Hi I'm always amazed that so many people spend most of their life at work and totally neglect their personal affairs. Many business people I coach want to get their professional lives in order, and often admit that their personal affairs are in chaos.
They have no systems for handling this most important area. The household paperwork is disorganised... piled up in a corner of the house... somewhere. They have no idea where they spend their money and often have no plan for their financial future. Sure they are busy in their businesses or job and lose focus as to why they are doing what they do in the first place... and generally that is to make more money so they can have more choices in life. Whether that be to have more time with their family, make a difference in the world or to have a better lifestyle. Of course, you do want to enjoy what you do otherwise you won't be happy in the process.
If you do not organise your personal life, you won't have much of a future to look forward to. Avoid the excuses that you are too tired, don't have the time, and don't know how.
Here are several tips to get you started:
Set up a filing system to store your paperwork.
File your papers in categories: Bank, Car, Children, Home, Medical, Insurance, Investment, Tax, Utilities etc.
Organise direct debits for regular bills.
Read, sort and action your snail and e-mail daily. This will avoid a big build-up.
Make a note in your diary when you need to remember to do things.
Check your bank accounts weekly via phone or the Internet to keep tabs on your money.
Allocate a particular day and time each week to review your personal affairs.
Get educated - attend seminars, read books and listen to information on wealth creation. Having knowledge will make it easier to make better decisions and provide you with the confidence to take action.
ORGANISING YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE This area should be top priority. If you do nothing because it's too much effort, well think about this.
What would happen if you lose your job, have an accident and receive no income for 6 months? How would you (and your family) survive financially? Do you have your insurances in order?
Where will you be in the next five years? Maybe retired and on a pension? Or perhaps you have superannuation you hope will be enough to live on? Unfortunately too many people are under false illusions about how superannuation will be the answer for a secure retirement.
Hope is not enough. You have to be pro-active and seek out people who can help you. But be careful who you take advice from and what is the motivation behind them "selling" you their ideas.
Educating yourself on how to make the most of your hard-earned money so you can create wealth should be a high priority. After all, if you're not interested in securing your financial future, who is?
THE FINAL WORD If you take control of your personal affairs you will have peace of mind and know that you are making things happen.
It's nearly six months since you probably made those New Year's Resolutions. Let me ask you was one of those goals related to money in some way? Have you moved forward, stagnated or gone backwards? You must learn how to manage your time effectively and get organised enabling you to focus on the highest priorities in your life, otherwise a year from now you could still be no further ahead.
I once heard someone say: Some people make things happen, others watch things happen and others wonder what happened. What do you choose to do?
Have a great week!
Lorraine Pirihi Australia 's No. 1 Productivity Coach
How to Seize Control of Your Finances - To learn more about this author, visit Lorraine Pirihi's Website.
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