The First-Year Guide: A Month-by-Month Practical Plan
A twelve-month text guide to the practical side of the first year after a death: admin, a routine, a question to ask, and a checklist for each month.
By Whole Life HQCourse · 6 partsRead onlinePrintable
Look inside
The real opening page, word for word. 6 parts in total.
Part 1: How to use this guide
This guide walks through twelve months, one month at a time, after the death of someone close. Each month names the practical things that often come up, a short admin to-do list, one small routine for looking after yourself, and one question to ask someone. It is written to be read slowly, and to be put down.
It can be used by the person who lost someone, and it also works as a gift for a friend or family member, since it asks nothing of them except to open a page when they are ready.
What this guide does and does not do
It does:
- Give each month a calm shape: what tends to come up, what to do about the paperwork, and one thing for you.
- Help you plan the dates and decisions that often arrive in the first year, such as birthdays, holidays, the anniversary, and the end of paperwork.
- Include a checklist for every month that you can print and tick.
It does not:
What is in each part
- How to use this guide
- Months 1 to 3
- Months 4 to 6
- Months 7 to 9
- Months 10 to 12
- The year at a glance
What's inside
- Twelve monthly lessons: what often comes up, admin, a routine
- Twelve printable monthly checklists
- Plans for birthdays, holidays and the anniversary
- One-page year summary and who-to-ask list
Who it's for
For someone who wants a calm, month-by-month guide to practical tasks and firsts in the year after a loss, or a thoughtful gift for a person in that year. An expert review by a counsellor is planned; until then it is general information, not professional advice.
How you get it
- In your libraryCheckout opens at launch. After you buy, it appears in your library straight away.
- Any devicePhone, tablet or computer. Print it if you like paper.
- Yours to keepIt stays in your account, and you can come back any time.