13 Productive Monthly Reset Ideas to Prepare for a New Month

Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.

Doing a monthly reset is a great way to prepare for a successful, productive month ahead.

Are you approaching a new month and looking for ways to make the next 30 days as productive and successful as possible?

I was recently introduced to monthly resets. I’m totally a routine person, so I was eager to learn more about this concept. Knowing how impactful it can be for your mental health and productivity, I had to try it. And now, I have a list of tasks that I complete at the beginning of each month.

Doing these things helps me feel prepared to tackle the next 30 days. If you want to learn how to do the same, keep reading! We’re going to talk all about monthly resets and how they can benefit you.

THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT a monthly reset.

What is a monthly reset?

So, for this post to make sense, you kind of have to know what the heck a monthly reset is. Don’t worry if you don’t know — I didn’t know until fairly recently.

A monthly reset consists of a list of things you do at the very end of the month or at the beginning of a new month. These ideally should be things that set you up for a successful month. A monthly reset looks different for everyone.

For myself, I more so focus on mindset stuff and mentally prepare for a new month. For you, though, you might focus more on things are listed in this post. And that’s totally fine — please do what works best for you!

You might be familiar with Sunday resets. These are weekly routines that you do to prepare for a new week. That’s exactly what makes them different from monthly resets; you do weekly resets more often, and you probably don’t do as much to reset.

Why should you do a monthly reset?

Doing a monthly reset is beneficial for many reasons, like:

It can help you finally tackle some things you’ve been procrastinating
It allows you to prepare and get rid of anxiety about a new month
It makes you feel productive

Alright, now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get into this list of monthly reset ideas. I do some of these and they really help me prepare for the next 30 days.

Monthly Reset Ideas:

1. Pay off credit cards

If you have a credit card, you know that paying it in full at the end of the month is pivotal to your financial success. Even if your statement/due date was early the last month (within the first 10 or so days), it’s a good idea to clear your balance so you won’t have to go into a new month with debt.

2. Check on your budget

You do have a budget, right? Spend some time looking at it and seeing how you’ve done the last 30 days.

Did you overspend? Did you make any impulse purchases? Did you stick to your budget?

You mainly want to look at things you did well, plus things that you can improve on in the coming month.

Oh — and if you don’t have a budget, now’s the perfect time to make one. Here’s a post to help you do just that.

3. Look at your spending spreadsheet

Another thing you can include in your monthly reset is looking at your spending spreadsheet. This is basically a digital or physical sheet where you track every single one of your purchases.

These should include small ones like a cup of coffee and big ones like a new laptop. No matter how big or small, make sure you track every expense.

Once a new month arrives, look at this sheet and observe your spending habits. Ask yourself some questions, like:

Did I overspend this month?
Could I have used some money-saving strategies to spend less this month?
Was this purchase really necessary?
How can I reduce my spending for the new month?

4. Pay your bills

At the top of the month, I’m sure you have quite a few bills, whether those are your phone bill, utility bill, tuition, credit card bill, a subscription, or anything of the sort.

This is a great time to take care of these so you don’t have to worry about them later in the month. Even for those that aren’t due until then, it’s good to pay them early.

And for those that you can’t pay early, try using AutoPay. (Just make sure you have enough money for that or you might be in for some unwanted overdraft fees!)

5. Check on your goals

Don’t forget about your goals!

I’m talking about yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily goals. The start of a new month is a great time to check in and see what progress you’ve been making toward them.

Go to your goal tracker and goal list, and see what you’ve got going on.

Have you made any big accomplishments? Did you finally accomplish that goal you’ve been working on for a while?

Don’t just stop here. After you check on your pre-existing goals, consider setting some new ones. Maybe even replace some of the ones that simply aren’t working for you anymore.

Spend some time doing this so you can feel ready to head into the new month.

FREE SELF CARE ACTIVITIES LIST

Would you like a free self care activities list?

I know it can be difficult to think of different self care ideas, so I did the work for you! I created a FREE list of 81 self care activities that you can enjoy.

To get the list, simply click here.

http://fromemond.ck.page/self-care-activities

6. Reflect on the past month

Don’t head into the new month without reflecting on the past 30 days!

Think about all types of things, including:

What were your favorite parts about last month?
What were your least favorite parts about last month?
What did you do last month to take care of yourself?
If you could change something about last month, what would it be?

7. Clean your environment

Take some time to clean your environment. I’m not saying you have to clean every nook and cranny, but definitely clean things that you use the most.

Put on some music and get to cleaning! I know you’ll feel so good when you’re done, so get started now!

8. Tidy up your digital spaces

Every now and then, I like to tidy up my digital spaces.

I usually change my wallpaper, update some apps, and maybe even do a factory reset if I really feel like I need a change. I use my devices quite a lot throughout the day, so it’s important that I keep them as tidy as possible.

9. Do laundry

Has that laundry been piling up? Don’t let it just sit there! Break it down into smaller, more manageable loads so you can finally tackle it and not have to deal with it every day.

THINK: What’s your laundry routine? Tell me in the comments!

10. Wash the dishes

Dishes, dishes, dishes — arguably the most boring chore. But, if you put on some music and jam while you do the dishes, it really isn’t so bad!

11. Set up/attend medical appointments

One of the not-so-fun parts about adulting is setting up (and attending) medical appointments. The good thing is, you can do it at the beginning of the month and not have worry about it.

12. Organize your environment

Could your environment use a little organizing? Well, now’s the time to take care of that. Go around your home and see what things can be organized.

Whether it’s your closet or your kitchen, I’m sure you can find something to organize and make look pretty!

13. Do a self-care activity

Alright — after all of this productivity, it’s time to slow down and do something you enjoy. You deserve it after being so productive.

Do anything you like, whether that’s taking nap, watching Netflix, reading a book, scrolling on social media, going to the spa, or doing some online shopping.

Let’s recap!

We made it to the end of the post!

Today, we talked about a monthly reset.

I hope this post gave you some ideas and inspiration to do a monthly reset of your own. Cheers to a great month!

Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!

I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!

In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,

DeMarcus – your self care buddy