As somebody who (still) overthinks and procrastinates way too much, I understand how challenging it can be to get — and stay — organized. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 10 productive things to do every month to help get your life in order.
From quick decluttering to easy meal planning, these simple yet effective tasks will help you stop being lazy, take control of your life and finally get organized. So without further ado, let’s get started!
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What Should Be Done Every Month?
It’s difficult to NOT fall into the trap of agonizing over lengthy lists of all the important things we *think* we should be doing all.the.time. And, unfortunately, we tend to spend a lot more time making those lists and thinking about them than actually DOING anything.
Oops.
Let’s start off with a basic set of just 10 things to do every month.
Why these monthly tasks? Simple… they’ll help you get organized. And when you do them every month, they’ll help you STAY organized.
Sure, you could add a lot of things to this list. Or you could substitute different tasks and switch up the whole thing every couple of weeks.
But if you just try THIS list for at least three months, I think you’ll be very surprised at the difference it makes in organizing your life.
10 Productive Things To Do Every Month
1. Do a brain dump
First thing, before planning or doing anything, take the time to get all of those vague thoughts, ideas, and worries out of your head by doing a brain dump.
Afterward, your mind will be clearer. Planning and setting your goals for the new month will also be easier when you have all the ‘stuff’ down in writing in front of you and not skittering away to the forgetful corners of your mind.
2. Set goals for the month
Setting goals for yourself has a ton of benefits, from getting you motivated and excited about achieving new milestones to helping you stay focused and organized over the course of the month.
It’s time to settle your mind into working on a limited, but powerful set of mini-goals for the month. Don’t overwhelm yourself, but choose about 1-3 things that will make a real difference in your life.
You can choose anything you want, from devoting more time to your personal wellness, starting that blog side hustle, planning an upcoming party or vacation, etc.
Start by setting down some concrete benchmarks that you want to hit by the end of the month, and then make a list of the simple small tasks you can do every day that will get you closer to that benchmark.
Don’t forget to grab The Goal Journey Annual Goal Planner — This printable goal planner is designed to streamline your goal-setting process, allowing you to focus on one goal at a time and adapt as life evolves. Get the extra stuff out of your head, let go of the regrets and ‘should-dos,’ and start accomplishing the goals that really matter to YOU.
Related: 5 Ways Overwhelmed Overthinkers Can Beat Procrastination
3. Coordinate a monthly calendar
Getting your calendar in order at the beginning of a month can help you stay organized and aware of your to-do list without feeling forgetful.
With everything laid out in a monthly calendar, it’s easier to organize important events and appointments for the upcoming weeks and avoid or rearrange scheduling conflicts.
It’s important to include everything from work deadlines, medical appointments, school events, and evening commitments to quiet time spent at home and weekend activities with friends.
Don’t forget to schedule out everything you possibly can for the month. Not only bill payments, but things like home and auto repairs and maintenance. Also, set reminders on your phone to help keep you on track.
Having a clear picture of everything on our plate allows us to better prioritize our time so that we can be as productive as possible.
Should you use a paper planner, a wall calendar, or separate digital calendars for each family member?
That’s up to you and your planning style!
Related: The Simple Refrigerator Command Center You’ll Actually Use
So if you want to be more in control this month, make sure you prepare your calendar with all your important events and appointments. You won’t regret it!
4. Create and monitor a budget
Creating a budget is not only important to keep track of your expenses, but also to keep your money organized and make it work FOR you.
By plotting out your income and expenses in a spreadsheet, notebook, or online tracking tool, you can get a better idea of where your hard-earned cash is actually going.
With this information in hand, you can start making smarter spending decisions and plan for unexpected expenses. Plus, with an organized budget, you will be better prepared for big-money goals like home ownership and retirement.
Spending half an hour at the beginning of each month to schedule your automatic bill payments and savings transfers not only helps you to free up your time but also saves you from the stress of remembering various payment schedules.
Related: How to Cut the Overwhelm of a No Spend Month
5. Declutter obsessively
Okay, so not ACTUALLY obsessively, but there’s nothing wrong with doing a little bit every day.
