October 2026 - Reflection: Assess & Purge

The Last Three Months of This Year

Let's use the last three months of the year intentionally, giving each month a focus.

OCTOBER — ASSESS & RELEASE
Look at where you are and let go of what no longer needs to come with you.

NOVEMBER — CLEAR & PLAN
Create space, finish what matters, and begin thinking about what's ahead.

DECEMBER — CELEBRATE & APPRECIATE
Pause, recognize the year you've lived, and enjoy what is here.

OCTOBER — ASSESS & RELEASE

Each month will have its own focus. This month, we're starting with October and taking some time to assess where we are and purge what we no longer need to carry forward.

The first nine months of the year have already happened. This is a chance to pause and take stock of what has been going on, what is working, what isn't, and what may need your attention.

Assess
Look at the different areas of your life and ask yourself: How am I doing? What's going well? What needs attention? What do I want more of?
Release
Once you've taken stock, decide what you no longer need to carry forward. This could be habits, commitments, clutter, unfinished tasks, ways of thinking, or anything else that is taking up space without adding value.

The goal isn't to judge the year or fix everything at once. It's simply to see where you are, clear some space, and create a better starting point for the months ahead.

To help with the assessment, I put together a list of Life Areas you can use to check in with yourself.
Explore the Life Areas here.

Here are a few tasks you can carry out.

Task 1: Life Areas Assessment
Open a spreadsheet and start by listing your main Life Areas in the first column. In the next column, add a few subcategories for each one — things like the goals you had for that area, the routines you meant to keep, the habits you wanted to build, or even just how you feel about that part of your life right now. Then, in the columns beside them, give each area a rating from 0 to 5 based on how you currently feel about it.

Task 2: Take a Closer Look
Now go back through your Life Areas and look at each one more closely. Reflect on:

1. What worked?
2. What did not work?
3. Could I change, start, or stop anything in this area to improve or maintain it? (Yes, No, Maybe, No Need)
4. What can I or cannot I change in this area?

5. What is working well that I want to keep?

Task 3: My Purge List 
Looking back at your assessment, make a list of the things you have decided to let go of, release, reduce, stop, simplify, or clear from your life.

I will let go of:

I will stop:

I will start:

I will reduce:

I will simplify:

I will clear:

When doing this assessment, you can also use these questions to guide your thinking:
How do I feel about this?
What is my attitude or mindset around this?
What are the obstacles? Are they coming from me or from outside influences?

What else comes to mind?

What am I spending too much time or energy on?

What am I avoiding?

What keeps coming up that I need to pay attention to?

What would make this area feel better?

What do I wish were different?

What am I grateful for in this area?

What have I learned about myself?

What do I want to carry forward?

Next month: November — Clear & Plan

In November, we'll shift from assessing and releasing to creating space and thinking about what's ahead. We'll look at what needs to be cleared and organized, while also beginning to plan for the year ahead.