As a “mompreneur”, I juggle running my business, helping my husband with his business, and being the best Mom and wife that I can be. Not to mention keeping mounds of laundry done (even if the clean clothes never actually make it to dresser drawers and instead take up permanent residence on top of the dryer). It’s a lot.
But with a monthly plan, I have some semblance of a “schedule” and a way to incorporate everything that I need to get done into my very limited time.
Waking up each morning and knowing exactly what I need to work on for that day helps to keep me focused, and I feel like I’m able to be more productive because I spend less time trying to figure out WHAT to do next.
If that type of organized plan for each month sounds better to you than a Venti Caramel Macchiato or an uninterrupted hour at Target, then read on for everything you need to know to get started monthly planning.
In this post, we’ll cover:
A monthly plan is exactly what it sounds like:
“an action plan to accomplish everything that you need to get done in a given month”
It sounds simple because it is simple.
Think of your monthly plan as your road map to success for each and every month, whether that’s making it to all of your kids’ practices on time or finishing that big work project that’s been weighing you down.
Monthly planning is a great way to schedule your month so that you’re sure to finish your most important tasks and you can be more productive, all while remaining calm, cool, collected, and ORGANIZED.
Okay, I get it… You’re super busy and don’t have time to sit down and plan out your month. As a full-time working Mom and wife, I’m with you! But here’s why those 30 minutes, or even a few hours, can work wonders for you:
If you ask anyone that knows me, they’d tell you that one of my favorite words is “productive”. I feel the best when I’ve had a productive day and accomplished everything that I wanted to get done. I feel a sense of empowerment and that I’m ready to kick tomorrow’s butt.
And having a plan for things that you want to get done for the month can help you be more productive. You’ll spend less time figuring out what to do next or how best to spend your time.
Who doesn’t want less stress in their life, right?!
And according to a 2011 survey completed by psychologist Robert Epstein, the most effective stress management technique is planning. In fact, Epstein said,
“The most important way to manage stress is to prevent it from ever occurring,” by planning,
Robert Epstein
And I can attest to that.
I feel much more relaxed when I have a solid plan, whether it’s a plan for my monthly schedule or how I’m going to accomplish a big goal.
If you’re busy doing ALL THE THINGS, then a monthly plan can help you keep track of everything so that important events, appointments, or to-do’s don’t get forgotten. Writing your to-do list down each month and scheduling your time out in advance will give you something to reference so you won’t have to worry about constantly trying to recall your schedule from memory.
At the very least to create a kick-butt monthly plan, you’ll need somewhere to write everything down. Whether you like to have everything on your iPhone or you’re more of a pen and paper kind of girl, the choice is yours.
You can also use more than one type of planner or calendar, based on your family’s needs. For instance, I use a giant wall calendar that hangs in my office exclusively for work-related due dates and notes, and I also use a family calendar app to keep track of different appointments, to do lists, and school events pertaining to my family.
I recommend experimenting with a few different planning tools to see which one you can stick with, but here are some suggestions:
A paper planner is great if you don’t want to fool with an app or digital planner and you need more space because you’re SUPER busy. I currently use the Happy Planner, and I’m a BIG fan! The layouts are functional with plenty of space to write, and the accessories and planner stickers are super cute!
A wall calendar is a great way to keep up with your plan for the month, especially if it’s strategically placed above your desk or on the front of your refrigerator where you’ll see it often.
I use this DIY giant wall calendar to record all of my work-related due dates and to-do list for each month, but a regular wall calendar or even a dry erase board monthly calendar would work well also.
If you like the convenience of having everything in the palm of your hand when you’re on the go, then a family calendar app may be the best planning tool for you. Apps like Cozi Family Organizer allow you to track each of your family member’s schedules, create shared grocery lists, and even plan your meals for the week.
If you want a stripped-down monthly plan with just the bare necessities (doctor’s appointments, top 3 priorities, school events, etc), then a printable monthly plan template may be best for you.
I’ve got a bunch of different free monthly plan PDFs at the end of the post for you to use!
If you’re like me, then there’s no better motivation to write down a schedule for the month than some cute new planner pens! (Kind of like a new workout outfit can finally motivate you to stick to your walking schedule!)
I recently tested 12 different planner pens to see which ones where the best and you can check out the results here: The Best Pens for Planners – And I Tried Them All!
If you’re new to planning, then it can get overwhelming pretty quickly… especially if you try to plan out every second of the day and you previously didn’t even know what you were cooking for dinner until about 4:59 pm the same night.
But that’s where a simple monthly to do list comes in handy!
If you’re not the type of person that lives and dies by a set schedule, then a simple checklist of things to do each month may be the better fit for you.
I’ve got an entire post about creating a monthly to do list here, plus some super cute to do list templates for you to use!
The steps to create the perfect monthly plan are pretty similar to creating a weekly plan. Here’s how to organize your family’s monthly schedule so you’re ready to conquer the month:
Whether I’m planning my week or even my day, I like to start out by setting my top 3 goals. My non-negotiables. The things that I absolutely MUST get done… no matter what.
The same thing goes for monthly planning… at the first of the month, it’s important to set your intentions for the month. To determine WHAT you want to get done. So as not to get overwhelmed or pile too many things on your plate, I recommend about 3-5 monthly priorities.
Some of your priorities for the month could include:
Unless you’re Superwoman, there will probably be different tasks that you PLAN on doing that just can’t complete, whether because something else more urgent popped up, or you simply ran out of time…. but it’s okay! Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Instead, do a quick review of the previous month to see what unfinished tasks or to-do’s need to be carried over to this month.
