We Gonna Start this Month off Right!

Aye yo … It’s a new month! So let’s start this thing off right … 

Anytime is a perfect time to refresh yourself and align yourself with your goals.

But, when a new month also falls at the start of a new week, that’s really a perfect time to do so. It’s aligning itself just right for you already ...

Hello August, how are you? Let’s talk about this new month.

What do you do with the start of a new month?

Please don’t tell me that you do nothing … That you just walk into it. 

You should know by now that that’s not an acceptable answer for me … We’ll talk about why.

Well … What do you Want me to Do?!?

Ok, you don’t have a plan for the month … So, you’re trying to figure out what you should be doing. 

How about I ask you some questions to get you started … 

Have you set your goals?

Have you set your focus?

Have you set your intentions?

Look … Let’s just dive into it because a lack of planning is going to prevent you from hitting your goals! 

After all, you may have heard that proper planning prevents poor results. And not just that, failure to plan is planning to fail.

This is why you get to the end of the month trying to figure out what happened with the month but “so excited” for the next month because it’s going to be different. You think to yourself, “This is going to be the month where you get all this stuff done!” 

Uh, yea … Sure. Because you don’t actually do any work to make it different. I guess you think that if you just keep thinking it month to month it’s going to happen.

But, has it happened yet?!? We’re 8 months into the year … So, in case you haven’t figured out that nothing changes if nothing changes, I’m here to tell you …. NOTHING CHANGES IF NOTHING CHANGES!

If you don’t get what that means … Let me make it clear: nothing is going to change (you’re not going to “do” a month differently) unless you actually take the time to change something (about how you do your month).

Ok … so you’re ready to change but aren’t sure how?!? Is that the reason ...

Well, that’s what I’m here for … Yep, I’m telling you to do the same thing that I’ve been telling you to do for months: Book a call with me to talk.

Because you trying to do it alone isn’t clearly working for you. And maybe now that you’ve been called out on it, you really really see that.

But also, in calling you out on it (yet again), you’ve decided that you’re ready to try now that you’re aware of the obvious problem that you apparently didn’t see … What’s that? ACTION!

Let’s Get Real!

So yes, it’s a new month … What is it that you want to accomplish this month?

What are you going to do differently this month to make sure that you actually make some progress in your life and in your goals?

As a matter of fact, what are your goals that are specific to this month?!? 

Having goals specific to the month are important. 

Ok, I get it … You set goals for the year. Well, what happens when you break down those yearly goals? 

You should be making progress towards those yearly goals each month in order to make sure that you’re on track to reach them by the end of the year. 

THAT is where the monthly goal would come into place.

Write it Out!

Now, how do you go about setting those goals for the months? Well, you’re going to do one of my favorite things, which I’ve talked about in other blog posts as well … A brain dump. 

A brain dump is you just taking some time and thinking about what it is that you want to accomplish in the near future. 

As you’re doing this brain dump, some of the items will take longer than a month and will bleed over into another month, which is just fine!

Why?!? Because … Not only are you getting the ideas out of your head so that you can start taking action in order to get there, but you’re putting yourself in a position so that when you do this again at the end of the month, you already have a place to start!

After you’ve created this brain dump list, you know you have to look at it right?!? 

This isn’t just a write it down and then forget about it type of thing … That’s the same thing as you thinking about how this month will be different with you not actually doing anything about it. That’s in the past … We’re moving on to taking action!

So, look at the list! This is the time to look at this list of things that you’ve taken from your head, and put to paper so that you know what you want to get done this month. 

It's now time to organize this brain dump of a list. 

What is the common theme in the list … What are the things that you have to get done this month because either: (1) you’ve put them off for some long that they’re now in the time crunch phase or (2) they’re the things that you have to get done because they go to your overall goal for the month.

I know … I just used the word “goals'' to describe you accomplishing goals … But, you get what I'm saying ...Right?!?

Get Focused!

What is it that you want to focus on this month?!? 

When you know where you’re going, you’re focused … You have a focal point to look at. This focal point allows you to focus your attention to a point in the future … Which then gives you something to use as a guide as you're creating your goals, intention, and to do list. 

When I say what’s your focus for the month it could be something like … I want to focus on my relationship, I want to focus on growing my business, or I want to focus on myself this month. It’s literally about what you’re focusing on this month based on your goals, that will help to make sure that you get there.

But then, there are times when you have so much going on that you want to do, or you’re not quite on track with your goals that the focus area is harder to either determine or for you to feel good about choosing one. Having a partner in this part of the process can be beneficial as well. So yea … you know where to find me on that part … 

So, what's your focus for the month? Where are you directing your focus and priorities? 

Be Intentional!

Once you develop your focus you can then take your intention to another level … 

So, what's your intention for the month?

When I say intention, while it’s similar to focus it’s also different. To me, when I say intention I’m talking about the theme so to speak. 

And when I say theme, I’m asking what’s the background thing that is driving you? 

I set a focus area for the month and then set weekly intentions. The intentions are about what it is that you’re specifically doing that week that will help you to be a step closer towards, reaching the goal that you’re focusing on for the month, as well as moving you closer towards the overall big picture goal.

By setting these weekly intentions, it can help me “focus” by helping to drive the items that I’m adding to the to do lists as the tasks that I’ll do. This in turn keeps me focused on the goals for the month.

Build it!

As you can see, each of these steps builds on each other.

This is why reverse engineering is the best way to go! Starting with the brain dump for the month is the first step towards reverse engineering.  

Next, you can set your goals for the month based off the brain dump.

Then, once you’ve created this brain dump you can see where it is that you want to focus.

Finally, when you know where you want to focus, you can set your intentions for the week and then from there you can get to the final step … the to do lists. 

Ayeee … Oh, Let’s Do it!

Failing to plan is planning to fail … 

That’s how you go to this point already … It’s how you got to the start of a new month unsure about what it is that you want to do!

So, I’ll ask you again … Have you checked on those goals?!?

Because if you haven’t, it’s time! You can’t make progress if you don’t know where you are now. 

Figure out where you are now, see where you want to go, and then determine the steps you need to get there. 

If you have, what is your goal for the month? This can be a personal goal, a business goal, a work goal, a health goal, or even a personal development goal … Orrrr, it could be a goal in each of those areas of life. 

I mean, are you trying to grow and be better only in one area of life or everywhere?!?

Is there something that you need to make sure that you’re working on and focusing on?

Do you need to do any reevaluation on the goals that you’ve set … To readjust and realign them in any way?

If you’re struggling with it, need help with it, or just want help with it … It’s ok! Asking for help isn’t bad … At all! We all need some level of accountability to our goals! 

You know where you are … You see where you want to go … But, you’re not quite sure how to get there. Going at it alone isn’t necessary. 

I’m here … reach out! Let me help you -  Send me a message, comment below, or just schedule a call … Let’s talk it out and clear up any confusion.

The time is now! It’s a new month and time isn’t going to stop! The more time that you continue to wait, the more you will stay where you are or worse, drift further from the goal. … 

Start ... You have to start in order to get to the consistency level! 

Because right now, the only thing that you’re being consistent in … Is consistently doing nothing, consistently pushing off things, and consistently not reaching your goals. 

Is that what you want to be known for?!?

Oh … I didn’t think so. So, are you taking action, booking the call, or just continuing to keep putting it?

-Coach Lee

Your Productivity & Accountability Coach