Life can get pretty busy, and it’s easy to feel like we’re just going through the motions day in and day out, but setting monthly goals can help us to live with intention and give us something to work towards. By reflecting on our values and what we truly want out of life, we can make small changes that add up to a happier, more fulfilled life.
Goal setting is a great way to achieve success not only professionally but personally as well. Here are 25 monthly goals to get you started.
Learn a New Skill
Whether it’s cooking a new dish or taking a dance class, challenging ourselves to learn something new keeps us growing and expanding our horizons. Try an app to learn a new language or learn how to knit or quilt. It pushes us out of our comfort zones, forcing us to adapt and grow in unexpected ways. It can also open doors to new communities and cultures, fostering connectivity and understanding.
Volunteer
Giving back to our communities can be incredibly fulfilling. Find a cause you’re passionate about and commit to volunteering once a month. You can volunteer in your local shelter or retirement home. There are different ways to volunteer, approach them, and ask them what the mostly need help with. Sometimes, it may be groceries; other times, it may be over-the-counter medicines, or sometimes, they need activities for the people in the shelter or retirement homes.
Try a New Workout
You may be already doing some walking, running, or light weights. Mix up your exercise routine and try a new workout like yoga or Pilates. Go to the local gym and do their aerobics class or join the swimming class. It’s important to work out and to change it up; by mixing up your activities, you give those overused muscles, joints, and ligaments a chance to rest and recover before putting them into action again.
Deep Clean Your Living Space
A clean living environment can reduce stress and help us feel more productive. Set aside a day each month to deep clean your living space. A clean living space reflects a clean mind, ready to take on any challenge. You can do a certain space each time, do the bedroom once, then the kitchen, then the living room, and so on, so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Read a New Book
Reading is a great way to escape our everyday lives and open our minds to new ideas and perspectives. Reading has many benefits for mental well-being. It can help to improve memory, concentration, and focus. It can also help reduce stress levels and enhance sleep quality. Reading has a positive impact on mental well-being and can help to improve overall health. Try to aim for one new book a month. Why not join a local book club and swap!?
Start a Gratitude Journal
Cultivate gratitude by writing down things you’re thankful for each day. Research shows that practicing gratitude daily results in increased happiness, positive emotions, and overall satisfaction. Being grateful daily reminds us to focus on all the good we have in our lives. Journaling is a great way to bring gratitude into your life daily.
Take on a Challenge
Whether it’s a fitness challenge, a work challenge, or a personal challenge, pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones can be incredibly rewarding. You faced challenges head-on, refusing to give in, and you emerged stronger because of it. Each trial, each hurdle, became a stepping stone on the path of personal growth. Make it a mission to face one challenge a month.
Practice Self-care
Set aside a day each month to focus solely on yourself. Get a massage, or do whatever makes you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Self-care can range from physical activities like taking a warm bath to social activities like catching up with friends to mental activities like taking a social media break. Self-care involves conscious participation in activities that are all about you and only you.
Host a Dinner Party
Invite friends over and cook a meal together. Building social connections is important for our mental health and happiness. Dinner parties bring people together. There’s just something about having dinner and drinks at a friend’s house that is way more memorable than going to a restaurant. Gather your friends together and make a monthly plan to host dinner parties at each others’ houses.
Explore a New Place in Your Town or City
You don’t have to travel far to have new experiences. Explore a new park, museum, or restaurant in your town or city. Take a walk with some friends to a nearby wooded area or visit a bookstore or a new cafe. Too much stress isn’t good for your mental health, and taking a break once in a while can protect you from further mental health issues, such as depression. Research all the neat and hidden places in your area and make a plan once a month to visit them.
Start a New Hobby
Find a hobby that brings you joy and commit to working on it each month. Start playing an instrument you’ve always liked, or maybe you like painting or crocheting. A hobby helps you take time away from the daily grind and can help you find that zest for life that may be missing. It gives you something to look forward to during the day and can help you accomplish new goals or challenges that you may have never thought you were capable of.
Practice Mindfulness
Set aside time each day to focus solely on the present moment. Mindfulness can help us reduce stress and increase our overall wellbeing. Think about today and what it has brought and represented to you. Focus on the positive aspects of your current life, your health, your job opportunities, the food you are eating, and the body that allows you to walk on this earth. A good idea would be to go sit somewhere quietly in nature once a month (more often if you can) and just be.
