The ULTIMATE Monthly Reset Routine

Having reset routines isn’t just about “starting fresh” – it’s also about having self-awareness on how we are actually going in terms of our goals, our personal developments… and in general, our life.

This blog post is going to outline the ultimate monthly reset routine to help you reset your month, and also help you with the self-awareness in your life.

The perfect time to do it in the month is at the end of the month, where you can reflect, adjust, and ultimately start fresh for the new month.

The TWO Main “DEVELOPMENTS”

Here is what I mean by this.

Ultimately, the default sort of “reset” has everything to do with our personal development – that is what everyone will be “resetting” and “reflecting” on in a monthly reset routine.

The other sort of development depends on YOU.

If you are still studying, you’ll do a study development.

If you’re working, you’ll do work development.

If you are building businesses, side hustles (anything that involves something outside of a job and study), you can call it business development.

This blog post is going to be VERY long if I were to mention all three. In the future, I am definitely going to cover in depth each of these monthly reset “developments”, and turn it into one of my series [stay tuned for those!!] 🙂

Just so you can understand how to do the developments, I’ll be including my own business & blog development as an example, so until I post those monthly reset “developments”, you can have a better idea on how you can apply this to whatever you’re doing right now.

Otherwise, you can skip right to personal development!

BUSINESS/STUDY

/WORK DEVELOPMENT

So right now, I am in the process of turning this blog into a business. I’ve taken the advice that if I want that to be my end goal, then I have to start treating this blog like a business, and doing all the strategising stuff that comes with it.

Strategising Plans

Every month, I strategise. The stratgising first involves looking at my overall statistics for my blog.

This is not for me to obsess over the numbers this month (because it’s actually really unhealthy to get caught up with them!). Instead, this is for me to get a better idea on where my businesses are actually going, and if there is anything that I should do to push it further. For example, my number of page views may have only increased to 100 in the last month, and that tells me that there is something I should consider revising on my blog.

Looking at statistics is good to know what to work on, BUT it is not good to get obsessed over it (I’m still reminding myself right now!).

Ultimately, based on looking at how everything is going with those particular endeavors, I would formulate a plan and some goals on what I will focus on for the month. This gives really good self-awareness on what is going on, and would help me reset my mindset into being open to find new ways to grow.

Systems Review

I have done a blog post on why it’s important to focus on our systems rather than our goals.

Pretty much, while I do have goals for my blog, having the goal isn’t going to get me where I want to go. Just like two basketball teams competing against each other, both teams have the goal to win, but the difference between the winning team and the losing team is going to be in their systems.

Since the goal had provided the direction on where I want to go, the systems would help me formulate the processes, steps, and plans to get to my goals. All I need to do is focus on maximising and improving my systems, and I do believe that the goal will take care of itself.

The end of every month is the best time to reflect on how well the systems went. Based on the statistics that I looked at previously, it is a great pointer in how the systems could be improved for a better month.

How You Can Apply this to YOU

Not everyone has a business or a side hustle, but this still can apply to you!

Of course, first know whether you are studying or working – it’s always a good idea to strive for excellence in those areas and find ways where you can improve yourself in every way.

At the end of each month, strategise how your performance was in school or work. Did you get good grades? (for study). Did you get a lot of clients? (for work). Strategise whatever is applicable to what you’re doing.

Then, formulate the systems to help you get better. If you’re studying, your system may be your study routine. If you’re working, your system may be the routine on how you get clients. You use what you have gotten from your performance, and see where you can improve your systems.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

This is a big chunk of the monthly reset routine.

Honestly, the most important essential of “resetting” monthly, is ourselves.

This where is personal development plays a role.

Now, we’ll just cut to the chase here. Here are the following steps for resetting our month through personal development:

STEP 1 – Brain Dump

Let me just tell you this is absolutely the best time to get all of those thoughts out. Everything in your mind that practically screams do this, do that, you’re supposed to do this, and so on…

You can write this down on paper, or type it up, as long as everything you’re thinking about is written down somewhere.

