Does Better Time Management Have a Positive Effect on Money Management?
My time has been at a major premium lately (as in, it seems like I just never have enough of it to get everything done that I want and need to do). So I’ve been forced to get a little better at time management.
I started using Google calendar a while back, and that helped immensely, but it still seems as though I could be better organized and more efficient.
I’ve noticed that when things seem to be going smoothly time-wise, my finances seem to be in a little better shape. When things are hectic and I keep putting stuff off to the next day, my finances kind of fall by the wayside. The papers pile up, and I start missing self-imposed deadlines such as making monthly contributions to various accounts.
So what do you think? Does better time management have a positive effect on money management? I’m not suggesting there’s a 100% causal relationship, exactly, but maybe being better organized in that one area helps in the other. Have you had a similar experience?
I’ve noticed that better time management really helps me eat out less, which is the biggest “pointless” money drain I have. I’ve managed to get a routine down in the evenings where I prep breakfast and lunch for the next day. Previously, if I overslept or felt too tired (which I feel daily in the a.m.!), I would just swing through someplace for breakfast AND lunch. That gets expensive and is usually unhealthy. It’s also made taking public transit easier, an additional savings over driving. A half an hour of prep time in the evening has saved me countless dollars. Why eat out in the evenings as well, since I have to prep for the next day anyway? I’d estimate that I now spend about $300 less a month on crap food and the cost of gas.
Boy, that’s one of the areas I could sure stand to cut back in. Do you think the public transit has also helped you to eat out less? I noticed that on the (very few!) days when I walked to work I had zero urge to eat out, because it just seemed easier to stay home afterward.
Excellent question! I definitely think there is a significant causal relationship. When I am more organized with my life in general such as scheduling I notice that I am more likely to be orgnized in other aspects such as looking over my accounts, creating a grocery shopping list and other things It definitely spills over into other areas!
Jackie, public transit has virtually killed my eating out habits during the week. There are some eateries near my work, but they’re mostly gross (e.g., McDonalds). I don’t want to have to walk anywhere during lunch just to get something that will likely make me want to hurl.
By the time I get home, I’m too tired to want to bother with getting in the car (I live in a highrise and the car is parked in another building) and driving somewhere. And like I said previously, since I have to prep for the next day, there’s not much point in eating out because I’ll end up in the kitchen anyway. I’ve gone from eating out multiple times a week (sometimes daily!) to maybe once (including outings with my husband) outside of my weekly routine of having breakfast out near the farmer’s market. It’s been a pretty radical change resulting from simply taking the train. Crazy!
Effectively managing your time does have many positive effects including possibly
improving your finances. Do you bill by the hour? If so, it’s important to manage your
time well – to the minute. One suggestion I have is considering incorporating a
paper planner into your daily routine. Once you begin using one, you’ll be surprised
at how useful it will become in managing your daily activities. It may even help with your piece of mind because you’ll always know what you have to do next and how long you have to accomplish it.
@SeeJaneGetRich That’s encouraging, because it suggests that just getting organized can be helpful in improving things financially or staying on track.
@timeblogger I used a paper planner for literally decades (never went anywhere without it) but I transitioned to using Google calendar instead awhile back and it’s improved things even more. I think it works for me because I’m at the computer so much, and I can access it on my phone too so it’s always with me.