You are here: Home / Archives for time management

Time Keeps on Ticking

December 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Here we are, into the first full week of December. Soon, our already busy schedules will overflow with holiday parties, shopping requirements and family events. How can we guard our time and not get overwhelmed and exhausted this month making bad money decisions? Here are some ideas to help you get through this challenging time.

  • Now more than ever, establish a spending plan and stick to it.
  • Plan your meals for the week ahead of time, so that you will know exactly what is for dinner and will not default to fast, expensive food.
  • Make a master calendar so you don’t double book family’s activites. Schedule time to relax and rejuenvante.
  • Make of list of priorities, so that you can clearly know when to say “no”.
  • Plan an activity that will give back to the community and give your family a sense of well being and purpose.

These steps will help you to get pointed in the right direction early this month, so that the rest of the month will be a joyous, relaxing time to build relationships and renew friendships and get pointed in the right direction for a sucessful 2012.

Tim and Kathryn Gerken are Financial Caoches in Newcastle, WA, who serve their community in the greater Seattle area.

Filed Under: Financial Planning and Priorities, Our Blog Tagged With: , , , , ,

Balancing Act

November 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There seems to be an epidemic sweeping through our society today. This epidemic is called over-commitment. We wish we had more than 24 hours in a day to get everything done. In many countries around the world, businesses and shops close down at 5 or 6 pm and the population takes time to spend with their families and friends. They make important connections that help them to relax and refresh.

We meet many people how would like to get control of their spending and savings. They all have a desire to change their habits, get on a budget and win with their money. What is holding them back? They are chained to their calendars. Some work 60 hours a week to “get ahead”, others have outside commitments to community service activities, their children’s schedules or their second jobs. And another groups spends hours each week in front of the television, game system or computer. One of the most important parts of taking control of your personal finances is carving out time to spend on your financial plan each month. We are limited to 24 hours in a day. If you sleep for 8 of those hours and eat for 1, that leaves 15 hours. How many hours do you work per day, 8? then you have approximately 6 hours left. How do you spend those hours? Connecting with your family, talking about goals and dreams, working on a plan to meet those dreams take time. Relaxing is definitely needed to revitalize your mind and spirit too. You can’t dream, if you don’t give yourself time to do so.

I don’t claim to have the perfect formula for balancing work, family activities and your budget. I do know that we need to prioritize our time, say no to some of our outside commitments, and make our family and our personal finance plan top on our list. Life runs smoother with a plan. If you can get pointed in the right direction, you will have the peace and energy that seems to slip through our fingers if we are over extended in life.

How do you balance your life? Let us know!

Tim and Kathryn Gerken are Financial Coaches in Newcastle, WA. They serve their community in the greater Seattle area.

Filed Under: Budgeting, Financial Goals and Habits, Financial Planning and Priorities, Our Blog, Personal Finance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Does Your Calendar Reflect Your Priorities?

October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The resource that I would like to discuss this week is our time. Time is a limited resource. We have been given 24 hours in one day to use to the best of our abilities. In today’s culture, our calendars seem to be controlling our day, rather than us controlling our day. Time management is just as important, as money management. If we don’t have time for work, rest and play, then we do not have a balanced life. Take a look at your typical day. Are you running from morning until night? How could you manage your time resource better? What would you do if you had more time?

Without proper time management the money management becomes even harder to control. With better time management, you can make a menu, shop for food and not impulse buy at the store. With better time management, you can decide how many events and gatherings you can afford to attend both in a time and monetary sense. How many sports activities you can manage? You can set aside family time, leisure time and quite time for you to re-charge your emotional, physical and spiritual batteries. Our time resource is precious. Examine how much time you spend watching televsion per week. How many commericals are you exposed to? How does all that marketing affect your spending priorities? Do you think you are immune? You aren’t. We must learn to say, “no,” take control and get pointed in the right direction to achieve our goals.

Tim and Kathryn Gerken are Financial Coaches in Newcastle, WA. They serve their community in the greater Seattle area.

Filed Under: Budgeting, Financial Goals and Habits, Financial Planning and Priorities, Our Blog Tagged With: , , , ,

Switch to our mobile site