figure out a method

how are you going to keep track of your list of monthly routines? are you going to type it up, laminate it, and tack it on your bulletin board? or print a fresh page each month and stick it in your planner? or rewrite it on a whiteboard? or are you going to do an online list? do whatever works best for you - the key here is we need a template of the list of routines we’re about to make so that it can be reused (and added to) month after month.

I personally have a Google Keep template titled “monthly to dos TEMPLATE” and each month, I make a copy of it, and retitle it, “(insert month here) to dos.” for example, at the end of december, I made a copy of the template and renamed the copy “january to dos.”

see my “google keep” and my “month routines” highlights on my instagram if youre a more visual person.

make a to do list template

now’s the fun part. think through your life. ask yourself (and your partner/family, if applicable), “what are the things that would be so helpful to do once a month? what are some things you’d love to do once a month?” let’s write them all down. my list has things I need to do once a month - or, sometimes, things I want to do once a month, simply because it makes my life easier/more manageable/more joyful.

because we want to create routines that create space for our priorities. we want to create routines that take care of you, your family, and your home - however that looks for you.

brain dump it all. write all down. you’ll feel like you went to the spa, I swear. this list is the only way I remember to do alllll those little adulting and home-owning things, but also the only way I remember to stay on top of business things and prioritize some personal/family things. I swear this list and my yearly list are the two ways I sleep so deeply - it’s all written down.

want some ideas? here’s a few examples from my to do list template:

personal/family stuff

give heartworm preventative to the dogs
plan our monthly dinner date, coordinate childcare with my mom, if needed.
- also, on that note, what do our upcoming weekends look like? any family outings we want to plan? like, do we want to go on a local hike for that Sunday’s Grill and Chill?
wash/vacuum cars
check evacuation bag + emergency tub
schedule a haircut and/or facial and/or pedicure for me, if needed
create rough drafts of menu plans for the month - update/tweak/add to each Friday as needed
- see how i menu plan here
create next month’s monthly budget with our budgeting software
check next month’s list on my Yearly Tasks + Expenses List - is there anything I need to schedule? plan? order? prepare? keep in mind?
does anything need to be filed in our filing system?
are we low on any toiletries and cleaning supplies?
update Subscribe and Save order, if needed
check levels of skincare products + place order, if needed
etc

home stuff

use upholstery cleaner + upholstery shampoo, if needed
- and/or wash slip covers + throw pillow cases, if needed
clean dishwasher (there are many ways to do this, but I personally run this tablet through a wash cycle)
clean dishwasher filter (a google search explains this better than I ever could!)
clean washing machine, if needed (again, many ways to do this, but I use this tablet + give the machine a wipe down after)
put one of these guys down drains
wipe down trashcan
- click here for my favorite cleaning supplies
wipe down big mirror (maybe all mirrors?)
wipe down fireplace
wipe down KK’s toy rotation cube - does she need a toy rotation?
update KK’s monthly bookshelf - wipe down, fill with new month’s books
clean microwave, if needed
sweep/neaten/wipe down patio, if needed
clean back windows
wash all blankets + swim towels
wash Nugget covers, if needed
check salt levels in water softener
grab dog grooming money for the month
check diaper bag + car + stroller (see if any supplies low, clean out trash, etc)
etc

Similarly, here’s our cleaning schedule, if you’re curious. And in our cleaning schedule where certain days have “work on a monthly routine” is the cleaning task that day.

Click here for my favorite cleaning supplies!

Curious when we do monthly routines? Take a peek at my daily schedule!

**now let’s make this month’s to do list**

okay YAY. let’s do this. like, right now, it’s the end of february. let me walk you through what I do.

I’ll take my “monthly to do list TEMPLATE” in my Google Keep, I’ll make a copy, and I’ll rename the copy “March to dos.” Now I’ll peek through that template. Is there anything I can remove first? Like, right after that insane Texas storm last week, we cleaned off the patio, so I’ll cross off that “sweep/neaten/wipe down patio” line since I can skip it this month - we can go without it.

Now, what do I need to add to my “March to dos” for this month? first - is there any thing I’d like to do sometime this month, but no big deal if it doesn’t happen. (this is usually where I brain dump ideas that occur to me in the shower or on walks. ideas that I don’t necessarily want to do tomorrow, but might want to do sometime.) Like, for next month, I added that I’d like to go through our fire safe, book my drivers license renewal appointment (okay, this one needs to happen, but I just wanted a reminder somewhere to do it), call the eye doctor, watch a certain Netflix show that Naptime Kitchen recommended in her latest newsletter. And I also jotted down a few blogpost ideas rattling around in my brain.

Lastly, let’s reference our yearly tasks + expenses list and we’re going to copy the March section and paste it right into our monthly to do list. Like, we deep clean an area of our home each month and in March we deep clean our bedrooms - let’s add it to the list. In March I make sure I book our annual beach trip, if not sooner - let’s add it to the list. In March we get our windows professionally cleaned, I order our Winter photo book with allll our candid photos we love on our phones from the Winter months of this past year, and in March I check our first aid/medicine stash - add it all to the list!

BAM! March’s to do list is done!

now, during the month of March, whenever I organically find myself with a few spare moments, I’ll see if there’s anything on the list I’d like to accomplish. we work through the list slowly and leisurely all month, no pressure.

here’s a peek at my daily schedule if you’re curious how this looks. you’ll also notice in my cleaning schedule that a few of the days have “work on a monthly routine” as their task for the day.

as always, have grace

but, like any of my routines - if I’m not feeling a routine, I skip it. no guilt. because I know if I skip a routine, one of two things happen: either I’ll miss it terribly, and return to it with newfound appreciation and gusto. or I won’t miss it, and I’ll ask myself, “Do we still need this routine in this current season of ours? Does it need to be tweaked, or let go of entirely?” I’m always reevaluating our routines.

So for me, skipping a routine is the key to success for me. And that way, this list of routines serves as a helpful resource for me, rather than something that feels suffocating or overwhelming.

So a few of the routines don’t happen every month - particularly the “home” section - but I like having the monthly reminder regardless. That way I can decide each month if I think I need to do it.

Or, If I find that it’s a crazy busy/tiring month, that’s okay! Life happens. I might skip a few routines and cross them off the list since I know I can just get to them the following month, as I’d rather rest than force a routine.

Give yourself grace. Routines should take care of you, not wear you down or add stress.

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