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9 Productive Things to Do at the Start of Each Month

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9 Productive Things to Do at the Start of Each Month

Create less stress and more time with these 9 productive things to do at the start of each month to simplify and organise your life. Be more organised, prepared and save yourself time, stress and energy by getting ahead for the coming month instead of chasing your tail! Grab the free printable too!

A REGULAR MONTHLY RESET

You know that feeling when the month just flies by, and suddenly you’re scrambling to catch up? That’s why a regular monthly reset is a game-changer. It gives you a chance to step back, take stock, and set yourself up for a smoother, more organised month ahead.

Instead of feeling rushed or overwhelmed, you can calmly check in on your goals, tidy up any lingering tasks, and make a plan that actually feels doable. It’s like pressing a refresh button – clearing the mental and physical clutter so you can focus on what really matters.

Plus, it helps you avoid that last-minute panic when things pile up unexpectedly. When you take the time to review your finances, plan out key dates, and even just reset your space, you’re creating a solid foundation for a productive month without all the stress.

It’s not about being rigid or perfect, just giving yourself a little breathing room so you can move through the month feeling more in control. Knowing you’ve got things sorted means you can actually enjoy the fun stuff without that nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten something!

If you struggle to be organised, plan ahead or feel stifled by routine, a simple monthly plan to reset and assess things might be right for you.

In this article I’m sharing 9 productive things to do at the start of each month to simplify and organise your life. There’s also a free printable Monthly Checklist which you can get too with these and some other ideas for a productive, easier month…

9 PRODUCTIVE THINGS TO DO AT THE START OF EACH MONTH

Here are 9 things to do at the start of each month to simplify and organise your life.

1. Declutter your home

Decluttering your home is about so much more than clearing your space and getting tidy. There are many reasons why decluttering is a good thing but getting rid of the clutter definitely helps keep your home clear, calm and easier to clean.

A quick monthly declutter, call it a maintenance declutter, will make sure that the clutter of everyday life doesn’t build up!

Do a walk around your home. Notice any clutter that’s built up over the past month. It’s easy for clutter to build up and we get so used to seeing it on our floors or counters that we fail to really notice it any more. This is called clutter-blindness.

Pay special attention to the areas of your home where clutter builds up. Entrance ways and kitchen counters are notorious clutter hotspots as stuff attracts stuff, often on flat surfaces where it’s easy to dump things instead of putting them away.

As well as the general clutter of daily life, there are other things in our homes that contribute to clutter without us realising it. Here are some reasons why your home looks cluttered. Do you recognise any of them in your own home?

Block out a time in your calendar to declutter at the start of each month. Get others in your home to help, put some music on, and reset your space so it feels fresh and ready for the month ahead. If this feels like too big of a task, why not try my 30-Day Declutter Challenge? Every day for a month you’ll receive an email into your inbox with one decluttering project for that day. Learn more about the 30-Day Declutter Challenge.

9 Productive Things to Do at the Start of Each Month

2. Review your calendar

Looking at your schedule regularly can help you identify when you’ve got too much on your plate and stop you forgetting important things like dentist appointments and your friend’s birthday.

Go through your diary at the start of each month and make a note of important appointments, activities and special events.

Keep a list of things you need to buy/prepare/take for each of these entries and buy them/order them/arrange them now so that you’re ready.

Make sure you’ve got alerts or reminders set on your phone (or post-it notes on the fridge) so you don’t forget anything and try to review your calendar every day so you know what’s coming up for you.

Here are some tips to help you be more organised at home and in life.

3. Check-in with your goals

I believe that goals are important in helping us keep focus and direction in life. Sometimes it’s good to ‘wing it’ but having a few intentional goals, that really mean something to us, are vital in making sure we show up and build our best life. We’re all here for a reason and goals help us define and achieve that.

I also believe that it’s ok to change your goals. What you decide one day may not be right for you in 5 years’ time and that’s fine. Give yourself freedom and permission to change the direction of your life to where you can make and feel the biggest difference. You’re not the same person you were 5 years ago, so why shouldn’t your goals change too?

At the start of every month, take a moment to assess your goals. Do they still reflect what you want out of life? Or have your circumstances, needs or wants changed?

Check-in with yourself and refresh your goals regularly to better suit you now (you’re much more likely to achieve them then!).

For more help with this, why not check out the Goal-Setting Workbook? There are worksheets for every month of the year so you can review the month just gone and set your goals and intentions for the coming month. Learn more about the Goal-Setting Workbook.

9 Productive Things to Do at the Start of Each Month

4. Review your finances

Use the start of each month to get on top of your money management. Few of us really enjoy ploughing through bank statements and receipts so breaking it up into manageable, monthly chunks seems much more bearable!

Check your income and expenses, match receipts against bank statements, get rid of any outgoings and subscriptions you’re not using. Pay off as much debt as you can afford and try to put a little money aside into a savings account if you can.

Try this step-by-step guide on how to simplify your finances for some more tips and help.

5. Meal plan and Meal Prep

I love eating and I love cooking but I really don’t like the stress of deciding what to cook, choosing something that everybody wants to eat and then finding that I don’t have everything in the cupboards or fridge that I need to make the said meal. It’s stressful, tiring and yet another decision at the end of a long day of decision-making.

