Why Reviews Matter Series: Monthly
In January 2022, I gave a presentation to my writing community, Quill & Cup, about Monthly Reviews. More specifically, Monthly Goal Reviews. This is a practice I’ve been doing for quite some time now and have talked about it on this blog before. The workshop was so well received that we now do a goals review session every single month.
Watching the ladies in the community take to this practice in their own way has been amazing. Some even created their own challenges or acronyms. That’s the beauty of a review. You learn how to make it a habit through the foundation of someone else and then make it your own.
That’s why in this second “Why Reviews Matter Series” post, we’re focusing on, you guessed it, Monthly Reviews.
Why Monthly Reviews matter
During my presentation, I mentioned three key reasons why doing a monthly review can benefit your planning process. You see, a monthly review gives you:
A blueprint for next month so you can better plan and prepare for the new month ahead.
A chance to pause and reflect so you learn to slow down and evaluate your process.
An opportunity for growth since you figure out ways to improve on things that aren’t working.
But those are my reasons why monthly reviews are so important. Here are some other benefits from productivity and planning experts I admire. Monthly reviews:
Deepens your clarity on your goals.
Holds you accountable.
Gives you motivation, especially when you see progress.
Helps you course-correct what isn’t working.
Allows you to celebrate all the milestones you hit.
Monthly reviews are a great way to see if you’re putting unrealistic expectations on yourself. We like to think we can do it all, but a month isn’t as long as we think. And things come up. Events, appointments, and emergencies; these things take us away from our goals.
And they might make you feel like you didn’t accomplish anything because they hoarded your attention. But then you take 20 to 30 minutes to write a review and you realize, “Wow! I did more than I thought.” That’s the power of a monthly review session. It’s a balance of things you did vs. things you didn’t do and it provides you with a clear blueprint.
What questions should I ask during a Monthly Review?
During our Monthly Goal Review Prickles (a nickname for the writing times in the Quill & Cup community), we focus on the same seven questions. I mention at the beginning of each review that you DO NOT have to answer them in order or at all if you can’t think of anything. Instead, think of them as guiding points.
Most of the ladies in the community, as I said before, have adjusted these questions to their own needs, though many do answer the exact questions I’m about to show you. If you plan on adding a Monthly Review to your arsenal, feel free to do the same.
Start by answering these questions for at least three months and then experiment with them. Reword them or add new questions you feel you need to answer. Reviews are meant to be flexible and geared toward what YOU need.
Here are the seven questions I ask myself during each monthly review session:
#1 — Overview
I always start with a brief 1 to 2-sentence overview about how the month went overall. You can also list 2 to 3 bullet points if you prefer. Something like, “This month started out strong, but some last-minute things happened toward the end that made me fall behind on some stuff.”
#2 — Wins
Then I list all my wins for the month. I say no win is too big or too small. If it made you feel amazing, write it down as a win. Maybe you walked every day for the entire month or you finally finished a long overdue project. Work wins, personal wins… Write them down!
#3 — Goals Progress
Then I take a few minutes and consider my goals for the month I’m reviewing. How did I do with them? Write a brief overview of whether you’re ahead of the game, falling behind, right on track, etc. Again, you can either do sentences or bullet points.
#4 — Next Month’s Focus
Then I determine what I want to focus on for the new month ahead. These can be some goals I didn’t finish the previous month, as well as new goals. I like to keep my total monthly goals to 3 to 5 max to make room for unforeseen circumstances. I always remind people to be realistic when setting goals for the new month. Consider your current obligations and then figure out what you can work on in between them.
#5 — What Worked + What Didn’t Work
Here I make two short lists of some habits or routines that worked and didn’t. Then I look at the “didn’t work” list and figure out how to adjust them for next month. Maybe your new social media boundaries didn’t quite work out or you got lazy with meal planning. What can you do next month to improve them?
#6 — Avoidance
Now, write a few tasks you keep avoiding. These are often mundane things like making a doctor's appointment or scheduling your car for an oil change. These are usually simple tasks that take no time, but we keep avoiding them for bigger things. Once you have your list written, do one of three things: schedule them, delegate them, or mark them down as irrelevant.
#7 — Positive Lesson or Takeaway
I always enjoy ending my reviews on a positive note, so I’ll write something I learned that month. If you can’t think of a lesson or takeaway, write down a quote or two that really speaks to you.
For a deeper dive into these questions, check out this blog post.
When should I do a Monthly Review?
I often get asked, “When should I do my Monthly Review?” In Quill & Cup, we tend to do it on the last Wednesday of each month or as close to the end of the month as possible. Sometimes, it falls on the 27th or the 2nd of the new month.
When you do it is entirely up to you, but I recommend doing it anywhere from the 28th to the 5th. If you start it too early, you’ll miss noting wins you get in the last couple of days. If you do it too late into the new month, your focus is already on what needs to get done instead of what you got done. Hopefully, that makes sense.
You’re more than welcome to join us at the next Monthly Goal Review for Quill & Cup. This is a great way to introduce you to the practice and meet some pretty amazing ladies who are writing some kickass stories. Simply join the newsletter or follow them on Instagram to find out when the next review session will take place. We’d love to see you at the table!
And if you want more information about my planning process, comment below with questions or obstacles you face when planning or reviewing your goals. I’d love to help you out.
Check out other posts in the “Why Reviews Matter Series”
