Chaos Will Affect Your Budget
Keeping records is not as easy as I thought it would be. The theory is simple enough, I just don’t do it. I’ve got all the receipts in one place this month (which is definitely a leap forward), but the amounts are being kept a secret until further notice ;).
It’s connected to everything else I haven’t done. Because I haven’t washed the dishes, the counters are cluttered. Because the counters are cluttered, everyone piles things on my desk. Because things are piled on my desk, I can’t find the space to get my work done. Because I can’t find the space, the work gets moved over into a different pile until later. My piles are proof positive that later almost never comes.
What am I going to do to fix this mess and not fall behind everywhere else? I’m going to eat this elephant one bite at a time!
Release the Chaos of Clutter
- Clean off my desk (and keep it that way – even if it means putting things in a box next to the desk until I can find it a home).
- Utilize the entire day and all weekend to catch up from my sick days – one more reason mom should never get sick.
- Stay focused on one task at a time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when I pile up everything I have to do in front of me all at once. The discouragement usually causes me to walk away. Instead, just focus on writing my articles for right now (and refuse to look at the sink).
- Plan rewards (short but meaningful). When I finish this task, I will have breakfast with my family. When I finish the next task, I will go outside and play for a little while. When I finish the next task, I will soak in a hot tub.
- Get right back to it. The rewards (timeouts, breaks, or whatever you want to call them) have to be short or I’ll lose myself in NOT doing what I need to be doing. It’ll be easier to get back to it with the reminder that another reward is just around the corner.
It may not seem that my chaos is related to me not being able to stay on budget, but I know it is. I can’t know what I’m spending if I don’t keep a record of it. If I don’t know what I’m spending, then there is no way to control my spending.
By eliminating the chaos and clutter, I will be able to get right back on track to my savings plan for the upcoming year.
