Day 8 - Month View
Month View. The month view is where you will start to get more detailed in your task and event management. More importantly, when you create the Month View before the month starts, you put yourself into a mental space where you can establish the events and tasks that are important to you first, setting a priority and direction for yourself. Everything else - all those other "musts" - will be scheduled or planned around them.
The Jar on the left overflows when the small rocks are added first. The jar on the right is the way to win!
This concept was first introduced to me quite a few years back. Stephen Covey is the founder of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" program, and within this program, he describes a concept he calls "Put the First things First". Covey, explains that our life is a jar. The important things in our life are large rocks - things like family, career, education, self, and community to name a few. The other things in our life that aren't as important are small rocks - known as time fillers or busy tasks. Now, all of these things can fit within your life jar.... but only if you place the large rocks in first.
So, when you create your Monthly View, you will keep this mindset as you build out your schedule, create your Monthly Tasks, set Monthly Goals (Day 9), and build your Habit Tracker (Day 10). It is astonishing the feeling that comes with knowing you have a plan!
Creating a Month View takes a bit of time to set up. In the video, I touch on the concepts above through practical application and a few more things, like:
Layout styles
How to set up tasks for the month
Year at a glance / Events page
Tasks from the previous month
There are plenty examples of more detailed lists, which I include in the example photos below and saved to my Pinterest board. They can be found in various social media apps like Pinterest, Instagram, and even found through Google searches. Find one that suits your taste or make one of your own.
Leslie Grossman is the founder of Stitches By Leslie, Inc. and the creator of the patent-pending Journal Mate. For more information, reach out info@stitchesbyleslie.com