Monday, 2/12/24: Talking about February Planning

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday and some positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: I’m thankful for a fun night with friends Saturday,  time to run errands and enjoying watching the Super Bowl last night.

TODAY: Matt and I have a meeting after work tonight (as part of our Pre-Cana), so I’m most excited for that!

INTENTION: I am going to be out of routine this week, so my intention is to focus on giving myself grace (i.e. sleep in when I need to, etc.).

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: February 2024 Goals

We’ve turned the calendar from January and are well into February already. I hope you’ve enjoyed a nice start to 2024! And if not, that is the beauty of the cyclical nature of the year – there is always a new month around the corner 🙂 

Overall, I’d say January was a good month. I started it at home in Florida, spent a weekend in Indianapolis, and in between leaned into the cozy in Chicago. 

I’m also proud of the January goals I accomplished: 
 

• As is tradition, participate in no-shop (clothes shopping) January. Yes! Although I did break this the last weekend in January, I’m still calling this a win.
• Cleanout apartment. Yes! Did this one weekend when it was freezing in Chicago and it felt great.
• Focus on my winter body skincare routine. Yes, and making a huge difference this winter! I’ve started to use this body oil post-shower & before moisturizer and my skin feels so soft.
• Monthly date night with Matt. Yes! We went to a new place – John’s Food and Wine – in the neighborhood and sat at the bar. My favorite kind of date.
• Make a 24 in 24 list. I typically always make one of these annual lists, but I’m not feeling the same pull this year! Maybe it’s because of the wedding planning or enjoying making monthly goals..

Looking ahead to February, I am very excited about plans I have for this month. As always, I love taking time to ask myself a few questions about the month ahead and craft monthly intentions. If you are looking for an activity to do this week, I highly recommend taking a few moments to think about what’s coming up for you this February and what you need from the month. 

What do I love about the month of February?

• Still has the ‘new year’ shine! 2024 is just getting started.
• Love the annual February festivities: Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day Weekend.

Anything unique happening this February?

• Matt and I are going to Florida for a few days to celebrate my dad’s birthday and take some engagement photos. Excited for family time and SUN!
• I have a couple fun hangout plans with friends.
• On the wedding planning front, Matt and I are doing our Pre-Cana sessions this month with Old St. Pat’s. We’re really enjoying the sessions so far!  
• And my mom and Matt’s mom are coming to Chicago at the end of the month to go wedding dress shopping. So excited!!!!  I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.

February 2024 Goals

• Intentional focus on relationships. This sounds cheesy, but it IS February – the month of love –  after all! We didn’t plan it for this reason, but I’m really glad Matt and I are doing Pre-Cana this month. I’m enjoying the dedicated time and space to focus on strengthening our foundation. Want to lean into more of that this month.
• Focusing on presence during special moments. I’m really excited about my plans for February. Whether it’s celebrating a milestone birthday for my dad, trying on wedding dresses or even doing something fun like tea at the Drake (a Chicago hotel) with friends, I want to focus on being presence and soaking all of it up.
• Build a mid-winter capsule wardrobe. No-shop January is OVER, and I’ve had fun adding a few new pieces to my closet this month. Since  I cleaned out my closet last month, I also feel like I have a good handle on my clothes. But I want to spend some time this month putting outfits together and mixing and matching pieces to build a mid-winter capsule wardrobe that makes getting dressed easier!
• Write out go-to recipes. For Christmas Matt got me a beautiful box to hold recipe cards. Since I circle through the same recipes, I want to write them down on cards so I can reference that vs. having to look up on my phone.
• Purchase a blanket holder for the living room. In line with tending to a calm, cozy home, I NEED to find a chic way to store blankets in our living room. Right now they are just stacked in a pile, but I think a decorative basket could really elevate.  

What are you looking forward to this February? Would love to hear!

Picture of the Week

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan