
If we are honest with ourselves sometimes our financial stress is caused by our expectations not being met. We want things to go one way with our finances and they go the other. Below are some tips for reducing financial stress in your life.
Losing a job, the inability to find full-time work, paying bills on time, and not being able to deal with the increasing costs of living can be disappointing.
When this happens, when our financial reality does not line up with our expectations, we can sometimes become stressed. Try the following tips to help you reduce your financial stress.
Set SMART Financial Goals to Reduce Financial Stress
Goals provide course of action. And financial goals provide direction for your financial matters. They should determine how you spend your time and your money. When setting goals, decide what you want, where you want to be, and what you want your money to do. Further, when you set goals, set goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and have a time constraint).
The best goals are the ones that cause you to “stretch” as you do your best to reach them.
Make Your Time and Money a Priority
Use the “80-20 Rule” originated by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. The 80-20 rule says that “80 percent of the reward comes from 20 percent of the effort.” The key to prioritizing is to identify the valuable 20 percent.
Once identified, prioritize your time to work on the items with the greatest reward. If you value managing money well, prioritize the time it takes to manage it well. Knowing where you stand with your finances will help you reduce feelings of stress.
Take Some of the Stress Off and Be Flexible wIth Your Spending
According to Peter Drucker, a management consultant, author, educator, and the described father of modern management, “Doing the right thing is more important than doing things right.” Doing the right thing is effectiveness; doing things right is efficiency.
Be flexible when working on your money, focus first on the urgent, effective task, then concentrate on the important, efficient task.
Reduce Financial Stress by Planning To Spend Your Money
Using time to think and plan is using time wisely. Some would say that if you fail to take time for planning, you are, in effect, planning to fail. Additionally, be consistent with that time. If Monday after work is your money management time, then work your money Mondays after work.
As I have written before, managing money is a job, it takes time, so plan accordingly.
The tips for reducing financial stress above can help you reduce money stress in your life. Be careful with stress as it can cause mental, emotional, and physical health issues. How do you manage financial stress? I would love to hear from you.