Short answer: Start things on the new moon, push them at the first quarter, finish and show results at the full moon, clear the desk at the last quarter. Use the Moon's sign for the tone of the day and skip the void-of-course hours for anything you want to last. That is the whole method.
The Moon goes around the zodiac in about 27 days and around its phases in about 29 and a half. That is close enough to a month to be useful. Here is a way to plan with it that takes five minutes on the first of the month.
Step 1: Mark the four phases
Open the moon calendar and note four dates.
- New moon. The dark Moon. Good for starting: a project, a habit, a conversation you have put off.
- First quarter. About a week later. The push. Obstacles show up here, so this is the week for effort.
- Full moon. About two weeks after the new moon. Results become visible. Finish, present, decide.
- Last quarter. The wind down. Clear, cancel, tidy, rest.
Put the new moon and the full moon in your calendar. The other two follow on their own.
Step 2: Look at the Moon's sign
The Moon changes sign about every two and a half days. The sign gives the mood of those days. Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) feel quick and bold. Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) feel practical. Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are for talking and meeting. Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) are for rest, feeling and close people.
You do not need to plan every day this way. It is enough to know that a heavy task lands better on an earth day and a hard talk goes better on an air day.
Step 3: Respect the void-of-course hours
Between the Moon's last aspect in a sign and its entry into the next sign there is a gap. Astrologers call it the void-of-course Moon. It can last a few minutes or most of a day. Tradition says things started in that gap tend to fizzle. So do not sign, launch or send the big email then. Do the routine work instead. Rest. Finish.
The void-of-course page shows the current gap and the whole month's list with exact times in your own time zone.
Step 4: Check your own chart once
The general cycle is the same for everyone. Your chart is not. A new moon that falls on your Sun or your Ascendant matters more than one that does not. Once a month, open the transits view and see where the new moon lands in your houses. That tells you which area of life the month is about.
A month in one line
New moon: begin. First quarter: work. Full moon: finish. Last quarter: clear. Earth days for tasks, air days for talks, water days for rest. Skip the void hours for anything that matters. Repeat next month.
None of this replaces judgment. It gives your month a rhythm, and a rhythm is easier to keep than a plan.