I like to put a check mark next to things on my monthly schedule as they get completed for this purpose. At the end of the month I can quickly go through and make a list of the things that aren’t checked off.
“Brain dump” is basically just a trendy way of saying “brainstorm”, and just like there are no bad ideas or suggestions in a brainstorming session, the same applies to doing a brain dump.
The main goal of a brain dump is to get all of your ideas or to-do lists out of your mind (where they’re making you crazy because you’re constantly trying to remember the 32,843 things you have to do) and onto paper.
You may choose to make one giant list of everything that comes to mind (like “buy a gift for Mom’s birthday” and “return Amazon purchases”), or you may want to categorize your to-do list items as you write them down.
You can read more about how to do a brain dump here and grab some cute free printable brain dump worksheets!
So let’s review… At this point you should have a list of:
Now it’s time to transfer everything to whichever monthly planner, template, or app that you’re going to use.
Start by recording appointments or meetings that have set scheduled times, because those aren’t flexible. These could include your dentist appointment, your child’s chorus concert, or a scheduled Zoom call with your boss.
Then, mark off time to work on your 3 top priorities. You can estimate how much time that it will take you to complete each of those tasks and block off specific hours or even days to focus on those items.
Lastly, fill in your monthly schedule with everything else.
And if you find that a one page monthly layout just doesn’t work for you, because it doesn’t provide enough space for you to write everything down, then consider using a weekly planner template instead. You could even print out 4 or 5 copies of the weekly plan PDF and use them to plan your month in advance. Then, you can focus on a single week at a time.
A weekly plan and a monthly plan go hand-in-hand… that’s why most paper planners include a one or two page monthly spread and weekly pages with space to record info for each day of the week.
The benefit of using a generalized monthly plan AND a detailed weekly plan is that you’re able to split your month into smaller, more manageable periods of time and create a list of more specific to-do’s. What a broad monthly plan lacks in detail, a weekly plan can make up for.
You can head over here to read about creating a weekly plan, and grab the printable weekly plan template below!
Let’s face it… things don’t always go as you planned. (Insert quote about the best laid plans here!).
So it’s important to have an attitude of flexibility and a willingness to roll with the punches, so to speak. If life gets hectic and you don’t accomplish everything that you set out to do, then don’t use that as an excuse to scrap your entire plan. Instead, stay on course and make adjustments as needed. You can always carryover unfinished tasks to the next month.
You can also build in some “free” time into your monthly plan, and use that extra time to finish jobs that get pushed to the back burner.
I believe whole-heartedly in being INTENTIONAL… If you want to get something done, you have to INTEND to do it. Which is where setting a monthly intention comes into play.
I’m sure you’ve heard people say “This is the month of health!” or “This month, I’m going to finally get organized.” Those are general intentions. Think of an intention as a very broad goal that you set for a specific time period.
In fact, intention is defined as:
a thing intended; an aim or a plan
Oxford Languages
Here are some examples of general monthly intentions:
I’m listing these first because they’re the most obvious. I like to record appointments, meetings, special events, and parties on my monthly plan template FIRST because they typically have set times and dates that aren’t able to be changed.
While you’re creating your monthly schedule is the perfect time to incorporate some action steps to get you closer to meeting your goals. For instance, if you have the goal of losing 10 pounds, you may want to block off an hour each morning to work out or go for a walk.
If you’re like me, you have certain things that must be done each month like clockwork. I check my budget spreadsheet to review how we did financially during the previous month, and I change all of the air filters in our house… just to name a few.
You probably have your own list of things you do every month, even if you’ve never thought to write them down in actual list form. You can include these recurring items in your monthly plan so that you’re sure to have time to complete them.
Blocking off time on your monthly schedule to complete cleaning tasks is also a good idea. I’ve found that I’m much less likely to procrastinate on cleaning jobs that I despise (like cleaning the showers) when I’ve actually written them down on my plan for the month.
Many people like to plan out meals for the month while they’re completing their monthly schedule. Making a small note on each day for planned dinners is another great way to plan ahead AND save money by reducing your restaurant expenses.
Sometimes we’re so busy with what we HAVE to do, that we forget about planning time with the people that mean the most to us. Whether it’s simply penciling in time to go see a movie with your husband or scheduling a lunch with your girlfriends, make sure that your plan includes time for the important people in your life.
When monthly planning, be sure to not schedule every waking hour. If you fill your month with too many commitments, then you’ll suffer burnout or have a full-on meltdown. No bueno!
Want some free printable monthly planning PDFs to get started on your own schedule? Just click the links below to download these templates. Feel free to try out different monthly schedule layouts to find the one that works best for your family:
Want some more planning tips to help you get super organized and get more crap done? Check out these posts:
And don’t forget to PIN this post for later!
Amy is a busy working Mom of two girls, and she has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for almost 20 years. Amy has created hundreds of printables and other resources to help women manage their household and thrive in their family relationships. Whether you need a template to help track your monthly bills, an easy teacher gift idea, or conversation starters to connect with your husband, Amy has designed a resource to help you!
I’m a busy working Mom of two just trying to keep up with my never-ending to do list. Between taking care of your home and your family, life can get pretty overwhelming. So, I want to help you manage the day-to-day crazy with practical home management tips, easy kids’ activities, fun holiday ideas, and more!
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