The Monthly Reset For Keeping Organised

Hey guys,

With today being a Sunday, beginning of the month & with us being more than halfway through the year (scary I know), what post is better than an Organisation/Reset kind of post. My goals at the beginning of the year was to stop procrastinating, be more organised with aspects of my life (including blogging) and some other things I want to achieve. But in January I put myself out there and started dating and now it's July - I have a boyfriend, we've been on countless holidays, I have been given more of a role in work so it has consisted on quite a bit of overtime and training and I became an auntie to another little one. I cant believe I'm an Auntie of 4 under 4. Hectic haha. 

Anyways, I have had quite a few hits during the year (which is too long winded to put onto here and I'm trying to be positive & not get off track with this post haha) so why not reflect and give myself a 'reset' ready for the remainder of the year. Blank exciting canvas. A new opportunity to get prepared & organised. Why wait for the year for goals? Actually, why wait til the following month to get organised and set goals? Try doing it on a Sunday, so you can have a good week and then that good week could progress to a good month. 

Brain Dump

I am so, so, so bad at this. I have so much going on in my brain of things to do and then I feel overwhelmed to the point where I just crawl into bed to binge watch a programme. I have always wanted to do facials& reflexology on the side but it means having clients and renting a room so currently it's not a viable idea but at the same time I am also thinking of starting an Etsy job. Also, I have been thinking of maybe putting my head back into the books and doing my AAT's, but wanting to keep on top of my blogging and being sociable. As I said, a lot going through the brain and nowhere for it to go. The best idea is to get a spare notebook or even make a Word Document on the laptop where you can just throw the ideas. You'll feel the weight off your shoulders. Even if it's breaking down the tasks into priorities and what you can put on hold.

Finances

I am trying so hard this year to keep on top of my Finances on a day to day basis - including using a Word Document in which I highlight the days of the month in which I haven't spent any money. Basically, I create a 7x5 table and label the boxes 1-31 (or amount of days in the month) and then I highlight the days where I haven't spent. The days I do spend I write in the column what I did spend (minus bills) and how much. I then at the end of the month can do a summary of the total expenses. I set myself a target of not spending as much as the previous month. See below for an example. This has actually beneficial and has helped me keep track and feel much more in control of my expenses. 

Finances should definitely be kept on top of (if you can't weekly, aim for monthly) in order not to miss a payment, become overwhelmed or forget what you have spent. Amount of times I have checked my bank account and been like 'what the heck is that payment' haha. It's also good in highlighting the pointless and non essential purchases you make and how to limit it the following month. It is even more important now to keep on top of your Finances & Budgets with the current climate and ongoing rise in prices. 

I have also been using an app called 'Plum'. Omg this app is a dream. I didn't realise how much I can actually save without having to think. This app is linked to my main account and weekly it'll take a certain amount. There are different toggles you can switch on and off (depending if you have used premium or not) which includes;

• Automatic - It analyses your income & expenses and it calculates what it can safely set aside without affecting you massively
• Weekly depositor - Sets aside a certain amount every week
• Round ups - It rounds up your transactions to the nearest £1 - You can even do Pound Ups - This rounds anything that's .00 exactly - e.g. £5, it'll put away £1
• Rainy Days - This is quite similar to Weekly depositor
• 52 Week Challenge
• The 1p Challenge

Reflect & Set Goals

Take the time to sit & reflect on the month you have left behind. Grab a cuppa, get your daily journal, a word document, whatever will help you 'brain dump' and list what you achieved in the previous month, what tasks you haven't completed and what you want to achieve in this current month. This is the perfect opportunity. Reset your alignment and focus. As I said at the beginning of the month I have so much going on in my head that dumping into a notepad, word document or even a draft blog post helps me clearer my mind, get a better aspect of what I want to achieve and not feel overwhelmed. From looking at the brain dump you can then set your goals into certain focuses whether it's health, finance, professionally, socially or personally. But remember to be realistic and smart.

For example:

• If you exercise twice a week - Try aim for 3 times a week
• If you manage to drink 4 glasses of water a day - Aim for 5
• If you manage 3 blog posts a month try 4
• If your trying to break a habit - Try a day at a time
• If your trying to save money - Go a day at a time of not spending 

It's always good to reflect on your month and acknowledge the small wins. You may be surprised on what you have achieved. Even if you've got depression or anxiety and struggle to get out of bed - getting out of bed that one day is an achievement. Before thinking of new goals, analysis the goals you had made the previous month and think about what their priority is to you - Will it help you grow? What are the benefits? And what does it mean to you? Don't create a big list as this will overwhelm you, keep it short and simple and then build it up when you have ticked them off your list or keep a note for the following month. 

Clear Out

Clear out everything. Whether it's your phone, emails, photos, purse, bag, your bedroom, wardrobe, makeup/skincare, makeup brushes, workspace, other aspects of your house etc. I am useless at clearing out & decluttering things whether it's because I haven't had the time so it's built up to being a huge task or whether it's because I'm a hoarder for useless things but coming up with a valid reason of why I need to keep the items. 

As I still live at home technically I only have my bedroom to clear out (and some of the attic haha - I have a tendency to throw things up there haha). Therefore, I have currently made a list on my Notes app on my phone of different parts of my room to do (such as makeup drawer, dressing table, junk drawer, wardrobe, chest of drawers, etc etc) and I can tick them off when I have completed them. 

I have 3 personal email accounts and 2 of them I am quite good at keep on top of and and only keeping the essential emails and unsubscribing to the pointless (and shops) emails. I even have folders created on my main email address for payslips, important events, tickets, receipts, refunds I am waiting for etc. But the 3rd email address I hadn't touched for years so its very overwhelming to deal with. I still haven't got the encouragement yet...

Having a clear out not only helps reduce stress & anxiety but helps you feel clearer and focused. Don't ask me to clear out my phone though as I am constantly on it and as I have a passion for photography I actually have 51,400 photos and 13,000 videos. I pay for monthly storage and if I did clear it out I wouldn't have to pay but hey ho. I am trying to get there with clearing out the photos as I do have a hard-drive but it's just getting the time management correct. I am good at clearing out the 'Recently Deleted' though haha. And halfway through removing the Screenshots haha. 

If you do have your own home, there is quite a lot of checklists on Pinterest that look helpful in getting your house decluttered and organised. There are checklists for things to clean and tidy out on daily basis, weekly basis and a monthly basis. Whether it's kitchen drawers & cupboards, the fridge, desk drawers, bathroom cabinets, under the sink supplies, the pantry, etc. For my makeup and skincare drawers I actually use drawer organisations and oh my goodness it has made cleaning them so much easier as I can see the products clearer and can just put them out of the drawers neatly to give a deep clean.

As for paper I tend to just throw them in the junk drawer but I actually bought myself a Box File which has dividers in. I then sort the paper into statements, important documents, receipts, bills, car documents, etc. This has benefitted me so much as it literally takes me 5 seconds to find what I'm looking for instead of rummaging through the junk drawer. Why do we even consider it normal to have junk drawers haha?

Example of Pinterest Cleaning Schedules