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Here are top 10 things to do at the start of each month.
What do you do at the start of each month? Do you follow any routine to help set you up for a better, more organized, and more productive month or do you dread that another month has passed already?
Whatever your case may be and regardless of what you have been doing until now, you can always choose to do a few things at the start of each month that works in your favor and prevent unnecessary overwhelm, especially if you are living a life where you are busy and hardly get time for doing extra tasks.
10 things to do at the start of each month
1) Set Goals The Right Way
Now I am certain that you have been told numerous times that you need to set goals, but no one or hardly anyone tells you how actually to set them so they are not only achievable and wont feel like you have to climb a mountain every single month.
Here is the post I have written to help you set monthly goals the right way.
But in short and most importantly, you dont want to set more than 3-5 goals for the month. Or you can set goals in different areas of your life health (that includes both physical and mental), wealth (how youre planning to improve your financial life), self-improvement (what new you can do this month), and relationship & happiness (most important yet most underrated areas of our lives).
If youre wondering how I set goals, I personally write down my new years goals and divide them into quarterly, monthly, weekly, and small daily tasks, so it becomes clear what I need to do right now. Otherwise, I spend my time doing things that can wait and forget about the ones that needs to be done.
And if you are anything like me, I would suggest doing the same and see if it makes any difference for you.
2) Choose 2 (or more) Books To Read
Two books because I generally decide for myself. I cant read a lot of them, but Id be happy if I finish two and apply strategies and ideas that are being taught in the book.
If you can read more than two books, then great, keep going, and if you are anything like me, remember, slow does not mean you are not growing. Even one book is a great start, I would say.
Here is my top 10 list of must-read books and 11 manifestation books I have read and loved.
3) Update your planner
This is another thing I do at the beginning of each month, updating your planner at the start of every month is going to save you a lot of time (not to mention headache) for the whole month and its one of the fastest and easiest ways to get organized.
And this one is especially more important if you are bad at remembering birthdays, and other important dates such as meeting and appointments.
Here are a few things you need to update monthly on your planner-
- Important dates.
- Appointments.
- Monthly goals.
- Birthday reminders.
- Upcoming wedding/birthday party/special events.
4) Decide one new skill to develop
I always try to invest in myself as I do for my business to develop new knowledge and skills and for this reason, I recently bought 2 courses on Udemy (apart from many others) to help me get better at what I am doing.
Here is the screenshot of the Udemy courses that I purchased. And I will be purchasing more in the future.
PS- If you are thinking whether or not its worth purchasing a course from the platform, I would say my experience has been so far so good. And if you are thinking of buying a course from them then I would say first check the background of the instructor and ratings as well.
You can also try a month of Udemy for free using this link.
5) Pay Your Bills
Who does not want to live a life where you have complete peace of mind? I am sure we all do, and for the same reason, paying off your credit card debt at the beginning of every month is crucial to have a peaceful month ahead.
6) Plan Budget For This Month
As you pay your credit card debt, its also a good idea to plan a budget for this month. And to do that, you would not need any fancy tools or anything like that.
You can just grab a notebook and make two sections. On one side, you can write down things you really need; on the other, you can write what you are thinking of buying (your wants) and ask yourself if you really need it or not.
Its advisable to wait for 24 hours before you buy anything you want, and if you still think you need it, go grab it.
7) Take A Look Back
For most people, it becomes a loop that they unconsciously do things (that are not productive) month after month and waste a lot of time.
Just by looking back at your previous month, you can become aware of things you did not do, missed, or could have done better.
I recommend doing this exercise before you plan your month ahead so you can add unfinished tasks from the previous month.
8) Declutter and Organize Your Digital Space
Are your laptop and mobile full of files and folders that you will never open again? If yes, this is the time to organize and make it a less overwhelming place.
9) Take 30-Day Self Improvement Challenge
If you want to work on your overall self, taking a 30 day self challenge is for you.
Check out 30 day self improvement challenges ideas.
10) Define Your Priorities
If theres any one answer to how to get the most out of your month, then it would be to define your priorities, and when you have a clear understanding of your priorities, you tend to make more mindful and informed decisions and avoid getting distracted by less important tasks.
