Full of Greats

Getting my shit together: considerations and new rituals

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This is my journey to apply the book, Unf*ck your finances. The book is about personal finances but I’ve added actions specific to working for myself.

If you want a bit more context, the prelude pieces are Hope can be scary, Why do we never talk about personal finance?, and Getting my shit together: the plan for the next quarter.

The final item from the plan I made two days ago was to re-read a handful of chapters and figure out any action items.

Why is this an action item? Because I looked at the chapter titles and had no memory of what was in them. It was clear that I hadn’t taken any action on them.

I skimmed through each of the chapters. Each heading below is a chapter. I’ve included notes and new action items (bulleted).

I haven’t set due dates for these but I have added them to my keystone doc so that I’ll see them regularly.

Understand how you’re spending.
  • List my fixed costs
  • Interrogate them: Are they really fixed?
    • Start to become a conscious consumer.

    This chapter is about becoming aware of what I’m contributing to when I spend, invest, and borrow.

    • Investigate what I’ve invested my money in. My only investments are superannuation (retirement savings) so this should be pretty straightforward.
    • Start noticing where I’m spending my money. Who do I spend with? Do I agree with their supply chains, their culture, the way they do things? I’m adding these questions to my weekly reflection.
    • Investigate those organisations who hold my debt. What is true in the world because they are making money? Am I ok with this?
      • Remove yourself from temptation.

      Ok, so this is about setting rules and boundaries. Check check.

      Seek help.

      This was specific advice about seeing a financial counsellor. Done.

      Consistently monitor, gauge, adjust and track.

      This happens over a few different frequencies.

      Daily, use a tracking app.

      • Test bank feeds with YNAB, if it’s not working, switch back to Pocketbook
      • Move the finances check to the win the day ritual

        • Weekly, look at the action plan, see if you’re on track, check your spending, making sure you have enough in each account

        • Set a recurring weekly meeting with myself with this agenda

          • Monthly, check progress against the milestones in the 90-day plan

          • Set a recurring monthly meeting with myself. Create an agenda.

            • Quarterly, celebrate or figure out what went wrong. Set the next 90-day plan

            • Set a recurring quarterly day off to have this meeting with myself. Add an agenda.

              • Annually, go through the whole process again

              • Make this part of the four days offline
              • Add a calendar entry a week before to prep and print any data required
                • ...more
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                Full of GreatsBy Rosie Odsey