Monthly reflection questions help you look back on the past month, spot patterns and decide what to change next. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes near the start of each month, answer a handful of questions and compare your answers with last month's. Below are a review template, 30 questions and a letter-to-next-month idea.
Daily reflection catches details. A monthly look back shows trends: what keeps going well, what keeps going wrong and where your time actually went.
The start of a month is also a natural moment to begin again. Research by Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis, described by Knowledge at Wharton, found that Google searches for "diet" peaked at the start of a week, month or year, and that people on the goal site stickK made more commitment contracts at those times. The researchers call this the fresh start effect.
Writing down what you learned can pay off too. Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge describes a study where call center trainees spent the last 15 minutes of each day writing about lessons learned. After a month, they did better on a final training test than a control group that simply kept working. A monthly review applies the same idea, writing down lessons, to a longer stretch of time.
Here's an example template. Adjust it to fit your life.
Gather. Open your calendar, photos, journal and bank app for the month, and skim them.
Rate. Score each area from 1 to 10: energy, sleep, mood, work, relationships, money and fun.
Highs and lows. List three of each.
Lessons. Write down what this month taught you.
Keep, stop, start. One thing to keep doing, one to stop and one to start.
Focus. Choose one main focus for next month.
Letter. Write a short letter to next month. More on that below.
What were the three best moments of this month?
What was the hardest part of the month?
What did I spend most of my time on?
What did I finish?
Who did I spend the most time with, and how did I feel around them?
What surprised me?
When did I feel most like myself?
What did I put off again?
How did I take care of my body?
What did I spend money on that I'm glad about, and what do I regret?
What's one lesson I want to remember?
What worked better than expected?
What didn't work, and why?
What drained my energy most often?
What gave me energy?
What did I say yes to that I wish I'd said no to?
What would I do differently if I could repeat this month?
What pattern do I notice compared with last month?
What am I proud of that no one saw?
What did I learn about someone close to me?
What's my one focus for next month?
What do I want to keep doing?
What will I stop doing?
What's one small thing I'll start?
What's already on the calendar that I need to prepare for?
Who do I want to see?
What do I want to feel more of?
What am I looking forward to?
What would make next month feel like a good month?
What do I want to tell myself at the end of next month?
Use the same core questions. Keep five questions fixed every month and rotate the rest. Fixed questions make comparison possible.
Keep a ratings row. Write your 1 to 10 scores on one line per month in the back of your notebook or in a simple spreadsheet. Patterns show up fast.
Give each month a one-word theme. "Busy," "Rebuilding" or "Fun." Twelve words make a year at a glance.
Look for repeats. If the same item lands on your "put off" list three months in a row, it needs a smaller first step, a deadline or a decision to drop it.
Note the context. A low score in a month with a move or an illness means something different from a low score in a calm month.
Review every quarter. Every three months, read your last three reviews together.
End your review with a short letter to yourself, to read when you sit down for next month's review. It turns your plans into something personal and gives next month's review a starting point. Include your focus, one thing you're worried about, one thing you're looking forward to and a kind word.
Example letter: "Dear November me, October was busy but good. You finally fixed the morning routine, so protect it. Your focus this month is the kitchen project, one weekend at a time. You might be nervous about the work trip. You've done harder things. Did you call Grandma? I hope so. See you on the 1st."
For letters that look further ahead, see this guide to writing a letter to your future self.
Start with three: What went well? What didn't? What's my one focus for next month? Add more from the list when you have time.
Aim for about 20 to 30 minutes. If that's too much, answer five questions and rate a few areas from 1 to 10.
Either works, as long as you pick a consistent day. The start of a month is one of the "fresh start" moments researchers have linked to taking on goals.
A weekly review is mostly about tasks and the week ahead. A monthly review steps back to look at patterns, habits and how you feel about the bigger picture.
Dear You: Daily Letters includes monthly recaps and lets you seal a future letter for anywhere from a week up to five years, so a letter to next month fits easily. Sealed letters open in the app on their scheduled date, and Personal Chapters let you organize entries by life season. It is free with optional Dear You Plus subscriptions, needs no account and keeps your letters on your iPhone.
Get Dear You free on the App Store
Need a Fresh Start? Here's How to Begin (Knowledge at Wharton)
Reflecting on Work Improves Job Performance (Harvard Business School Working Knowledge)