There are particular things I plan on my monthly spread not on the weekly spread. If you find yourself doubling up writing things on both spreads, I hope this post helps you decide which things you’re going to plan in your monthly spread.

Why use a monthly spread?

Helps you see the bigger picture instead of getting bogged down in the details. Then break it down further in list, notes or project planning pages
When you get a new planner, add in your last time I did, annual and recurring tasks. I would only do this 3 months in advance as you might decide you don’t like the monthly calendar layout and want to switch to another
The best type of tasks to plan in the monthly calendar instead of weekly spread, are seasonal and one off tasks that may not have a due date, but should be done sometime during that month

Do you need more than 1 monthly calendar?

You might want to use separate calendars for:

Cleaning
Kid’s schedules
Work
Meal planning
Fitness
Projects
Business
Life admin
Vacation planning

Tips for planning with your monthly calendar

Use stickers to save space. My preferred size for monthly calendars are 0.25″ mini icons or colored dot stickers
Time blocking – such as using sticky notes to block out time to work on a project, but then separate lists in your planner to break down the project tasks
Washi tape is ideal for things across consecutive days e.g. vacations
When you get a new planner, add those tasks that are often forgotten before you add anything else (e.g. update life insurance)
You may want to add reminders to book appointments. For example, my dentist is usually booked out months in advance so I have a reminder to arrange the appointment and another reminder for the actual appointment
Dot markers are great for color coding and saving space

Tools for using your monthly calendar

Colored dot stickers
Date dot stickers
Colored pens
Highlighters
Washi tape
Ruler – if planning 2 things at once then divide the boxes for each day in half
Sidebar stickers such as social media, exercise
Dot markers

30 things to put in your monthly calendar

Click here to download a printable of the list for your planner

Tasks / Reminders

Habits
Eat that frog (the things you don’t want to do.. but have to)
Last time I did
Cleaning (especially seasonal cleaning tasks) e.g. clean the roof gutters
Most important task for the day
Once a month only tasks
Choose a few from my list of 52 life admin tasks
Birthdays, public holidays and special events

Life

Vacations
Appointments
Budgeting (bills due, daily spending)
Life updates e.g. update insurance
TV shows & movies
Pet care reminders
Things to learn e.g. lessons / classes you’re taking

Food & Health

Meal planning
List of recipes to try this month
Weight Loss
Daily calories intake
Menstrual cycle
Mood tracking
Exercise routines
Daily steps
Illness tracker (especially if you have young kids)
One of the following health check ups (as applicable to you / depending when you did them last): skin check e.g. if any of your moles may be cancerous, weight, dentist, eye check / glasses prescription, mammogram, pap-smear, blood pressure, iron levels, cholesterol level, blood donation, vaccinations, bowel cancer screening, hearing test etc.)

Business

Blog content planning
Social media posting
Statistics tracking e.g. number of new subscribers per day
Sales goals / daily revenue
Mileage

Different layouts for monthly planning

If a traditional 1 box per day format isn’t working for you, here are some other options:

Add some project space below the calendar so your bigger picture goals aren’t lost in the day to day planning
List format
2 sections per box (1 for work and 1 for personal)
Ditch the monthly calendar and try a habit tracker and to do list instead
Use separate calendars for work and personal