At different times in our life, for one reason or another, we find ourselves in a rut. We go through the motions with little consideration for the outcome or benefit we are receiving from our input. Some could say we are in a trance, a subconscious state of doing the status quo and nothing more. Change is the farthest from our minds.
Well, snap out of it. Give yourself a shake and wake up and take a look at your life. How have you been spending your time? What kind of personal gains are you receiving? What is the status of your financial situation? Are you in control of your money and what you want to do with it? Here are 14 ways you can get out of that rut and start making progress toward your goals:
Don’t make excuses. Don’t try to come up with reasons why you can’t start or make changes. Just take the “bull by the horns” and do it. Make that commitment to financial freedom.
Be flexible. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Come up with a plan but realize that you may need to adjust it now and again. Don’t restrict yourself. Life is full of surprises and we need to allow ourselves to adapt accordingly.
Do something. You don’t have to start big. Start with baby steps. Something is always better than nothing.
Get a goal. Goals give us a mission and a purpose. Set a goal and let yourself strive for something. Once you complete that goal, set the next one. You will get a great sense of accomplishment with the completion of each one.
No gear needed. You don’t need fancy software or gear to manage your money. You can do the job with a paper and a pen. All you need is a medium to record monthly expenses and inputs into savings.
Be consistent. Whatever plan you come up with, make sure it is something you can do consistently. You will be more motivated to continue with it if you see yourself able to do it regularly. This is something that I have had to work on. In the past, I have let me my ambition get the better of me and I have set up plans that I can’t get done regularly. I have been more successful when I have set a minimum that I always have to reach.
Start slow. Like the saying goes, crawl before you walk, walk before you run. Don’t run wild on the first day. Start out with small changes and adjustments to your spending and saving and slowly build on them. It will increase your chance of success.
Keep track. This is where your paper and pen comes in. Keep track of everything you do and the effect of every change you make. This will allow you to review them and see what kind of progress you have made. Seeing your progress will keep you motivated to continue working towards your goal.
Don’t overdo it. This ties in with #6 and #7. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. This will only make you fail and stay in the rut. Be realistic with yourself and those in your life.
Set mini goals. You may have a big goal you want to reach and that’s great, but by setting mini goals along the way, you will keep yourself connected to the big picture as well as keep yourself motivated. If you can experience small successes on your journey, your general happiness will improve and your will be able to maintain your focus and positive outlook on the future outcome.
Reward yourself. As you accomplish steps towards your goal, reward yourself. Allow yourself to feel the reward of success. You deserve it.
Mix it up. Variety is key. Set different goals that all lead up to the same result. This will help you stay motivated and experience different rewards. This can also be used in the context of making your plan. Mix up your methods on how you plan to reach your goal. You might find that one way brings better results than another.
Have fun. Managing money wisely does not need to be stressful or daunting. You can have fun with it. It just takes some creativity. One fellow blogger does strip budgeting.
Group support. Most people are more successful when they have people behind them. Get your family on board with your financial goals. Work together to accomplish them. Tell your close friends about your plans and how they can help you. Before you know it, you will have everyone helping you reach the top.
Getting out of the rut can seem daunting if not impossible at first, but it’s not. Try these tips; they will help you.
Are you in a rut? Have you been in a rut? What’s helping you?
