The beginning of the month can feel new. (It is new, amirite?) At the beginning of the month, we have the opportunity to start a new routine to feel more refreshed and energized to continue with our goals.

This used to terrify me, i.e. setting new goals and looking at my bank account. But fear aside, a reset at the beginning of each month helped me to take control of my life, routine, and finances.

So, here are things to do at the beginning of the month to rest and be organized.

Check your bank account.

This is something that you should be doing every day. Not only does this help with monitoring your saving and spending habits and tracking expenses, but you can check for any fraudulent activity. Additionally, check your bank statement for the previous month. Check where you overspent (for me, books) and evaluate if you can cut spending. A budget can come in handy here. If I’m being honest, I don’t have a budget right now but I recommend following these incredibly helpful “monthly reset” videos on YouTube that follow a budget and even link to several budget templates on Etsy that you can choose from. Selena Trevino and Carter Sullivan create amazing monthly reset videos!

Set up your monthly calendar.

This is my favorite thing to do at the beginning of the month. Set aside time at the end of the previous month to set up the monthly view in your calendar. I do this at work and it allows me to see what projects I need to prioritize, any upcoming deadlines and meetings, and with that, I can even plan out any PTO I want to take. I started implementing this for my personal calendar and I can see which appointments I need to make, social plans I can make, and anything else that goes in my calendar.

Declutter.

I am not a minimalist gal. I am not the type of person to have less stuff — if you could only look at my kitchen that has “stuff” on the counters. But I’m a big fanatic of “organized clutter.” At the end of each month and beginning of the new month, go around your living spaces and see where you can declutter. Pick out places that need it and places where you don’t normally clean. This may be your car, your fridge, night stand, pantry … anywhere. Maybe for you, this looks like a digital declutter. Organize folders on your computer. Clean out your inbox. Organize the apps on your phone.

Reflect on habits.

What are habits that you wanted to implement in your routine the previous month? Think about it. Did you want to cook instead of ordering takeout? Look at your delivery apps (this anxiety is real) and see how much you ordered takeout.

This is where I love meal delivery kits — HelloFresh is my favorite! It allows me to cook more and put together fun, fast, and incredibly delicious meals. The ingredients, in my personal experience, have been fresh and healthy. The meals are delicious and always something new. Although, I do pick out my favorites each week. The lemon spaghetti is an absolute favorite in my kitchen.

Here is a link to HelloFresh where I am giving you $150 off your first order. I get a $10 credit if you click on the link provided, but this is at no extra cost to you.

So, what are habits to reflect on? Maybe you didn’t hit your reading goal for the month — that’s okay! See how you can incorporate reading into your routine. Maybe you wanted to work out three times a week each week. Reflect on these habits that you want to start and continue this month and adjust accordingly.

Write three goals for the month.

Before I say focus on your long-term goals, let’s talk about short-term goals. I think setting short-term goals is very much as important as setting long-term goals; if anything, they should contribute to your long-term goals! You also want to write measurable goals; meaning, how can you determine that you accomplished them at the end of the month?

Let’s show an example. If I have an annual reading goal of reading 50 books this year, that seems daunting. Instead of constantly reflecting on that number (and being scared of it), I say, I want to read seven books this month. (This is my own personal example, please don’t let that intimidate you if it does!) Sure, it’s a strategy on the way to accomplishing the long-term goal, but it’s also a short-term goal to set so that at the end of the month, if you do accomplish it, you can feel good about it. A way to make that goal even less daunting is scheduling in time to accomplish that goal. I want to read seven books, so I’m going to read for an hour after work instead of scrolling on my phone. Do that each day, and then you can see if you hit your goals faster and more efficiently.

Some measurable goals to set for yourself are:

Exercise two times a week. Take a workout class and run/walk/jog two miles.
Journal every day and write down what you’re feeling at the end of each night.
Cook dinner four times a week.

Make your bed.

This may be the simplest thing that you can do to reset for a new month, but make your bed. Personally, I make my bed every day because I live in a studio apartment and the bed is at the center of the entire living area … and if the bed is unmade or untidy, it throws off the balance of the room and the room looks messy.

Schedule in “me” time.

Because this time for yourself is important, y’all. Try to incorporate self-care into your days. At the beginning of each week, in addition to at the beginning of each month, try to see where you can fit self-care in. The more you do this and the more you practice this, the more natural self-care will be a part of your daily routine.

Schedule in social time.

While I love being alone, being in community is equally as important for my mental and spiritual health. You don’t need to schedule something for every night of the week — that’s an introvert’s worst nightmare. But call a friend and make dinner plans. Go to a movie. Swipe on a dating app and finally set a date for that date.

And that’s it! Those are my ways on how to reset for a new month. Take these tips and add on your own (comment down below how you reset for a new month) or use these tips. How do you reset for a new month? Let me know down below in the comments!

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