How many things do you think about doing, only to look back months or years later and realize you never even started on them, or started and then quit?
I like to make lists which not only allow me to keep track of what I want to accomplish that day or week, but also allows me to recognize patterns where tasks keep getting pushed further down the road. Recently, delayed tasks included: mounting the TV, hanging some curtains, installing an outlet, patching drywall, updating backyard landscaping, planting a tree in the front yard, fixing the water softener, taking care of some recent termite activity, cleaning out the closet and clearing out old electronics (unlike in my college days, I doubt I will ever again need to string together 16 xboxes with hundreds of feet of ethernet cords).
Recently, a week of ‘staycation’ allowed me to knock out many of the tasks on the list that have been piling up, and it was quite the freeing feeling. Also, there is the added benefit that my rafters will stop being eaten by termites, and the house will stay standing.
Have you treated your finances like I’ve treated my to-do list? Do you look back at months and years of well meaning, “Sometime, I’ll start saving for retirement or work on a budget” thoughts?
If so, it is time to be intentional about what you want to accomplish.
Kate and I have always been savers, but a defined goal has been lacking lately. We have vague visions like “retire early” or “more scheduled flexibility during the day”, but not a clear intentional goal and plan. The plan needs to be more than just save money to retire, but rather, save this specific amount for this length of time so that we can do such-and-such.
To knock tasks off my to-do list this last week I needed to think through what I intended to accomplish by completing each task (i.e. by updating the backyard landscaping I could gain a bit more free time by reducing the time spent maintaining it. This allows more free time with the kids, which is something I am very intentional about.
We can all benefit by applying this intentionality to our finances, and I fully intend to keep you all posted on the progress…