How to Plan Your Month Ahead of Time (Without the Overwhelm)
One of my favorite feelings in the world is turning the page to a brand new, crisp, blank page in my planner to start a new month.
You might not feel that way.
Maybe learning how to plan your month ahead of time has you feeling stressed and overwhelmed instead of excited. You look at your calendar and there's just SO much to do that you don't know how you're going to fit it all in.
There are A LOT of months in my life that feel like that. Like there's no downtime. No margin.
And that's what we really want, right?
We want margin. We want TIME. We want more capacity to do what we WANT to do... and not feel like we're running all over the place, constantly adding things to our to-do list, only to get to the end of the month and go, "Wait. Where did the month go?!"
Here's the deal...
Planning your month doesn't magically give you more hours in the day. But monthly planning CAN show you ahead of time exactly when you're about to be stretched too thin... so you can prepare for it instead of getting blindsided by it.
Because managing the stress + overwhelm of a busy schedule comes down to one thing: planning ahead. (Which is one of the main pillars in the SYS Method.)
So here's my exact breakdown of how to plan your month ahead of time, so you can brace yourself for those weeks with not a lot of breathing room.
(Spoiler: it's only 3 steps.)
ONE || Have a place to do your long-range planning
If you want to plan a whole month at a time, you have to have somewhere to actually DO that long-range planning.
For me, that's Google Calendar. It keeps track of all my future activities + appointments, and it syncs with my phone AND my computer so I don't miss a single thing.
(And we all know I forget EVERYTHING I don't write down.)
So when I'm getting my hair done and scheduling my next appointment, I can pull out my phone, look at my calendar, and know exactly what's already happening... so I don't double book myself or pick a time when my husband isn't home to watch the kids.
I also use Google Calendar (you could use iCalendar or even a yearly paper planner) to add in the other big stuff, like:
the school attendance calendar for the year (I do this as early as I possibly can... usually end of July or beginning of August)
vacations, as soon as I know about them
any standing client calls or work commitments
This helps me get a feel for when I need to plan around kids being home, or when I need to take off work... so I'm not waiting until the last minute and overwhelming myself for no reason.
TWO || Put it in your planner
While I still swear by weekly + daily planning, I LOVE having an overview of what our whole month looks like.
During busier months, knowing what's coming up ahead of time lets me get ready for the packed days + weeks... and know what I need to say no to as things pop up.
I do this part in my paper planner, pulling everything over from my Google Calendar. Because (again) writing it down by hand helps me actually REMEMBER it.
And since I do all my time blocking in Google Calendar, my monthly planner page in my SYS Planner gives me a cleaner, big-picture look at the important appointments + activities for the month... without all the noise.
This is exactly the page I reach for first when I sit down to plan my month.
THREE || Share it with everyone who needs it
Ok, so once it's planned... who else needs to know what's coming up this month?
We have a family "command center" in our house with our schedule for the month, color-coded of course. (Color code that sh*t!) It makes it WAY easier for my husband to see when he can or can't plan things.
On the business side, I make sure any important calls or deadlines are blocked off on my work calendar too... so I'm not accidentally booking a podcast interview the same week we've got three doctor appointments and a school program.
Here's what's actually happening when you share your plan: you stop being the only person holding the entire schedule in your head. And that alone takes a TON of weight off.
Planning your month ahead is easier than you think
It really doesn't take a lot of work or skill to plan your month ahead of time, especially if you're already setting aside time each week to plan for the week ahead.
These 3 steps...
have a place for long-range planning
put it in your planner
share it with everyone important
...will help you keep everything in one place AND create a little more margin in your months. Which is the whole point, right?
You're not behind. You're not bad at this.
You just need a system that does the remembering FOR you.
Want to make planning your month (and your week) WAY easier?
The SYS Planner is the exact planner I use to map out my month, plan my week, and protect my time so I'm focusing on the stuff that actually moves my business forward... not just staying busy.
And if you want to dip your toe in first? Start with your WEEK.
Grab my free CEO Weekly Reset Guide so you know exactly how to set your week up to GROW your business.
