30 Things To Track in The Monthly Spread of Your Planner
The monthly spread in your planner isn't just another set of boxes to fill in; it's a powerful tool for gaining perspective, planning ahead, and staying organized amidst life's hustle.
Here's why and how you should make the most of it:
Why Use a Monthly Spread?
• Big Picture Perspective: It helps you see the overarching themes and priorities for the month, allowing you to break them down into actionable steps.
• Ideal for One-Off Tasks: Perfect for jotting down seasonal tasks, special events, and reminders that don't necessarily fit into your weekly plans.
Do You Need Multiple Monthly Calendars?
Consider using separate calendars for various aspects of your life such as cleaning, work, fitness, and meal planning to keep things neatly compartmentalized.
Tips for Planning with Your Monthly Calendar:
- Space-Saving Stickers: Use colorful dot stickers and sticky notes to save space and highlight important dates and tasks.
- Washi Tape: Employ washi tape to mark out consecutive events like vacations or ongoing projects.
- Pre-Planner Prep: When transitioning to a new planner, start by adding recurring tasks and appointments to avoid overlooking essential reminders.
Essential Tools for Monthly Planning:
Stock up on colored pens, highlighters, rulers, and sidebar stickers to customize and organize your monthly spread to suit your needs.
What to Track in Your Monthly Calendar:
From tasks and habits to health check-ups and business goals, below is a comprehensive list of 30 items to include in your monthly planner spread.
Different Layout Ideas for Monthly Planning:
Experiment with alternative layouts such as project spaces, list formats, or separate calendars for work and personal life to find what works best for you. Incorporate these strategies into your planner routine, and watch as your monthly spread transforms into a dynamic tool for productivity and organization.
30 things to put in your monthly calendar
Tasks / Reminders
- Habits
- Last time I did
- Cleaning (especially seasonal cleaning tasks) e.g. clean the roof gutters
- Most important task for the day
- Once a month only tasks
- Special events, anniversaries
Life
- Vacations
- Appointments
- Budgeting (bills due, daily spending)
- Life updates e.g. update insurance
- TV shows & movies
- Pet care reminders
- Things to learn e.g. lessons / classes you're taking
Food & Health
- Meal planning
- List of recipes to try this month
- Weight loss
- Daily calorie intake
- Menstrual cycle
- Mood tracking
- Exercise routines
- Daily steps
- Illness tracker (especially if you have young kids)
- One of the following health check ups (as applicable to you / depending when you did them last): skin check e.g. if any of your moles may be cancerous, weight, dentist, eye check / glasses prescription, mammogram, pap-smear, blood pressure, iron levels, cholesterol level, blood donation, vaccinations, bowel cancer screening, hearing test etc.)
Business
- Blog content planning
- Social media posting
- Statistics tracking e.g. number of new subscribers per day
- Sales goals / daily revenue
- Mileage
Different layouts for monthly planning
If a traditional 1 box per day format isn’t working for you, here are some other options:
- Add some project space below the calendar so your bigger picture goals aren’t lost in the day to day planning
- List format
- 2 sections per box (1 for work and 1 for personal)
- Ditch the monthly calendar and try a habit tracker and to do list instea
- Use separate calendars for work and personal