Have you been putting off getting your old employer’s 401(k) rolled over into an individual retirement account (IRA)? Are you ignoring the fact that you should transfer your savings into a higher-yielding bank account? Are you postponing contributing to your retirement savings? Are you delaying buying that life insurance policy that you really need? Let’s face it: There could be a multitude of financial tasks that you need to get checked off your to-do list!
When it comes to money matters, almost all of us are guilty of failing to accomplish at least some of these important tasks. If you struggle with getting motivated to complete financial tasks, you definitely aren’t alone. Managing money can be annoying, time-consuming, and even confusing.
Here are seven ways to mitigate the procrastination around important financial to-dos that many of us suffer from:
1. Complete one task at a time. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when trying to complete everything all at once. Instead, look at financial task completion as a journey. Complete the most important items first. Remember: “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.” Oftentimes, trying to get everything done all at once isn’t smooth and you end up getting nothing done.
2. Embrace long time frames for getting tasks completed. Expect imperfection. Having realistic expectations for your timeline for task completion is refreshing. Financial paperwork takes time. Instead of becoming anxious when a financial company tells you it’s going to take 2–3 weeks before you hear back from them after submitting paperwork, just embrace it.
3. Maintain a list of completed and uncompleted tasks. When we feel overwhelmed, creating a task list provides organization to the chaos. There’s something magical about complicated matters broken down into just a few words in a list. And it feels great to mark through a task once it’s completed. Do both!
4. Make managing your money a hobby you enjoy. Many of us don’t enjoy things that we don’t understand. If we view money matters as a hobby, learning about the best ways to approach problems, getting the tasks done feels less daunting because we grasp the bigger picture purpose. Follow a few personal finance podcasts, read here and there, and ask for advice if needed.
5. Hire a professional who can help. We can’t all be experts in everything. Experienced professionals cost money, but paying for advice and help is fine so long as there is a good return on your investment. Tilly provides financial coaching and straightforward advice on the most affordable and practical ways to get your financial to-dos done.
6. Make working on money matters a habit. Encyclopedia Britannica describes a habit as “something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way.” Consider keeping your financial life organized as a habit — like cutting your grass each week or washing your face at bedtime … or whatever you choose to make a habit in your life. If making a little bit of progress all along — each week, each month — those small wins will add up to getting big accomplishments.
7. Reward yourself when you get things done. Let’s say you’re dreading the process of buying long-term disability insurance. Maybe you need some extra motivation? You could set a goal for yourself to get it done, and when you do, reward yourself by taking that vacation or road trip you’ve been looking forward to for so long. Self-motivation goes a long way.
Staying motivated to complete mundane tasks is rarely fun. But it can be rewarding. Consider how much better you will feel about yourself knowing that you got something done to better the financial situation of yourself and your family. I hope this helps. At Tilly, getting financial matters completed is our forte.