Monthly Reset Checklist: Do These 7 Things At The Start Of Every Month

Are you struggling to keep up with life’s endless tasks and goals? A monthly reset routine could be the lifeline you need. It’s a series of steps to help you organise, de-clutter, reflect, and plan for the month ahead – essentially, it’s a chance to reset and start fresh at the beginning of a new month. This monthly reset checklist includes a step-by-step process for creating your own reset routine at the start of each month.

Why You Need A Monthly Reset Routine

We get a lot of opportunities for fresh starts in our lives – a new year, a new month, a new week, a new day! There’s no reason we need to wait for a specific time, however, having a regular reset habit will help you kick off a new month in the best possible way.

A monthly reset routine is your personal life checking system.

It helps to make sure you are aligning your actions and activities with your goals and intentions. It breaks down overwhelming tasks to allow you to plan your time (and assess how realistic your plans are). And it encourages you to carve out space for what truly matters.

Regular resets can transform chaos into clarity and purpose.

Step By Step Monthly Reset Checklist

Alright, so there are a lot of great reasons to do a reset at the start of each month (or at the very end of the month before so you can hit the ground rounding on the 1st day), but how do you do a reset?

This monthly reset checklist is your step-by-step guide to resetting your life, home, goals and priorities for the new month.

Step 1: Reflection on the Previous Month

The first step is taking a few moments to look back on the previous month. Ask yourself these questions:

• What went well last month?
• What didn’t go so well or could be improved upon?
• Did I achieve my goals and intentions for the month? Why or why not?

Identify what worked and what didn’t, and take stock of your wins and learning points.

This reflection not only helps you celebrate your successes but also gives you valuable insight into what areas of your life may need more attention in the upcoming month.

Step 2: Brain Dump

The next step in the monthly reset routine is to do a brain dump. Take some time to sit down with a piece of paper and write down anything and everything that comes to mind. This can be tasks, goals, ideas, or even worries and concerns.

This is also your chance to write of list of everything you need to do in the month ahead and everything you would like to do if there is time.

The point is to get everything out of your head so you can clear mental space for the next steps. Some people like to start with a brain dump, but I do feel that this is better coming after your reflection – or by combining the two into a single process that looks back and forwards.

Step 3: Writing Out Your Monthly Schedule

Now it’s time to get practical and start planning out your month. Use a physical planner, digital calendar or a combination of both – whichever works best for you.

Start by filling in any pre-existing appointments, events, or commitments that are already scheduled for the upcoming month. Then add in any tasks or activities from your brain dump list that need to be done on specific dates and times.

Once your calendar is filled with all the important events and tasks, take a step back and look at the big picture.

Is your schedule realistic? Do you have time for rest and leisure still?

Make sure you have set aside time for self-care, relaxation, and downtime as well. It’s important to not over-schedule yourself and leave room for unexpected events or rest days.

This is your chance to be real with yourself and adjust if you need to so that you’re not walking into next month feeling overwhelmed and stressed on day one.

Step 4: Set Goals & Intentions For The New Month

In addition to planning out your month, use this opportunity to set goals for yourself.

These could be short-term goals that you want to achieve within the next month or even long-term goals that you are working towards.

Monthly goals are a great way of making progress towards larger goals you have your sights set on, by giving you smaller goals to work towards.

Think about what you want to achieve in the upcoming month, both personally and professionally. Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable within the timeframe.

Along with setting goals, it’s also important to set intentions for the new month. These are guiding principles or purposes that help you stay focused and motivated throughout the month.

Intentions can be things like “prioritising self-care”, “practising gratitude daily”, or “working towards a healthier work-life balance”.

By setting intentions, you are reminding yourself of what is important to you and keeping those priorities in mind as you go about your daily tasks.

With each of your goals and intentions, put together an action plan for how you intend to turn them into reality. These are the steps you need to take to move towards the end result you want.

Step 5: Evaluate Your Finances

The start of a new month is also a great time to evaluate your finances. Take a look at your budget and expenses from the previous month and see where you can make adjustments or improvements.

Are there any unnecessary expenses that you can cut back on? Are there areas where you can save more money?

Make sure you have a solid understanding of your financial situation, including any outstanding debts or investments you may have. Set a budget for the upcoming month and stick to it as closely as possible.

This also means knowing what upcoming expenses you have for the month and making sure you have funds set aside.

Step 6: Reset Your Home

A new month is also a great time to reset your living space and get organised. Take some time to declutter and tidy up your home, as this can have a positive impact on your mental health and productivity.

While there isn’t time for a full home declutter each month, you can do a quick declutter and get rid of any obvious times you don’t need. You can also tidy up and put anything out of place where it belongs and essentially reset your home.

This is also a great chance to reset your workspace. If you work in an office, for example, give your desk a tidy at the start of a new month. A fresh desk will help make your work environment calmer and it just feels good to give it a tidy!

Step 7: Digital Reset

In this digital age, it’s important to also take some time to reset and reorganise your digital life. This includes cleaning up your email inbox, organising files on your computer, and backing up any important documents or photos.

This final step on your monthly reset checklist allows you to clear out excess notifications and files, so you can start with a fresh digital space.

I always do an inbox zero session to start my new month, actioning or filing any pending emails and unsubscribing and deleting what I don’t need.

You can also take a look at your social media accounts and unsubscribe from any unnecessary emails or notifications that may be cluttering up your feed. Once you get into this habit, this step of your reset checklist will be quick to do since it becomes more about maintenance.

Conclusion: Step-By-Step Monthly Reset

This reset routine is more than a list of tasks; it’s your personal reboot! A monthly reset routine sets you up for a productive and calmer month ahead, allowing you to look forward and know what you have coming up. While we can’t predict everything that happens in our lives, this gives us a better starting point than going in blind and hoping for the best!

Flying by the seat of your pants is rarely the ideal way of doing life long-term, so hopefully this monthly reset checklist helps you to create your own monthly routine to reset and plan!