Guest Author - Jill Florio

This month-by-month listing of what upkeep activities to focus on throughout the year will keep you from feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of upkeep our daily lives can require! Feel free to adjust this schedule to reflect your own life's needs and situations:

A year's worth of simplifying in one easy chart:

January - Examine life goals, make one big resolution for the year, or three medium-sized ones

February - Taxes and paper file purging

March - Licenses: Are addresses current? Has anything expired or been lost? Driver's license, vehicle registration, insurance premiums, voter registration, homeowner's insurance; renew passport if needed

April - Pet Month: vaccinations, checkups, heartworm preventative restarted, a good grooming, throw out old toys and clothes, prep for flea season, start checking for ticks, consider upgrading to a better food formula

May - Plant Month: Top dressing and repotting houseplants, start tomatoes inside, pruning houseplants and garden, compost weary plants, lay out mulch, turn compost in bin if it's been awhile

June - Spring Cleaning: clear out closets, garage, old videos and electronics, eliminate junk in junk drawes, wash windows, plan garage sales, donate old books, clothes and magazines, wash front door, wash windowsills, clean out window and shower tracks, drain filters in washing machine and dish washer, vaccuum back and under fridge, clean out fridge

July, August - Home and Garden Months. Or take a vacation from planning - you deserve it!

September - Personal and Family Health Month: booster shots (tetanus, flu?), teeth cleaning and dental exam, health checkup, dermatologist checkup, body fat testing, eye exam, update eyeglass prescription if needed

October - Car Health Month: Tune up and oil change, rotate/balance/align tires, check belts and hoses, mileage checkup, get detailed, winterize

November - Update Documents: wills, trusts, household inventory updated

December - Life Goals: review the year. How well did you do? Are your inner needs also getting met? Winter is a great time to look within