5 Ways to Avoid Financial Burnout
Sometimes I worry about financial burnout. I like to absorb myself in the world of personal finance.
On my daily commute, I listen to Pat Flynn’s podcast.
I am constantly updating my financial goals for the short term and long term. I read a bunch of other personal finance blogs as well as started this blog!
Learning and reading as much as I can about money has pretty much become my main hobby in my spare time.
I am so involved and invested on my journey to financial independence, but I started to wonder what had caused me to fail in the past. I realized it was a combination of things that ultimately lead to my financial burnout.
Related reading:
- 7 Ways to Save $500 Right Now
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- How to Track Your Expenses
- Tips for a No Spend Day or Week or Month
- How to Save Money on Groceries Without Coupons
Stop analyzing your finances every second of the day
Ok, I know you aren’t really looking at your finances all day, every day. But if you are anything like me, take a break from looking at your financial savvy spreadsheets or all your bank account balances.
I used to check every financial account I had on a daily basis, sometimes multiple times a day! This can cause a lot of anxiety and unnecessary stress.
I now limit myself to checking my bank account and budget spreadsheets once a day.
Organize your life
If you don’t know how much money you have in the bank or if you just paid a late fee on a bill, it’s time to get financially organized.
You should know all your bill due dates and how much income you bring in each month.
You should also develop a plan for an emergency fund, savings, and getting out of debt.
Don’t compare yourself to the Joneses
It is easy to overspend and waste money when you are trying to live someone else’s lifestyle. It can be easy to give in to temptation and try to fit in by purchasing things you can’t afford.
Once you realize that you have different wants and needs than your neighbor or friend, your life will become much easier and your wallet will thank you.
While it can be tempting to want to live a more lavish lifestyle, no one really knows if the Joneses are millionaires or living a life of debt.
Have realistic goals
If it took you five years to accumulate debt, be prepared that you might not be able to pay it off right away.
It is more realistic to develop a long term plan for how long it will take rather than assume you will be able to pay it off in a short amount of time.
It is very easy to create a plan that can be too unrealistic and then feel like a failure when you don’t meet your goal. Having a realistic goal will help you better plan for your financial future.
Reach out to others
There is no rule that says you have to go on your financial journey alone.
It can be very therapeutic to have someone to talk to when you have questions. Communicate with your partner if you share finances or even sign up for a Dave Ramsey class.
While I wasn’t ready to share my financial journey with my friends and family (they don’t even know I have a blog), I was ok with lurking on the internet and discovering there were other people who wanted to write about money.
Looking at the large picture and the end goal always helps me. Taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally can help you step back and gain valuable perspective. I have realized being financially responsible is more like a marathon lifestyle and not a sprint.
Charissa you are so right! It is definitely a marathon lifestyle!
Looking at the large picture and the end goal always helps me. Taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally can help you step back and gain valuable perspective.
I’m almost there. I just found out that a $20,000 medical bill is more likely to be $30,000. We could have squeaked by with $20,000, but now we’re definitely going to have to go into debt.
So I’ve been doing my obsessive thing, which is checking and rechecking the numbers for future months’ income to be sure my calculations are correct. Even though I know we’ll be surprised by some bill or another, which will keep us from putting away as much as we like. Which just stresses me out more and… back to the notepad!
I let myself go through the numbers once. Then I force myself to go check online or watch TV with my husband… anything. Stress isn’t good for anyone, but definitely not for a depressive. And with the big bill coming up, I need to be functional so that we can save as much as possible.
I completely understand what you are going through! I am really worried about my medical bills too! I was in the hospital beginning of January and the bills are still rolling in. I’m not sure when they will stop rolling in! It’s so stressful!
I used to check my bank account several times a day too. It was no fun. Now I only check it about 3 times a week. Organizing my finances and setting realistic goals has helped me be able to take a step back from being obsessive about it and enjoy my life currently.
Good for you Chonce! I still check my bank account daily even though there is no reason to!
I have definitely experienced financial burnout. It typically happens about the time things hit the fan for us. I spend to much time “worrying” about our finances and how to pay off extra, how I can save etc and then I just stop. I stop monitoring and stop worrying and then the hemorrhage of money begins. Thankfully it hasn’t happened in several years.
I feel the same way! Sometimes I’m too obsessed and sometimes too lazy about my finances. I am still working to find a good balance.
All the time! For me it’s thinking constantly about how I can earn more income! It’s gets exhausting!
It is so exhausting! I have a hard time not thinking about money, so this is a daily issue for me!
I think I’m experiencing a little right now! Money’s been flying out the door this month, like I wrote about, and for a couple of weeks there I just didn’t want to think about it. I feel ready to get back to being focused now, but I definitely think a little time away was beneficial.
A vacation is a great way to clear my mind! I always come back so refreshed and ready to tackle things!