It seems like everything about life is easier when we take the time to declutter and simplify. So it’s absolutely imperative to make clearing the clutter a regular habit. I recommend a slow declutter method of 10 minutes or 10 items every day.
Not only will it make your place look nicer, but it will also give you a sense of accomplishment and liberation from all the STUFF. Plus, it’s way easier to find your keys or get work done when your home is neat and tidy.
Related: Declutter Tips for When You’re Overwhelmed With Too Much Stuff
6. Do a couple of deep cleaning tasks
Pick a day at the beginning of the month to do just a little bit of deep cleaning. This is especially important if you’re not the type of person to do semi-annual spring cleaning or fall cleaning.
This way, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed by a huge cleaning project. Taking an hour once a month to clean all the tile grout or wash all of your windows will help you keep on top of things and prevent ALL the big cleaning projects from piling up.
Grab the Essential Cleaning Planner to get printables and checklists to help you schedule — and DO — the most important cleaning tasks on a regular basis.
7. Tackle ONE organizing project
And I’m NOT talking about ‘organize my entire home and life.’
No, I mean smaller, simpler projects like decluttering your cell phone, organizing paper files — or organizing ALL of your paper issues if you’re feeling ambitious, organizing your small master closet, etc.
One smaller project every month will add up to huge changes after a year.
8. Meal plan like a pro
One of the best productive things to do every month is planning a monthly menu that works for you.
If you’re like most people, chances are that you spend way too much money on eating out. Not only is this bad for your wallet, but it’s also bad for your health.
By meal planning and cooking at home, you can save money and eat healthier. Plus, it’s really not as hard as it sounds. These meal planning printables and a weekly quick food prep routine will help you have food ready to go whenever you need it.
NOT spending all of your brain energy every day thinking about what to make for dinner definitely makes for better productivity in your life! And once you have your meal plan finished, creating a grocery list and grocery shopping is a cinch.
Related: How to Grocery Shop for a Month
9. Connect with friends and family
In today’s busy world, it’s easy to let relationships fall by the wayside. But staying connected with your friends and family is important for your mental and emotional wellbeing.
Overall, that means our relationships are a very productive thing to work on each month.
So make an effort to reach out to your loved ones this month, whether it’s through a phone call, text, email, or social media. You’ll be glad you did.
10. Practice self-care
The concept of self care is really massive, and it’s not actually about spa days or self-indulgent shopping trips (not that there’s anything wrong with that 😉 ).
Truly taking care of ourselves means doing things like establishing your own perfect morning routine, journaling (and/or seeing a counselor), improving our mental health and confidence, keeping regular doctor check-up appointments, eating well, creating good personal boundaries and relationships, exercising, and more.
And while sometimes all (or any) of those things feel very hard, doing what we can each month to keep ourselves healthy means that we can also be stronger and better at doing all the other necessary things in our lives.
What one new way can you practice self-care each month? Your mind and body will thank you for it!
Related: How to Stop Being Lazy and Exercise: 20 Tips for When You Have No Motivation
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The reality is that we only have so many hours in a day, and there are only so many things we can fit into our schedule. However, by making tweaks to organize a few things here and there, we can accomplish a lot more than we realize.
With this goal in mind, I recommend sticking to this simple list of productive things to do every month for at least three months. After that, evaluate your results and switch things up if needed to get even more focused.
And whatever you do, don’t give up — productivity and intentional living is all about taking small steps every day and being consistent in the long run. So go ahead, start getting organized today!
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Some great tips here to get into the habit of doing, and which can really make life more organised
This is the second blog article I’ve read this week that mentions sitting down and having a planning session at the beginning of the month. And before this week, I’d never thought of this. God must be telling me something that I need to listen to. These are great tips. Making note of this in my Evernote sheet I started about this planning meeting I”m going to have with myself June 1st. I’m really excited for this meeting with myself. hehehe
I found this really useful and I’m definitely taking some tips away from this. Thanks for posting!