It is about being intentional.
Laser focused.
Highly saturated.
Streamlined and efficient.
No excess.
It happened quickly.
The space around me was finally in homeostasis.
Suddenly, the spirit of minimalism went inside.
And it is not about less or deprivation.
It is about living a highly curated life.
Feeling 100% on everything.
And I wasn't. I was partially asleep on everything.
Just the process of observing increased the feeling of being in tune with each moment, action, thought. That feeling is addicting and gives energy and leads to good things so we are keeping that.
So anyway, here's what I did. And it is working.
I figure it is always the same -- it should be simple.
Observation Phase
Basically knew I needed to keep a money diary
First tried a note on my phone - didn't maintain it
Tried a few different apps, found one that I liked
Tracked exact spending and just watched my behavior and patterns without changing anything
Got exact retirement savings numbers, exact HSA, exact investments, etc.
Just observed.
What I saw
My financial picture wasn't functioning logically
I was spending on things I didn't use or actually enjoy (not always but enough)
Impulse purchases/not intentional purchases
Money not earning money
Experimenting
I asked - can I cut expenses?
Can I try not to buy for a day and extend the time of no spend days?
Can I pause and then delete autopays that I no longer enjoy or need? (Strangely embarrassing to do)
Can I set a grocery day and only shop on that day?
Can I bring my own food?
Can I carry a thermos for water/tea?
What if I physically write down shopping lists on scrap paper instead of using my phone?
Can I designate a budget?
What if I keep a food diary along with this?
More questions
Can I get extra cash to work?
Can I save more?
Can I max retirement contributions/get match?
Question expenses -- do I really need to do that that way?
Can I DIY?
Can I trade, recycle, reuse, borrow?
What do I value?
Do I have a gift card I can use for that?
Can I create a capsule wardrobe from my closet?
Can I do that myself instead of paying someone to do it?
Are there free activities that I can do that are equally as fun?
What happened
Created financial goals
More intentional/conscientious about money
Paying attention in the day-to-day
Unleashing creativity- food, work, activities, painting, writing
Happier
Calmer
Steadiness of mind
Gravitating toward people with similar values
Unexpected side effect -- new habit created on its own
Instead of scrolling social media I go on my budget app and update transactions
Financial fomo replaced social media fomo
Laser focused.
Highly saturated.
Streamlined and efficient.
No excess.
It happened quickly.
The space around me was finally in homeostasis.
Suddenly, the spirit of minimalism went inside.
And it is not about less or deprivation.
It is about living a highly curated life.
Feeling 100% on everything.
And I wasn't. I was partially asleep on everything.
Just the process of observing increased the feeling of being in tune with each moment, action, thought. That feeling is addicting and gives energy and leads to good things so we are keeping that.
So anyway, here's what I did. And it is working.
I figure it is always the same -- it should be simple.
Observation Phase
Basically knew I needed to keep a money diary
First tried a note on my phone - didn't maintain it
Tried a few different apps, found one that I liked
Tracked exact spending and just watched my behavior and patterns without changing anything
Got exact retirement savings numbers, exact HSA, exact investments, etc.
Just observed.
What I saw
My financial picture wasn't functioning logically
I was spending on things I didn't use or actually enjoy (not always but enough)
Impulse purchases/not intentional purchases
Money not earning money
Experimenting
I asked - can I cut expenses?
Can I try not to buy for a day and extend the time of no spend days?
Can I pause and then delete autopays that I no longer enjoy or need? (Strangely embarrassing to do)
Can I set a grocery day and only shop on that day?
Can I bring my own food?
Can I carry a thermos for water/tea?
What if I physically write down shopping lists on scrap paper instead of using my phone?
Can I designate a budget?
What if I keep a food diary along with this?
More questions
Can I get extra cash to work?
Can I save more?
Can I max retirement contributions/get match?
Question expenses -- do I really need to do that that way?
Can I DIY?
Can I trade, recycle, reuse, borrow?
What do I value?
Do I have a gift card I can use for that?
Can I create a capsule wardrobe from my closet?
Can I do that myself instead of paying someone to do it?
Are there free activities that I can do that are equally as fun?
What happened
Created financial goals
More intentional/conscientious about money
Paying attention in the day-to-day
Unleashing creativity- food, work, activities, painting, writing
Happier
Calmer
Steadiness of mind
Gravitating toward people with similar values
Unexpected side effect -- new habit created on its own
Instead of scrolling social media I go on my budget app and update transactions
Financial fomo replaced social media fomo
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