Unplug for a Day
Technology can be overwhelming and distracting. Set aside a day each month to unplug from social media and technology and focus on being present in the moment. Taking a break from technology allows us to disconnect from the constant demands of work and social media. Unplugging allows us to connect with others on a deeper level and engage in activities that promote social interaction
Create a Budget
Taking control of our finances can help us feel more in control of our lives. Create a budget each month and stick to it. A budget helps create financial stability. By tracking expenses and following a plan, a budget makes it easier to pay bills on time, build an emergency fund, and save for major expenses such as a car or home.
Learn About a New Topic
Expand your knowledge by diving deeper into a topic you’re interested in. When you have knowledge, you have the power to achieve many things. One of the most crucial reasons to learn something new is that you gain power when you do. This new-found power means you don’t need to rely on others to fix or repair things. You can do them yourself! YouTube is a gold mine for DIY tutorials.
Spend Time with Family
We often get caught up in our day-to-day lives and forget to spend quality time with our loved ones. Make it a goal to spend time with family each month. One of the fundamental benefits of spending time with family is the emotional support they provide. Family members offer a safe and non-judgmental space to share your thoughts, concerns, and joys. This emotional connection helps reduce stress, improves mood, and fosters a sense of belonging.
Practice Forgiveness
Holding onto grudges can be toxic for our mental health and relationships. Practice forgiveness and let go of any anger or resentment. It can help free you from the control of the person who harmed you. Sometimes, forgiveness might even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy, and compassion for the one who hurt you. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting or excusing the harm done to you. It simply is a way for you to release anger and hurt. It’s for you, not them.
Declutter Your Life
Get rid of anything that no longer serves you – old clothes, unread books, or negative relationships. Declutter and donate the things that you no longer need or want. Cluttered environments drain your energy and lead to reduced productivity, procrastination, and sometimes stress and depression. Call a friend to come help you declutter your space if you feel you can’t do it alone.
Focus on Your Career
Set professional goals each month and take steps towards achieving them. When you focus on your career instead of your job, it takes the focus out of just meeting your deliverables to improving yourself and being the best possible version of yourself. At this point, you become more interested in the value that you can provide and the problems you can solve.
Plan a Vacation
Having something to look forward to can help us stay motivated and focused. Plan a vacation, even if it’s months away. Planning a trip in advance gives everyone time to thoughtfully consider where they’d like to go and what they’d like to experience, as well as what their ideal time frame is for traveling. The same applies even if you’re planning travel in advance for just yourself. Even a monthly little road trip is therapeutic and good for the soul.
Cook a Healthy Meal
Eating healthy can improve our overall well-being. Commit to cooking a healthy meal at least once a month. Preparing healthy meals at home can support your immune system and reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can give you more energy, improve how you sleep at night, and help you better manage health problems. Why not have a healthy potluck dinner once a month? It’s a great way to connect with friends and get new healthy recipes!
Take a Class
Whether it’s an online course or a local class, continue learning and growing. Learning something new allows you to access new and different opportunities. It gives you the chance to try new experiences that you never thought you would have been able to do. New skills and a better knowledge of something can give you a chance to develop your career and get higher in the ranks. There are so many free resources available online these days you have no excuse not to learn something new.
Practice Creativity
Creative expression can be incredibly fulfilling. Practice creativity each month, whether it’s painting, writing, or playing music. You don’t realize how much creativity you have until you start expressing yourself on a canvas or paper. You can also try writing poems or a fictional novel, the possibilities are endless when you are creative. Dig deep and breathe some life back into an old passion.
Improve Your Relationships
Whether it’s with a friend, partner, or family member, take steps to improve your relationships each month. People who are more socially connected to family, friends, or their community are happier, physically healthier, and live longer, with fewer mental health problems than people who are less well connected. Why not set up monthly ‘dates’ with a different family member each month? Movies, dinner, a walk in the park, the possibilities are endless.
Reflect on Your Progress
Each month, take time to reflect on your progress toward your goals and celebrate your accomplishments. Reflecting on your progress gives you a sense of purpose, especially once your goal is achieved, as this leads to happiness and increased productivity. It doesn’t matter how big or small the goal is; celebrate each one every month.
Conclusion
Setting monthly goals can help us to live with intention and lead happier, more fulfilling lives. By trying new things, cultivating positive habits, and working towards our values, we can make small changes that add up to big results. Try incorporating one or two of these monthly goals into your routine and see how they impact your overall well-being.
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