronger financial footing for both the day-to-day and the long term.
In short, here are some recommended essential steps for your monthly financial health check:
- Check your bills
- Pay for your debts/bills/commitments
- Reflect on your past month’s expenses
- Save and invest your money
- Do budgeting for the rest
Clean your house
After being busy with work, school, or projects, your room and house could be messy as you focused on chasing your goals. So, now is the perfect time to put everything back to where it should be, get the clothes from the chair, do a deep clean of your bathroom, etc. You can also organize your house and buy some deco to make your home more cozy and lively.
Recently, I bought this handwash bottle and toothbrush holder from Taobao, and I felt contented to see my bathroom sink to be organized.
Clear your DMs and inbox
As we encounter more and more people through professional and personal settings, it gets overwhelming to stay on top of each conversation, especially through social media. Setting up a time every month or every week to go through your emails and messages is good to check if you overlook some of the important ones.
Remember to catch up with people that you care. It’s good to let the person know that you think about them.
Stock up on groceries and necessity goods
Now that you have settled your money, house, and relationships, it is time to go through your necessity goods like food, medicine, and personal care items. See if you need to stock up on some of them. Purchasing everything you require in a single day can save you time, eliminating the need for multiple trips to get stuffs throughout the upcoming month.
Reflect on your past month
Get your notebook ready. We will start reflecting on what we have done and experienced in the last month. Here are some questions to answer that will help you to reflect:
- What are the highlight moments for you?
- What are you proud of?
- What goals did you accomplish?
- What obstacle kept you from achieving your goals?
- What are the challenges?
- What are the learnings?
- What are you grateful for?
Write down what you think and feel freely. It is a safe space.
List down goals or prepare a vision board
After completing your last month’s reflection, you shall feel less anxious and more relieved. You might even find epiphany for the unfortunate incidents and challenges you faced. With your mood brightened, it’s time to start planning for the upcoming month.
You can list down the goals you want to achieve in the next month. The number of goals you have is entirely up to you, but think about the areas you want to focus on and rank them by priority. For example, you might have:
- Work and business goals
- Health and fitness goals
- Financial goals
- Project and hobby goals
- Other personal life goals
You can even turn them into a vision board if you are a visual person. Visualizing your goals can be a powerful source to your motivation.
List down habits and new things you want to try
To take your goals further, you need a robust and resilient system that reminds you of your intentions and keeps you productive and energized.
According to Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg, a “keystone habit” is one that, if altered, can trigger a series of changes in seemingly unrelated areas. One positive keystone habit can lead to more positive changes in your life. On top of that, trying new things not only helps your mind and body stay sharp, but also empowers you to face challenges in the future, ultimately enhancing your chances of achieving your goals successfully.
When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life, and that I can’t do.
– Abel Morales
Plan out your new calendar and schedule appointments/reminders
With a clear intention of what to achieve in the next month, it is crucial to plan out the activities and appointments. Our brain should be used for imagination and thinking, not to remember unimportant things. Hence, schedule appointments and set reminders for yourself. Looking at the following month’s calendar, you will have a better understanding of how you should organize your time and energy for the next 30 days.
Self pamper
Finally, all the “hard work” for the monthly reset routine is done! I love giving myself a treat at the end of the month as an act of self-care.
If you want it to be on a budget instead of bougie, you can try these out:
- Put on a mask and do a body scrub at home
- Light up a candle and read a book
- Go for a walk
- Visit museum or gallery
- Snuggle in your coach and binge-watch a show, and many more!
Here are some ideas if you want it to be fancier:
- A spa treatment
- Get your nails done
- Go for a baking/cooking class
- Buy something that you have been saving up for
Just like our bodies need a good sweat and a bathroom break to detox, our lives also deserve a refresh now and then. Now that you know the nine steps for doing a monthly reset routine, share with me your experiences below!
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