Monday, 5/13/24: Talking about planning May

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: From my weekend, I am thankful for time with my parents, being able to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom and easy travels back to Chicago yesterday. 

TODAY: I’m most excited to use my new portable monitor during work today! Thanks, mom, for the rec.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to enjoy being back in routine.

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

Meaningful Musings: May Intentions 

I’m writing this on the plane ride home to Chicago, reflecting on a great week with my parents and lots of fun reuniting with friends the weekend prior. May has been off to a jam-packed start and I don’t see any slow down until we cross the threshold of June. The fact that I’m doing my monthly planning two weeks into the month feels spot on for where I’m at. Trying to keep up with the pace of things around me, while also giving myself grace (hence the reason for no newsletter last week!). 

May has big “on the precipice” energy. The weather begins transitioning to a new season, school years come to an end, and work always seems to ramp up before summer holidays. During a busy month like this, my instinct is to go into auto-pilot mode and power through to the other side. But that’s exactly why I love this practice of monthly goal setting! It forces me to take a beat, recognize what’s happening this month, and figure out what I need… even when we are already two weeks into the month.

So, if you are feeling the same about May or just looking for a boost this Monday, try asking yourself the following questions and thinking about how you want to spend your time this May. It’s not too late!  

First, reflecting on April goals…

• Celebrate turning 30. Yes! I had a wonderful birthday celebration, filled with a few days off work, an indulgent spa day, and a fun dinner with Matt. It felt perfect and I’m glad I took the time to plan how I wanted to mark the milestone.
• Replenish packing essentials. Also, yes! I knew I had travel coming up in May and present me is thanking past me for doing this. It takes time and a bit of a financial commitment, but having my toiletry bag and other essentials all packed up and ready to go makes packing a breeze.
• Fresh flowers around the apartment! Loved having flowers in our apartment throughout April!

Switching gears to May…

What’s happening this May?

• Had a reunion trip planned with high school friends & spent a week at home in Florida to do some wedding planning with my parents.
• Spending Memorial Day weekend in Indianapolis with Matt’s family. 
• Have my cousin Natalie’s high school graduation party – can’t wait to celebrate her!!
• Have a big project at work leading up to June that will take a lot of time and energy, and also include some travel at the end of the month.

May 2024 Intentions

• Prioritize sleep. With the big work project, the travel, the fun family & friend events, I know I need to make sleep a priority to manage my energy. This might mean skipping morning workouts or sitting out something social, but for May, I think the name of game needs to be SLEEP!!
• Plan out summer 2024! Planning to make a plan? I sure am. I cannot believe summer season is within reach. It is my favorite time of year and want to spend some time thinking about it. 
• Wedding registry with Matt! I’d love to complete our wedding registry this month and have fun in the process of doing so.
• Write out reflections on turning 30. This is something I wanted to do last month but didn’t have the time or space. I have reflective thoughts on leaving my 20s behind and want to type it all out to process and keep for memories. I don’t know if I’ll have time to do this month but putting on the list as a reminder for myself.

What are you looking forward to this month?

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