It was a fun summer in North Carolina and now we are back to Philadelphia full time! The long vacation was nice but now it’s back to the routines at home. While I am unpacking and getting settled back into the house, I realized quickly that I need to do a reset. It’s been a long time since I have been home and want to get settled into the house and my routines. I have a post it in my planner that I move to the first of each month that is a list of things I need to do that month. It helps keep me on track and organized for the month to come.

What did I like and dislike about last month?
Waking up early or hitting the snooze button too much, slacking on working out or kudos for daily walks. This helps me reflect and make the next month better.

What do I want to do this month?
I have a ridiculously long to do list that I use every day that has a list of things I want to do and then I write a daily to do list of things that I can do that day. From home projects, errands to a book I want to read, I like creating plans that are feasible and then picking from a list everyday.

Finance Check
I’ve talked about this before on the blog and I do this every month. Know where your money goes!

Make plans with friends.
Instead of making last minute plans, reach out to friends in the beginning of the month to make tentative plans.

Make note of upcoming birthdays and get cards ready.
I used to be the worst but now I have a list of birthdays in my planner that I can quickly see who to get cards for.

Organize your digital photos.
I save everything on Google Photos and then put those photos in albums on Google Photos and my photos app before I delete clutter on my camera photo roll.

Read your emails and then delete or file away.
I try to keep up with my emails every day but I spend more time at the end of the month to clear my inbox as much as I can.

Make a note of work and home projects.
I have a list of projects to do around the house and projects coming up for work. Change of decor, closet change and any big cleaning projects are written down in my planner.

Deep clean fridge and pantry.
I clean my fridge whenever we do a grocery run but I take everything out to deep clean my fridge and pantry every month. I have a magnetic notebook on my fridge to keep track of what we need to get.

Schedule fun date night ideas.
Instead of doing the same things or staying in because it’s too much energy to make plans, we are sitting down to schedule date night plans in advance. I’ve been making plans in my Google Calendar and inviting Jake so we both can make time for just us to spend intentional time together. We have a list of restaurants to try and things we can do together so we can pick an activity and a day we are free.

Start a new hobby.
Being at home so much put me into a slump so now I want to work on a new hobby every month. I’m not sure what I’m going to do the next few months but I’ve committed to reading every day, crafting, gardening and weeding the backyard.