This is where meal-planning comes in. Every week, usually on a Sunday, I make a plan of what meals and snacks we need for the week ahead. I add the necessary ingredients to my shopping list, go shopping or order an online delivery and I then stick to the plan as much as possible (with the odd take-away or dinner out thrown in).

Weekly planning is great but why not be even more organised and plan for the whole month ahead? Perhaps not every meal and snack but a loose, flexible plan of the main meals and key ingredients. You could choose your favourite 10-15 meals and plan them out over the next month on rotation.

For more tips on meal-planning check out this post on meal-planning made simple.

9 Productive Things to Do at the Start of Each Month

6. Clean your home

Clearing the clutter is one way of easing the burden of managing our homes and freeing up some precious time and energy for ourselves. Another way to simplify your home is by creating some simple household routines that keep your home tidy and clean but with minimum effort from you. You’ll find some examples of these in this article on 10 simple household routines.

However, even with the best will in the world, sometimes we let things slide. We vacuum but run out of time to dust, we clean the kitchen counter but forget about the door fronts and drawer handles until we realise how sticky they are! I dust the table tops and shelves but always forget to look up and do something about the odd cobwebs from the ceiling.

  • Keep a list of jobs that need doing but which you always forget and make a point of doing these at the start of each month.
  • Set an alert to change the bedding and towels, wash the windows, mop/wipe/vacuum all the floors, clean the kitchen/bathroom and entrance way (and anything else that needs doing regularly) at the start of every month.
  • Assess your home, how many people live there, how you use the space and what you need to do to keep it clean as this will be different for everyone.
  • Use the first of the month to give your home a good, detailed clean and then maybe a regular ‘power hour’ here or there during the week will be sufficient to maintain things until the next month.

7. Plan your self-care

Looking after ourselves is one of those things that falls to the bottom of the priority pile for many of us, unless we make a conscious effort to make time for it.

Each month I plan just a few little things that I’m going to do for myself. More than a few little things seems unrealistic in my busy season of life (young kids and work) so I deliberately keep to about 3 things on my list.

For example, these could be to:

  1. Finish my book
  2. Go to the hairdresser
  3. Have a date night with my hubby

Nothing too complicated or far-fetched but things that will actually make a difference to me and that I can definitely achieve in the next month.

Make a list now of 3 things you’d like to do in the coming month to look after yourself…

Here are some ideas on self-care habits for your daily routine and how to make time for yourself without feeling guilty or selfish.

Alongside what you’ve written on this list, don’t forget to find little pockets of time every day for yourself. A few minutes in the morning or unwinding for a calming evening can do wonders to restore our body and brain each day.

9 Productive Things to Do at the Start of Each Month

8. Reflect on the past month

I think reflection should be an integral part of our regular routine. I love to reflect on what’s gone well because it makes me feel uplifted and positive.

However, reflecting on the things that haven’t gone so well is equally important. It helps us work out why things weren’t successful, we can learn to avoid repeating past mistakes, shift negative thought patterns and behaviours and find ways to improve or change things for next time.

Here’s a little challenge for you…

  1. Grab your notebook.
  2. Write down 5 things that went well last month. What made them go well, why do you consider them to have gone well and how can you repeat or do more of that this coming month?
  3. Write down 5 things that didn’t go so well. Were they tasks you didn’t finish, wishes that didn’t come true? Work out why you consider them to have not gone right and what you could do to change things. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, “If you keep doing the same thing, don’t expect a different result.”

If you find that writing things down helps you, then here are some articles to encourage you to keep writing to clarify your thoughts and declutter your mind from too much input:

9. Assess your wardrobe

In some parts of the world, there’s not much difference between the seasons. In others, one month it’s shorts, the next it’s a warm coat! Depending on where you live, regularly assessing your wardrobe is a great way of making sure that you can get dressed easily and quickly without a shed-load of unused clothes clutter getting in your way.

However, I do find it so much easier to have less clothes, keeping only the ones that I love to wear, feel comfortable in and that I know suit my shape and style choice.

A decluttered wardrobe is so much more efficient too. I can find what I’m looking for, I can mix and match easily and I seldom have to spend more than a few minutes deciding what to wear. It makes my busy mornings MUCH easier! Here are some other benefits of building your own simpler, capsule wardrobe.

Take a few moments once a month to go through your own wardrobe. Clear the clutter, give it a quick tidy, sort out your seasonal clothes, donate anything that you don’t like and get rid of anything that is damaged beyond repair. Be mindful if you go shopping, invest in pieces that will enhance your wardrobe and not just drain your bank account!

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS…

If you need a quick summary or checklist, here’s a quick re-cap of 9 things to do at the start of each month to simplify and organise your life:

  1. Do a maintenance declutter
  2. Review your calendar
  3. Check-in with your goals
  4. Review your finances
  5. Meal plan and meal prep
  6. Clean your home
  7. Plan your self-care
  8. Reflect on the past month
  9. Assess your wardrobe

If you have any other tips or suggestions please let me know in the comments! What else do you do at the start of each month to organise your home and life? What happens if you skip a month? Do you feel behind or less organised?

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU BE MORE PRODUCTIVE

Planning your month ahead is just one of way getting organised and prepared. The real benefit of this is to make life easier and carve out more time – for what you want to do, not just what you have to do!

Here are some other articles which you might find helpful:

FREE PRINTABLE

To help you be more organised, productive and have an easier month ahead, I created a free Monthly Checklist which you can download, follow and tick off. Pop your details in the box below so I know where to send it!