To Plan Or Not To Plan?
“To Plan”, of course!
The first month of 2021 has just passed. January 2021 officially passes into history. Now it’s time to plan, prepare and organize yourself for a successful February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December!
Okay, but one at a time!
Plan your month ahead of time.
So if you’re reading this post in March focus on planning a successful April.
Success is not a coincidence but the result of effective planning, hard work, continuous effort, enormous sacrifice, persistence, and unwavering self-belief in one’s ability to achieve their goal.
Achievements have to be planned, goals need to be set and action has to be taken in order to get closer to your dream life. So, take a piece of paper and a pen because you’ve got an exciting month to plan!
End-Of-Month Reflection
The first and most important thing to do when planning a successful month is to review the month that has already passed. The purpose of this step is to identify what went well and what went wrong for you so that you know what needs to be improved and what things have to be done in order to get closer to your goals and your dream life.
Self-Reflection Questions:
- What one word could describe the previous month?
- What are my biggest achievements?
- What were the most challenging things?
- What kept me awake at night?
- What I am the proudest of?
- What I am the most grateful for?
- What was my main source of inspiration?
- What are the things I’ve learned and want to remember?
- How am I different?
- How can I improve my life this month?
Set A Theme For The Next Month
The next step while planning a successful month is to set a theme. This simple but creative approach will help you to set the tone for the next 28 days. Not to mention that choosing a personal theme for the next month will help you redirect your focus on your top priorities and make you feel more in control of your mood, time and life.
Choose one word, sentence, quote or idea to define and guide your life in the upcoming month. For instance, if you want it to be the month of getting out of your comfort zone and learning new things you can opt for “Personal Growth” as your theme. Another great idea is to focus on creating more balance in your life so that you can feel more calm and grounded. The choice is yours! And that’s the beauty of life!
How To Set A Theme For The Upcoming Month
- What do you want this month to be about?
- How do you want to feel during this month?
- What is the main focus you would like to have for yourself this month?
Set Main Goals
Figure out what do you want to achieve by the end of the next month. Ask yourself what are your dreams and set 3 to 5 SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) GOALS to turn these dreams into realities. Identify the milestones that will mark your journey towards success.
This process of setting clear goals will not only help you to refocus on what’s truly important but will also help you to regain full control over your life. Not to mention that knowing what you want to achieve in life will drastically increase your willpower and determination so much needed by everyone who wants to achieve success in life.
Set Intentions Behind Your Goals
Setting intentions on the back of your goals is equally important as your goals. Because to get started and stay motivated to work hard to achieve the set goals you need to know why you’re doing this. Otherwise, what’s the point of even trying. Not to mention that without a strong reason „why” it will be hard to stick to your goals when challenges arise. And we all know that no matter how well prepared and organized for something you are, problems and set-back will occur.
Defining your „why” and setting intentions behind each of your goals will literally turn on the part of your brain that controls motivation. And motivation is nothing else than your motive for action. Once you define it, you can be sure that no obstacle will stand in your way.
Set Mini Self-Improvement Goals
Another thing worth considering while planning a successful month is to set mini self-improvement goals. So think about simple habits or positive rituals that you could easily add to your morning or evening routine, practice every single day and experience a visible improvement by the end of this month.
Types Of Mini Self-Improvement Goals
- Develop a stretch routine for better posture and more flexibility (maybe by the end of this month you will be able to do a full split!)
- Read at least 15 pages of a book (create your reading list!)
- Begin a new hobby
- Listen to a podcast on a healthy lifestyle
- Practice Mindfulness meditation
- Acquire more skills for success
- Practice self-care consistently
- Work on your most important relationships (write thank you notes!)
- Practice positive self-talk
- Get into the habit of being seriously organized
Schedule & Calendar
The secret to planning a successful month is to breakdown your goals and mini-goals into small manageable (weekly) steps, schedule these steps (set deadlines) and put everything in your calendar so that you can be sure that you get everything done well and on time.
This simple strategy will give you comfort, peace of mind and a sense that you’re focusing on the right things instead of falling into chaos. Not to mention that having it all planned out means being less stressed, more productive and mentally prepared for what is about to come, or more precisely, what you’re about to accomplish.
Plan Bucket List Experiences
Another thing I love to do when comes to planning a new month is to create a bucket list of experiences I want to have. Because let’s face it if I don’t plan them most likely I will forget about them. That’s why I am currently creating my bucket list adventures I want to experience during this month. And I highly recommend you to do the same!
A bucket list of adventures will not only help you to understand what do you want to have in the next 28 days but also will motivate you to do your best to actually experience them. Isn’t that great?!
So think about the things that will make you feel the happiest and fulfilled, pick the most important and realistic and create your bucket list of adventures that you truly want to experience during the upcoming month. Plan your enjoyment, mindful moments and quality time with your loved ones (virtual meetings & virtual coffee with friends count!)
Create An Effective Budget
Budgeting is a fancy term for developing a strategic plan for your money that will help you to track how much money you earn and how much money you spend on assets and liabilities you own. And let’s be honest without such a plan your money will be gone before you will even know it. So if you want to make the upcoming month a successful one, also in terms of money, creating an effective budget should be one of your top priorities.
Planning and organizing your finances is crucial for living a successful, enjoyable, fulfilling and financially stable life. That’s why you should create an effective monthly budget and do your best to stick to it. And to help you with that, I created a budget template in EXCEL you can find here.
If you’re struggling to plan and organize your financial life, I’ve created The Ultimate Financial Planner Kit (30 unique pages of budgeting, setting financial goals, creating an emergency fund, developing good money habits and saving more money in less time). You can get your copy of the Financial Planner Kit here or below.
The Ultimate Financial Planner Kit
Grab Your Free Printable Workbook
Make 2021 Your Best Year Ever
- How To Organize Mind For Maximum Productivity & Balance: 9 Powerful Tips HERE
- 11 Awesome Tools & Apps To Plan & Organize Your Life In 2021 + FREE printables! HERE
- 11 Simple Ways To Develop Self-Discipline & Have Fun Along The Way. HERE
- Maximize Your Productivity: 6-Step Method To Get More Things Done In Less Time. HERE
- Perfect Morning Routine to Reduce Stress & Anxiety HERE
- How To Organize Your Life For 2021: 7 Simple Steps HERE
- How To Set Goals For 2021 And Achieve Them HERE
- 8 Steps To Make 2021 Your Best Year Ever. HERE
- Powerful and smart ways to manage your time efficiently and effectively HERE
- 9 Best Financial Goals For 2021 & Powerful Tips To Actually Achieve Them
- 11 Powerful Habits That Will Make 2021 Your Best Year Ever. HERE
Stay positive, be mindful and plan a successful month!
xo Kate
2 thoughts on “How To Plan A Successful Month In 8 Simple Steps.”
I always plan my tasks, glad to learn more ways of successful planning from your post. Thanks for sharing.
Hi John! Thank you for your kind words and positive feedback! “Plans are nothing, planning is everything”, right?! Take care and have a wonderful week!! PS. Congratulations on your blog! I’m currently reading “5 Tips for Secure and Smart Online Shopping” and I love it! 😃😉