Doing these 7 things at the beginning of each month will transform your life.

It's been 9 months since the beginning of 2021, and I still feel like it was yesterday. October has arrived and it feels so surreal. This year we all had some short and long-term goals. It’s ok if you have achieved some of them or not. However, it is always vital to take some time to reflect on what went well and what went wrong. When you review this, you can see where the gap between your efforts and the ultimate results is. It enables you to make a few changes, create new habits, and get closer to your goals.

Start planning things at the beginning of the month if you want to be more productive and organised. The beginning of each month is a fresh start.

?You can sit down and write out what your goals were for the previous month, checking down what you accomplished and highlighting what you didn't. Consider why you weren't able to do the things you said.?

You can then plan the rest of the month and add things that you overlooked previously. When you plan ahead of time, you'll have a better idea of what to expect at the end of the month.

So, here's a list of things you should do each month to stay ahead of the game and feel good. Following these things at the start of each month will help you become organised and productive.

1. Plan Ahead

I have an endless list of things to complete in a month as a co-founder and content creator. It can be nerve-wracking to have all of these things on my mind. So I use an easy hack, which is planning ahead.

Here’s how to do it.

I get a print of my calendar. Then write all the appointments and meetings I have for the upcoming month. Example: I have an investor meeting every 15th of the month. I have a team meeting every Saturday. I might be invited to an event. So I try to mark all the days on the calendar.

Then I make a note of major dates such as weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries so that I don't overbook myself on these occasions.

I also use a calendar to plan out my content. I make a list of all the days I have to post, etc.

I also make sure I spend enough time with myself. So I don’t forget to also have some free days or evenings with no plans. Every morning when I wake up, I have a calendar next to me as a reminder of what I need to do.

2. Set Goals

We all have long-term and short-term goals in our lives. Well, if you don't, I really want you to sit down and think about it because, without goals, there is no purpose to your life.

Every month I write 1-3 goals that need to be achieved at the end of the month. I next write down what I need to accomplish to reach those objectives and break them down into actionable steps.

For instance, if my goal is to increase traffic on my website, I’ll write about what I need to do in order to achieve that at the end of the month.?

You should also reflect on the goals from the previous month and see what you achieved and what you couldn’t. You can move the unachievable goals to the next month and eliminate things that didn’t go right the last month.

For instance, suppose I wanted to read 2 books last month. But I couldn’t. So I’ll write down all the reasons why I couldn't. The book wasn’t interesting, or was I swamped with work?

3. Make a Budget

Do you know why a lot of people end up broke every month? Because they are poor at managing finances. They don’t have a budget to spend their money accordingly.

Write down all of your sources of income, such as your salary, side hustle, and so on, at the start of each month.

Follow the 50-30-20 rule now.

Set aside 50% of your income for recurring expenses such as rent, water and electricity, credit card bills, mortgage payments, groceries, and so on.

Set aside 30% of your income for financial goals such as saving, investing, and debt repayment.

Set aside 20% of your budget for unplanned expenses such as dinners, shopping trips, and so on.

You might also save aside some money if you believe there are any forthcoming celebrations, such as birthdays or anniversaries.

Having a budget allows you to keep track of your finances. It gives you an overview of where you spent your money. Let go of things that are only costing you money and not assisting you in saving. You might also consider alternatives, such as a cheaper WiFi subscription. This will assist you in saving money.

4. Organise and declutter.

I believe that clearing and organising my workspace helps me stay focused as a creator.

Every month, I create a number of videos and reels. I capture screenshots of content I enjoy, as well as a lot of other stuff. Because of the content, my phone sometimes starts to lag.

So, at the start of each month, I go through all of the videos and photographs I've saved in the previous month. I try to remove some of them and save the ones that are important.

I also organise these photographs so that I can't find them easily when I need to.

5. How about Inbox?

I receive a lot of emails. When I say a lot, I mean most of them are not important at all. They are for subscriptions, promotions, etc. Basically, they are annoying.

It can be difficult to sift through 50-100 or even more emails to find the one that is important. So, at the beginning of each month, take some time off and follow these simple steps:

• Take a look at all your emails, regardless of whether you have opened them or not.
• Sort these emails into five categories: very important, important and urgent, important but not urgent, important but not urgent, and not important and not urgent.
• Move all emails that you consider to be useless, such as ads and promotions, to the spam folder.
• Before you delete these emails, have a look at them. Make sure you've unsubscribed them before deleting.?
• Organize all of the emails you've read and responded to.
• If you receive any emails that require action, add them to your to-do list. Put all of these emails in a folder labeled "action required."
• Make sure the 'emails' you're shifting to the 'action needed' folder aren't urgent, as we've already responded and arranged them. Take your time and take the required action.

Try to automate the process so that you don't have to spend much time organising your emails. The email is automatically moved to the appropriate folder every time it lands in your inbox.

6. Read that article or book.

The value of reading cannot be overstated. Reading is a mental activity that functions in the same way that physical exercise does. It assists you in learning and unlearning a variety of new skills. It helps in the acceptance of new ideas and the development of your mindset.

Whenever I come across a new article, essay, or blog, I bookmark it. I attempt to put it off till I have some free time, and then I forget about it until the list grows longer. When I try to open the list, it becomes much more daunting.

So, here's what I do at the start of each month.

I go through the list of articles I've saved and mark the days when I'll read them. For example, in September, I saved eight articles, so I've chosen to set aside time every weekend to read two of them. Meanwhile, I’ll not read any new articles and save them for later.

Similarly, pick one or two exciting books you’d like to read at the beginning of the month and try to complete them by the end. I know how it feels every time you come across a new article or blog but try to choose one book, course, or subject at the time. This will help you stay focused.?

7. Let’s start a 30-day challenge?

If you’ve been procrastinating about making a big change like eating healthy, working out 5-6 days/week, or waking up on time, a new month is a great time to start. Pick up a habit and do it for the next 30 days.?

Although the challenge may not produce the desired outcomes, such as six-pack abs, the act of practising a new action on a regular basis might help you create better habits.

Final Words?

So these are the 7 things you should do at the beginning of every month. This may appear to be a lot of work at first, but once you've done it a few times, you'll find it to be simple and effective. Once you've completed these tasks, you'll be able to see how your life has changed since then. You have become more organised and productive.

Wishing you a Happy October. Set clear goals and let’s achieve them together.?