I honestly cannot rely on my brain to remember anything anymore, that’s why everything has to be written down. If you’ve read my blog post on how to plan and prepare your week, you’ll know that after you have written everything, you can categorise it in the following categories:

1. What you can do now – pretty much all the tasks that you can do right then and there, get it over and done with.
2. What you can do in the week – the tasks that you can just plan to do during the week ahead. It’s not urgent today, but it does need to be done at a certain time.
3. What you can just put on hold – the tasks that are not really important nor is it urgent. These are tasks that you can do when you have the time, and there’s no rush to do them.

And also for a bonus tip, doing this exercise is not just limited to the start of the week or the start of the month. I’ve mentioned this several times in my blog posts before but write something down the immediate time you think of something.

For me, depending where I am at, I’ll write my thoughts on my phone if I’m not at home, and on sticky notes when I am. Then at the end of the month, I’ll categorise them like mentioned above.

This was absolutely life changing. You may find yourself feel a lot less stressed not having a lot of noise running through your head on everything that you need to do. It can give you the reassurance that you will get it done, or you’ll figure out when you’ll do it.

STEP 2 – Highs & Lows

Before we start doing anything else, it’s also important to do some reflection on this past month.

A starter to do that is listing your highs & lows. Both are key learning lessons!

For example, your highs may be completing a certain project, spending quality time with your friends & family, and trying out a new hobby! Those are great reflections!

On the other hand, your lows may be getting ill (which delayed you from doing the things that you needed to do), not getting good feedback on an assignment, and maybe losing a job. These are still good reflections because they can serve as learning foundations for your future!

STEP 3 – Highlights for the Month

Now, this step is all about reflecting on the great stuff!

List down any stand-out memories, events, or accomplishments that have happened to you this past month!

Not only is this something you’ll reflect on, but it’s also something to look back on!

STEP 4 – Pick a theme for the month

Pick what this month will focus on. Based on your reflections for this past month, think about what this new month needs to have more of!

For example, you can pick a theme of more self-love, consistent habits, or healthy eating!

By having a theme for the month, you have something to focus on. By focusing on a certain area of your life, you’ll obviously improve that area!

STEP 5 – Reflect on Habits

Now, part of achieving our goals is having good habits.

It took me a long time to realise that habits are a game changer.

If we have good habits, they can lead us more forward to where we want to go, whereas if we have bad habits, they can pull us backwards to where we want to go.

It’s best to remember that habits are involuntary, whether they are good habits or bad habits. We do them without even thinking about it. If you’ve read the different books on habits, or watched videos on how to build habits, you would know that everything we do is a result of a habit.

That’s why, in the monthly reset, we take the time to reflect on our bad habits, and also think about the habits that we should be building.

For example, when we reflect on the month, we may have realised that we spent most of the month watching TV. That would be a habit that we want to break for the next month. Then, we decide that maybe it’s best to start building the habit of reading for the next month.

You see, the reason why it may be more suitable to reflect on our habits every month, rather than every week, is that it takes a substantial amount of time to formulate a habit. Let me tell you, there are plenty of habits that I have formulated without even knowing, and would probably still be unaware of it if I never reflected on it.

In terms of the good habits we want to acquire – a fresh start to a new month is sometimes a motivator to start something. It prevents us from delaying it and procrastinating starting the habit. At least we got a starting point.

STEP 6 – Reflect on any new negative self-talk

Pretty much, self-talk is the way that you talk to yourself… DUH.

But all jokes aside, self-talk is more specifically the directions we give to our mind. This goes from everything we say to ourselves out loud and in our thoughts.

For this month, reflect on this – is there anything negative that you are saying about yourself… to yourself? Whether it’s out loud or in your thoughts?

If you haven’t already picked it up already, the reason why the start of the month is a perfect time to address this, is that the more we repeatedly tell ourselves those negative stuff, the more we believe it. And when we believe it, it’s eventually going to become automatic.

It’s like how saying a lie to yourself over and over again would eventually make you believe it. It’s the same with our self-talk!

Now, obviously we want to replace it with positive self-talk… and it’s going to involve lying to ourselves (but not what you think!).

We can tell the right kind of lie to ourselves that would actually end up improving our lives. That “right kind of lie” is the positive self-talk that we’re initially having a hard time believing.

Now, this blog post on how to change our self-talk and the words we say to ourselves is what you can read to get into more detail on how you can change your self-talk, especially through the different levels of self-talk.

