A goal properly set is halfway reached.
– John Doerr
– John Doerr
Why do a monthly reset?
Doing a monthly reset has been instrumental in achieving many of my long-term goals. Sitting down to plan and reflect each month helps me to keep track of everything that I set out to do in the beginning of the year. Making yearly goals is great, but we often find ourselves at the end of the year completely forgetting about those new year's resolutions! Coming back to our goals monthly is a great way to break down our goals into more manageable chunks, and to track our progress. It is also a good way of figuring out if we are truly heading in the right direction, or if we need to make a change before we go too far down a dead end path.
Being once a month, we are able to check in often enough that we remember what we set out to do, but it isn't an overwhelming task to take care of often. I can also see improvements from month to month on things like finances and fitness, and it can be so motivational to see those numbers going up!
Sitting down and resetting also helps me to clear the mental clutter out of my brain. There are many fleeting ideas of things I'd like to do that are either unrealistic or forgotten. Narrowing down my goals into a manageable list that I can check in on keeps me committed to what will really make my life better, and forget about all the extra noise.
I do my resets in 3 phases: Reflect, Review, and Plan. Below, I will go through how I use these sections of my reset planner. Download a copy if you'd like to go through it too!
Phase 1: Reflect
In my reflection, I write down how I felt about the month that just passed by. I always leave room for positivity - remembering my favorite parts of the month and what I am grateful for always help me feel good about how the past weeks have gone. Joy and connection with the world around us are accomplishments in themselves.
Even if you didn't necessarily get everything done that you had set out to do, discounting the entire past month is not constructive and will likely lead to more apathy in the following month.
There is also a place to put lessons that you have learned in the past month. If I feel the need to change course, or stop doing something that isn't serving me, this part of my reflection is where I do that.
Phase 2: Review
My review phase is my least ambiguous reset section. I simply like to jot down the movies I've watched and books I've read and give them a little review! It's always fun to be able to look back on what I thought of those pieces of media, and creating an opinion makes them more memorable instead of just passive consumption.
I also like to jot down any purchases I've made over the past month. I am looking to become more and more intentional with the items I buy, and being able to actually have a list of everything makes it obvious if I am overconsuming.
Lastly, I like to keep track of fitness activities I've done. Fitness has improved my overall productivity and mental health and being able to look back on everything I've done. It's especially fun to look at year-long stats! If you don't want to count just fitness, you can count other creative or community hobbies you participate in.
Phase 3: Plan
The third phase is where we finally plan our goals. I always like to look back on my previous month's goals to see which were accomplished and which were not. You may want to move your incomplete goals up to this month, but you may decide they are no longer relevant! You may also notice that you overreached and were not realistic about what you could accomplish during the month. This is completely normal - cut down on your expectations for the month, then, if you start to notice yourself becoming able to do more, add more goals on!
There are sections for both career goals and for personal goals. I think having a balance of both is important! Career can also mean your side project or education if you feel it belongs there more.
There is also a section to put in what you're most excited for in the month! Things like going on a trip, seeing a show, or seeing loved ones are also important milestones to be celebrated. No matter how big or how small, find a few things to look forward to. I always find it makes the months seem longer and full of possibilities!
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