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Each month I find myself doing some of the same things, but forgetting others. And the ones that I forget are often most important. But if I have a list, I will be sure to do all of the tasks, since I LOVE lists!
9 Tasks You Should Do Every Month
All of these are things that I do at the beginning of each month. Not all of them will apply to you, so just substitute an activity that does apply into that slot.
Back up Your Computer
I cannot stress this enough - you need to BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER. If anything were to happen to your computer, you would lose everything. I have a handy little external hard drive that I back my photos and documents up to every month. I also back up my photos with Google Photos. Even with the amount of photos I take, I still have tons of room to store more. For real, get into a good habit of backing up your computer.
Make new folders for photos
As I said above, I take a ton of photos every month. And since I have so many, it can get overwhelming to keep them all organized. So at the first of the month, I make a new folder on my computer for all of the photos I take. My photo folders go like this PHOTOS > year > month > activity or person.
I have a separate folder for each of my kids, because I make photo books for them each year... even if I am a bit behind (like 2 years). It helps so much to already have their photos separated. It also helps to have them separated when I am looking for a picture for projects.
I also use a separate folder for blog projects, holidays, events, etc.
Print New Calendar
For the longest time, I used a pre-printed 12 month calendar and just added things to it as they came up. But I have found SO much more success in printing our Google Calendar each month. All of the events that I have added to our calendar are on there, but we also have a paper copy that is visible. It's the best of both worlds - digital and paper.
Go Over Monthly Calendar
Look over your calendar at the beginning of the month to:
- Get a general idea for what's coming up in the month
- Note any birthdays and make plans for gifts or cards
- Schedule Date Nights with your spouse
- Plan Girls Nights Out
Change Air Filters
When we bought our house in TN, I had no idea that we were supposed to check on and change the air filters in our house. So when we had our HVAC system maintenance done, I was embarrassed by my lack of knowledge. Our filters were terrible and could have contributed to our need to replace our entire system. It was an expensive lesson to learn. So now once a month I check all of our air filters and replace them as necessary. BTW- who thought it was a good idea to have an air filter 12 feet in the air? I grumble about it each time I drag our ladder up the stairs to replace the dumb air filter.
Change Contacts
This is another thing I used to forget. That is until my eye doctor got after me for wearing my monthly contacts too long. Now I change them at the beginning of every month. It's an easy thing to remember when it's scheduled like that. And I remind my daughter to change hers then as well.
Back Up Your Phone
You may think backing up your phone is not a big deal, until your phone dies and you lose everything that's on it. So if you just back it up once a month, then you'll at least have a back up to reinstall. I back up mine on my computer, but you can use the cloud too if that works better for you.
Back up Photo Collecting or Journaling App
I use the Collect App to record one picture of our family every day. This is an important thing to me because it records our family history. At the beginning of each month, I download the photos to my camera roll, transfer them to my computer and have a folder for them for each month. When I finally get around to making a hard copy album, I will have the photos organized and ready to roll.
Set Monthly Goals
We always talk about our goals in the New Year, but what about setting monthly goals. They could be as simple as going for a walk every day or as big as repainting the kitchen like you've been wanting to do. Set the goal, then figure out what small steps you will have to do each day to achieve that goal. So if you want to go for a walk every day, you'll have to schedule your day in such a way that you have time to get a walk in. Save the photo above to your phone, then write your monthly goals in the space provided. Then make the image the screen saver on your phone. This will be a daily reminder of the things you want to accomplish this month.
In our fast paced lifestyle it is easy to forget little things. But if you make a list, you will be mindful of them and can get them done. Doing these 9 Tasks Every Month will help you to be successful!
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