If you’ve been feeling behind and dreading the holiday chaos before it has even started, this post is for you.

Today I’m walking you through my simple November planning routine – the exact process I use to prep for the holidays without getting overwhelmed.

Grab a notebook and let’s get started.

My Monthly Planning Process: The Monthly Reset Formula

Before we dive into November specifically, let me share my monthly planning framework. I call it the Monthly Reset Formula, and it has three simple steps:

1. Review – What’s working? What’s not? How did last month go?

2. Realign – What are my priorities and capacity RIGHT NOW?

3. Refocus – What are my goals for just the month ahead?

That’s it. Simple, flexible, and it takes about 10-20 minutes.

Let me show you how this works for November planning.

Step 1: Review October

I can’t believe October is already over!

First, I jot down some quick notes about how the month went:

• How our routines are working
• How our schedule felt
• How homeschooling is going
• What activities worked (or didn’t)
• How our home systems are functioning

Nothing fancy. Just a brain dump of what happened.

Your turn: Take a few minutes and jot down how October went for you. What worked? What felt chaotic? What do you want to change?

Step 2: Realign – What’s November About?

Now let’s think about what’s actually happening in November.

Obviously, Thanksgiving (if you’re in America like me).

But also: Prepping for the holiday season ahead.

I like to get started ahead of time as much as I can – especially with gifts, shopping, and decorating. I don’t like doing that last minute because it stresses me out.

So I want to make sure there’s space in my schedule to start working on that in November.

Here’s what’s on my radar for November:

Homeschool: A Thanksgiving / autumn unit study

Household: Continue working on organizing projects we started

Health: Keep learning to cook from scratch – we’ve been baking different breads and trying new meals

Holiday prep: Get ahead on gift planning, shopping, and decorating

Your turn: Think about YOUR November. What’s going on? What appointments and activities are already scheduled? What do you want to focus on?

Be honest about your capacity right now. Don’t just think about what you WANT to do – think about what you can actually handle with your current schedule, energy, and season of life.

Step 3: Refocus – Set Solid Goals for November

Now let’s get specific.

Instead of vague intentions, let’s make actual goals with timeframes.

Here are some questions I ask myself:

• When am I going to do meal planning this month?
• When will I sit down and make my gift list?
• What prep work needs to happen ahead of time?
• When will I tackle those organizing projects?

I go through different areas and set goals for:

• Home
• Family
• Schoolwork
• Health
• Holidays

(Side note: I’m doing a whole separate post and video soon on my gift organizing system to reduce the holiday overwhelm – stay tuned for that!)

Your turn: Write down 3-5 solid goals for November. Be specific about WHEN you’ll do them, not just what you’ll do.

Don’t Forget: Family Connection Points

This is the part I don’t want you to skip.

As you’re planning all the tasks and to-dos, make sure you’re also planning for family connection and traditions.

Think about:

• Your regular family routines and rhythms
• Special holiday traditions that bring joy (not stress!)
• Simple things that create memories

Growing up, some of the simplest things were the most memorable for me:

• Going to look at Christmas lights
• Baking big trays of cookies to give to friends
• Advent books (we had a stack of Christmas books and opened a surprise book each day to read together)

These weren’t complicated or expensive. They were just intentional moments of connection.

What are YOUR family’s traditions? What simple things can you plan that will bring holiday magic without adding to your stress?

Final Step: Put It on the Calendar

Now take out your November calendar.

Hopefully you already have events, activities, and appointments filled in.

Here’s what to do:

1. Look at each week
2. Decide what goals you’re focusing on that week
3. Schedule WHEN you’ll actually work on them

Don’t just have a list of goals floating around. Put them on the calendar so you have time allotted to actually make them happen.

The Bottom Line

This November planning routine takes 10-20 minutes tops.

That’s it.

And it sets you up for success for the entire month ahead.

You don’t need hours of planning. You don’t need a perfect system.

You just need:

• A quick review of what’s working
• Clarity on your priorities and capacity
• Specific goals with timeframes
• Actual time blocked on your calendar

Ready to simplify your routines even more?

Grab my free 10-Minute Routines Cheatsheet with sample routines for morning, evening, quick home reset, and weekly planning – all designed for busy moms who need flexible systems that actually work.

I hope you have a peaceful November and holiday season!