Happy start to Fall.
Following August’s pause, here we are into September and in the lead to Christmas.
Returning from holidays we face up to the school season, end of year tax payments, the wish list for winter break, and work and housekeeping demands.
This is the moment when prioritizing expenses, measuring income streams, and separating wanna-do’s from must-do’s kicks in.
How do we do that?
- Consult your horizon – short term and long term goals. Compare the wanna-do’s and must-do’s of this season to these goals.
- Prioritize the must-do’s, and layer on the wanna-do’s.
- Look at your time allocation (the pie chart of time on your horizon as we explain in our tools and blog) and see whether the way you allocate your time allows you to meet your goals, finance your list of expenses.
It is like looking in the mirror and being truthful to yourself about what is and what isn’t possible. Are you realistic about what is possible?
And this is where the power of saying NO to yourself in overcommitment matters.
Saying NO is empowering because it relieves likely tension of trying the impossible; saying NO saves you from running debt in order to meet wishes and demands that may be financially overstretching or impose time commitments that are overwhelming physically and mentally.
Saying NO is about aligning goals to resources, time being the most precious resource; money as a tool to your wellness is not the destination. Saying ‘No’ to our children is an act of love, a saying goes, because it allows us to set boundaries on what is possible, and what is not.
- Checklist everything from school supplies, to groceries, to beauty treatments. Never go to a store online or on the high street without a budget and a list, temptations play up
- Check whatever you have at home first, and look for optimizing those, rather than spending and buying new
- Revert to saving pots for special projects, holidays, shopping if summer holidays have depleted those saving pots; it would be a family project effort
- Say NO to additional work whether it is for a school parent group, a work commitment, girls’ night out, if it strains time or demands high commitment of your energy.
“Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it.”
― Anna Taylor
Till soon, and look out for our upcoming webinar series we will be announcing in due time.
