The 20-Minute Monthly Reset
- Becca
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
This 20‑minute reset is a short exercise designed to help you reflect on the month behind you and get focused on the month ahead. It gives you a simple structure for making strategic decisions based on what’s currently happening in your business.
For operators who feel behind or overwhelmed, this reset creates a homebase that keeps you focused on one goal. It cuts through the noise and helps you quickly decide which actions will make the biggest impact on your monthly goal.
1) Five-Minute Hindsight
Your past performance is one of the best indicators of how you’ll perform going forward. A short debrief lets you step back to observe your current operational reality and use that knowledge to build forward momentum.
Look back at last month and answer:
What went well?
What do you wish could have gone differently?
Which success or challenges were in your control, and which were not?
With what you know now, what would you change?
2) Pick a North Star for This Month
Having one clear goal keeps your daily decisions focused. It’s a simple way to avoid spreading yourself too thin or getting pulled into tasks that don’t move the business forward.
Pick a North Star that will define success for the coming month, and use it as a filter for all decisions, actions, and spending. Keep it specific, observable, and within your control.
How to pick a meaningful North Star:
Determine a starting point:
What is the current baseline or norm?
How would improving this baseline help your business?
Example: Bookings are currently at 60% capacity. Getting to 70% capacity would move the business from breaking even to profitable.
Define the outcome:
What would you consider a meaningful improvement?
How can you measure or track it?
Pick a target that makes it obvious whether you’re moving the needle. It doesn’t need to be pass/fail, but it should be clear if your actions are working.
Example: I need 3 more bookings per week to be at 70% capacity.
Make it actionable:
What will you do to hit your target?
Consider all the levers available to you. This might include pricing, marketing, promotions, scheduling or operational adjustments.
Outline specific actions you can take.
Example: I will offer 15% off for returning customers who leave a review. I will share the offer through my mailing list and on my website to encourage bookings and strengthen reviews to support future bookings.
Create check points:
Having pre-planned check-ins can help make sure you stay on track to hit your goal.
Determine the right check-in cadence.
Set targets that are realistic and achievable.
Example:
Week 1: One additional booking
Week 2: Two additional bookings
Week 3: Three additional bookings
Week 4: Maintain three additional bookings
The point of this reset is to create steady, compounding progress. You don’t need to reinvent your priorities every month; if a goal is working, stay with it and let the momentum build. Keep a simple record of what you focus on each month and what actions you took. By the end of the year, you’ll have a clear picture of which efforts moved the business forward and which ones weren’t worth the energy.