A Monthly Meeting with Myself

Every start of the month, I walk to a neighborhood cafe, order my favorite beverage of choice (usually a flat white with oat or a filter), prop open my notebooks, and start to write about the month before, and what I hope the coming month brings.

Today (May 1st) is a public holiday and the weather is reaching 22°C, which means everyone is probably out and about. My introvertedness won this time around, after canceling plans last minute yesterday and feeling mentally off since the start of the week. Since I had just gotten a fresh bag of ground coffee beans from one of my favorite coffee shops, I figured I’d romanticize staying home instead and enjoy my rent.

I spent the morning reflecting on April and setting intentions for May. This took me two hours, mostly because I had to look through my (daily) journal and planner, cross check some information, and even ended up writing a bonus page of side quests and exhibitions1 I hope to catch this summer.

Today, I want to share with you why I deliberately carve out time for this practice, why it matters to me, and how it’s been beneficial for my overall well-being. Also, a little recap of April and my May intentions.

I began this monthly meeting practice (this is a loose term I will use, but I sometimes call it my monthly reset or something in that tone) in December 2025, when the holidays drowned me in a whirlwind of things to do (unsurprisingly). It was also nearing the end of 2025, and yet I had no clue about what I have been doing, and I was mostly finishing one deadline after another without much time to reflect or analyze after a project has concluded.

There are quarterly check-ins2 and of course, yearly reviews. Unfortunately, those don’t work for me. Every month, I am tackling a different area of my life or working on a project specific to that time period, so it’s important for me to reflect on those endeavours before I move on to the next month, so I can “close” that chapter and move forward.

I decided to use my trusty Leuchtturm1917 notebook, which is part of my planner and journal lineup this year. The A5 size and dotted format felt familiar, and always works for me.

I have a much more in-depth list of everything I write inside my monthly meeting (link below), but it’s a mix of work and life stuff. It takes me roughly two hours to fill up three to four pages, depending on what I write and if I need more pages to reflect on certain things.

In total, it has four sections:

• Check-in

• Last month’s review

• New month overview

• Top 3 focuses

I would say this is a mix of an audit and a reflection. I’m not big on measuring my creative work with tactile metrics (such as money, and that’s usually another thing I do separately when I do my bookkeeping) so this is purely monitoring how I feel, and how I spent my work days. My favorite part is spotting similar goals (from the current to the new month) and checking some bits off, while carrying over some of them (and no shame, it’s totally okay to do so).

This is something I created tailor-fitted to my exact job and lifestyle, so I totally understand if it doesn’t fully resonate. Feel free to take what you find useful and apply it to your own practice!

You can access the Monthly Meeting template as a member of my Creative Growth Club, or as a one-off purchase.

access the template here

Apart from the monthly debriefs, I noticed I get a little antsy towards the second or third week of the month. When this happens, I would take out my notebook and write an Observations page. I like to think in lists, and this would either contain writing about my behavior, how a project is going, or even something stemmed from a conversation that I want to revisit.

In these fast-paced and overstimulating times, giving my ideas space allows me to better understand why they matter in any given moment, and how they might make sense moving forward.

One thing I always take note of at the start of the new month is the variety of work I did previously. Was I feeling explorative? Was there a shift in how I worked on a project? Did I try a new format or find a (new) printing supplier? These may be small things, and yet they add up.

Every time I feel lost or unsure, these pages serve as my compass. I would go back to them every few weeks to check-in and this works hand in hand with my work planner that I plan on every start of the week.

This monthly practice has provided me a lot of clarity in what I prioritize, how I spend my time, and of course, where most of my time and energy goes. It’s no surprise that a big chunk of my life revolves around work. As a person working in the creative industry, it’s important to me to find a balance in what I create and consume, and how I make sense of the world through both.

I’ve also noticed a dip in my mood3 around end of the month, and I feel significantly better after doing my monthly meeting. I consider it as an invitation for me to take care of myself and be more patient during this time.

The same things come up during this weird funk of a week—things ending, new things beginning. Possibilities. Hopes for the future. Dreams. Desires. I no longer have a regular tarot practice but from time to time, I would dabble on it and pull some cards to gain some insights on how I can move forward.

I’m well aware that setting intentions and plans for the entire month is a bit daunting, but it keeps me accountable (to myself). I like to set boundaries so that I know my focus, and that I can really spend time on things that matter and move the rest for a future time.

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I had been traveling for two consecutive weekends and did heavy work this week: my photographer friend came over to take portraits of me for my website, and I filmed a Skillshare class the day after. I’m exhausted (physically and mentally) and while I’ve been used to this kind of work cadence in the past, I no longer find it fulfilling for my current season of life.

The first half of April was pretty fun though! Lots of planning, ideating, following ideas and see where they lead. I started sketching again, which I wrote about here. I decided to keep it as a regular practice but not a daily one, to rid myself of another to-do for the day. My proudest moment has been finishing up a naming project for a top secret project I’m working on (more about this soon), thanks to the guidance of my friend Liz, who is a namer by trade (how cool).

I’ve never been a fan of spring (I am a cold Capricorn after all) because it’s difficult for me to fully be excited about warmer weather after going through half a year of gray skies and freezing temperatures. But seeing the flowers and going on weekend trips definitely helped.

This May, my word is gentle. I started having a monthly word (my 2026 word is deliberate) last March (honor), then April (nurture). It’s not a rigid requirement, but I find it useful to channel that energy somehow and incorporate it into my daily work.

I may have spent the extra hour today looking at museum exhibitions and writing a list of side quests, which I feel confident about completing! Something to look forward to for sure.

Aside from museum visits, I will be busy curating my own version of a museum, aka my website. Franky did an amazing job with the copy and I’m just waiting on the photos. It was finally time for a refresh and I’m excited to get to work soon.

Lastly, no travels this month! I know I’ll feel better knowing nothing needs to be rushed for the next few weeks. While I enjoy traveling, it’s still exhausting to say the least, and overstimulation creeps up at me in the most unlikely ways.

Thanks for reading! What are the ways you check in with yourself every month?

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