Being disorganized doesn’t only increase the stress in your life, it can also hamper your efforts to spend less and save more. You can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life by learning better time management skills. Don’t believe me? Consider this:
1. People who lack strong time management skills often forget to pay bills by the due date, forget to return library books and rented dvds on time and don’t remember to renew their car registration until getting pulled over. All of this adds up to big bucks not to mention a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Instead of trying to rely on your memory, get in the habit of keeping a calender to remind you of due dates and deadlines. You don’t have to get too fancy with this, Google’s free calender or the one that comes with your email reader or cell phone should work just fine.
Automatic bill pay is also an option. Check to see if your bank will allow you to schedule bills to be paid in advance. That way, you can schedule your bills as soon as you get them even if the money won’t be in your account until pay day. It’s best to schedule payment for a few days before the final due date on the bill to avoid mishaps. Using your banks automatic payment is preferable to using each individual merchant’s system as it’s easier to cancel or discontinue payments and it’s less likely that you’ll forget about payments going out as they’ll all be recorded in one place.
2. People who are good at managing their time and staying organized will find it much easier to eat meals at home. Planning meals, doing the shopping and allowing plenty of time for prep are all skills that can be learned. By becoming more disciplined in this area, not only will you save money, you will almost always be eating healthier foods.
Many people who are new to meal planning find it helpful to subscribe to a meal planning service. These services provide subscribers with a list of 5-7 meals each week, including a grocery list. Some go beyond that and also coordinate the lists by what’s on sale in your region or specialize in meals for various diets, such as vegan, low-carb and child-friendly.
Eating healthy, nourishing meals should be up near the top of your lists of priorities. If you find yourself constantly having to go through drive-throughs or order delivery because you don’t have time to prepare meals for yourself and your family, it’s time to reevaluate and look for a solution. Having family dinners at home is not only cheaper and usually more nutritious, it’s also been shown to have a positive effect on children’s performance in school and ability to resist peer pressure.
That doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself. Part of being a good time manager is learning how and what to delegate. Get your entire family involved in meal planning, prep and clean up so that nobody has to shoulder the burden alone.
3. Being good at time management and organization helps you feel in control and on top of things. This means less stress and less temptation to go out for some “retail therapy” or “comfort eating”. It’s easier to make better decisions when you have a good handle on what’s going on in your life.
This in not something that happens overnight. In fact, it’s better to start small rather than trying to do too much at once and becoming overwhelmed and frustrated. Pick one thing that you can improve and master that before moving on to something else. You can try:
- Making a habit out of filing bills, warranties, receipts and other papers that need to be saved immediately after opening them.
- De-clutter and organize your house one room or closet at a time.
- Packing your lunch every day.
- Drinking water during the day instead of sodas or expensive coffee drinks.
- Being on time for work and all appointments.
- Keeping and using a grocery list.
- Going to bed on time every night.
- Getting outdoors for some free exercise three times a week.
Every positive new habit you make will help you feel more in charge of your life and allow you to see yourself as a person who is able to make priorities, honor commitments and manage their time wisely. This in turn makes it easier to make better decisions when it comes to personal finances.
{ 0 comments… add one now }