I can remember being a little girl in school watching the clock on the wall tick by as if it were running in slow motion. The school day seemed to last forever. But it wasn’t just the school day. I always seemed to have a lot of time to play and do homework after school, and with dinner time with family lasting a good while as well, the days somehow felt long.
These days, with a family of my own, I’m running from here to there, managing many small details, and the days seem to zoom by. Often it feels like the day’s wrapping up shortly after getting started.
Maybe it’s my stage of life, the responsibilities of parenthood, or simply that I need to clear my plate a bit, but I know from talking to friends and family that I’m not the only person who feels like time is flying by.
One way I’ve found to appreciate and take stock of life, ensure I’m spending my precious time on my true priorities, and stay organized amid it all is to conduct a personal monthly review. Here’s how.
Review
As another month closes, use your calendar or the pictures in your phone to jog your memory of all that transpired in the past month. In a notebook or journal, make note of the key happenings. What moments are you grateful for? What goals did you accomplish? What memories would you like to capture? What milestones were reached? What could have gone better? What do you wish to continue to work on this month?Categorize
Next, list the main categories of your life, such as family, career, finances, fitness, hobbies, spirituality. Define how you wish to improve your progress in each category.Joy
Ask yourself: “What would make this month wonderful? What are my favorite activities to partake in this season? What’s special about this stage of my life? What would I be glad I did or experienced at the end of this month?”Detail
For the month ahead, determine the three most important goals to aim for and define the next step necessary to achieve that goal.Let Go
Finally, as if you were pulling weeds from your garden, identify some things, habits, tendencies, or even ideas you could let go of this month. What is no longer serving you? Declutter. Let go.
