How to get started with difficult tasks
Parent Post
How to get started with budgeting
Most of us want to know how to get started with saving and investing. Or with debt reduction. Or how to get started with budgeting.
It’s the sort of questions we have on our journeys away from debt and toward financial freedom. It all seems so overwhelming!
So where do you begin?
Action not wordsGenerally things
Action not words
Generally things aren’t as complicated as you make them. Most problems can be solved with simple solutions. It’s how we implement these solutions that adds layers of complexity.
All personal finance boils down to one simple rule: To build wealth, you must spend less than you earn.
This is the fundamental rule of personal finance, and all of the books and blogs and TV shows about money are simply clothes draped across this basic body.
Many people never start
Many people never start putting their finances in order because they don’t know what the “best” first step is.
Most of the time, “best” is irrelevant in this context. Don’t worry about getting things exactly right — just choose a good option and do something to get started.
When tackling a big project — whether that’s renovating a yard, digging out of debt, or saving for early retirement — all that matters is you begin.
Any move that increases
Any move that increases your income or decreases your spending is a step in the right direction.
Allowing perceived complexity to prevent you from doing the right thing is a variation of the optimization trap.
The trap is the belief that small tweaks make more difference than they actually do.
Optimizing small things is a way for people to feel like they’re doing something meaningful when they’re actually avoiding big, scary moves that could truly make a difference.
How to get started?Don’t
How to get started?
Don’t make things more complicated than they have to be. Identify fundamental principles and pursue them.
Especially at the start, don’t worry about making perfect choices or about optimization. Simply start. Take action. You can optimize later.
Do what is right. Do your best. Let the consequence follow.
When we overcomplicate things
When we overcomplicate things at the start, we’re doing so because we’re nervous about making big changes.
We’re comfortable with our lives at the moment, so instead of doing the things we know need to be done, we spin our wheels while focusing on details that don’t matter.
To achieve our goals, we must take action.
Start where you are!For
Start where you are!
For overthinkers, action is key. Instead of finding the perfect time and place to start, start anywhere. Screw perfection!
When starting a long journey, a perfect first step isn’t critical. If you stumble at the start of a sprint, you’re likely to lose the race.
But if you stumble at the start of a marathon, it makes no difference. All that matters is that you’ve begun running.