STEP 7 – Find a New Hobby

Maybe this sounds like an obvious one. Maybe you already have some hobbies.

But it’s also good to try out a new hobby every now and then! Because you can’t discover more about yourself by doing the same thing over and over again.

I won’t go into “how to find a new hobby” because that will take forever. Instead, maybe reflect on the hobbies that you have and see if you have hobbies that each fall into the categories that I am going to mention shortly.

I’ve seen this around YouTube videos and Instagram posts that I’ve seen. It pretty much says that we need five hobbies:

1. One to make you money.
2. One to grow your mindset.
3. One to enhance your knowledge.
4. One to make you more fit.
5. One to make you more creative.

Now, see if the hobbies you have right now fit into all these categories, If there are some that are still missing, the new month may be a perfect time to start one!

Feel free to read my past blog post on these types of hobbies and how you can implement them in your life!

STEP 8 – Set Goals (then develop the systems)

I think this is something that is definitely not new. Any goal-setting or resetting blog post or video would tell you to set goals for the month. This one is no different… or is it?

Obviously, we want to reset our month because we want to become better versions of ourselves and accomplish our goals. We already know that we want to go somewhere, but the question is… where?

In a blog post that I have written called New Year, New (New Year’s Resolution) Systems, it outlines a system for our goals.

First we need a goal that is specific and clear. We may have heard goals before about being “healthier” this month, or “become a better person” this month, but what does that exactly entail?

It’s a good idea to think about what the goal actually is, so that we’re able to know what processes and steps we need to take to accomplish it.

Then after we have listed our specific goals, we plan our what processes and steps we need to take to get there… our systems. This is what we focus on the most.

In this blog post, I have wrote about how it’s important to focus on our systems instead of our goals. You can read that blog post for more detail, but to quickly sum it up, the goal is just the end result we want, and the system is what actually tells us what we need to do to get that result.

STEP 9 – Pick ONE area of life you want to improve on this month

Continuing on from “new month, new start“, the start of the month is also a good time to start reflecting on what specific area of our life that we want to improve on… an area of our life that we feel like we’re not consistent on.

Think about an area of your life that you need to work on the most this month.

STEP 10 – Revise Your Routines

This is something that I like to do, that you may like to do as well. Let me tell you, that the routines that I’ve had this time last year, are definitely not the same as it is now. In fact, my routines are constantly changing and adapting.

My routines either change because I intend it to change, or they change without me even thinking about it.

With the former, I do like to change up my routines every now and then. For example, I used to do all my study time and my blog sessions at home. But eventually after some time, I felt very isolated being at home and not having a change of scenery. So what I started doing is doing my work at local cafes.

Also, the reason why I like to change my routines once in a while is because I get bored. And when I get bored, I tend to slack off and not feel motivated.

James Clear had this interesting quote that it’s not laziness that is the enemy of success, but instead it’s boredom! Sometimes doing the same thing over and over again, and especially not seeing any reward coming out of it, tends to make us be complacent and lose motivation.

So, for this month, have a look at some of your routines. If you feel that if some of your routines is not giving you the motivation or results that you want, or you feel like it’s not motivating you anymore, then maybe it’s time to change it up.

Even if it’s just a small change it counts as well. Sometimes it’s taking a different route to work. Sometimes it’s reading in the morning instead of the evening. Sometimes it’s exercising in the afternoon instead of the morning… the possibilities are endless!

To change the game on your routines every month, do one (or all) of these monthly tasks to do for your routines!

STEP 11 – Do the Other Tasks

Do everything else that you need to get done so you can feel like you’re getting a fresh start. This will look different for everyone.

Most people will probably benefit from clearing out/decluttering their spaces, inboxes, or doing a fun self-care activity that will get them excited for this new month. You can even read this blog post to see how you can revise your self-care game every month!

Have a Fun NEW month!

The best part about having a monthly reset routine is that you have a great feeling of a fresh start! You get to revise a few things, and try new things!

Just remember that you can revise this monthly reset routine any way you like! It all depends on what makes you feel like you’re having a fresh start!

-Lauren 😊

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How to Plan & Prepare Your Week

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5 Important Monthly Tasks to Do For Your Routines

Goal Setting Routine you need to do!

Essential Routines for Personal Growth

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