5 psychology-informed ways to instantly up your money health
How does your mental state affect the way you view your money?
If there's one thing I'll say all day long, it's this: YOUR MONEY IS INTIMATELY CONNECTED TO PSYCHOLOGY.
It's so true - and it's honestly the key to everything.
Once you realize that, you can use psychology to make BIG changes in your financial life. It's easier than you might think...in fact, here are five things you can do right away to get started.
Scrub your kitchen sink
I know this sounds weird, but hear me out, ok?
Growing up in the early days of the internet (I'm a 90s kid), I remember my mom becoming a devotee of the FlyLady, whose writing I'd characterize in retrospect as "advice on keeping house for overwhelmed and probably undiagnosed neurodivergent 90s moms".
Her three pieces of advice I still live by today:
1) when you need to get shit done, get dressed and put your shoes on.
2) You can do anything for 15 minutes, including starting to tackle that one area of life that's been bugging you for months.
3) If you're drowning in things to accomplish, clear out and shine the kitchen sink. It'll make you feel so much better.
When everything is overwhelming, it makes a huge difference to start with one, small, manageable chunk. Money is so connected to our mental health, and especially if you're someone with neurodivergent tendencies (like me), it can be difficult to make progress in something as abstract as money when your physical surroundings are visually and mentally cluttering. A shining sink is one huge step toward being able to devote mental space to your financial life.
2. Set up a password manager
This one is all about lowering the effort it takes to get things done. How much harder is it to make money progress if every time you sign into your banking app, you have to painstakingly type in your 12-digit password? And how much of a hassle is it if your identity gets stolen because you reused your passwords across websites, and someone hacked into your email or your credit card account?
Get ahead of the curve and make your experience that much safer and smoother - set up a password manager.
I am a fan of Lastpass (not sponsored), which I use both for my family and for Arise. Other options I haven't personally used but hear good things about: Bitwarden, NordPass, Dashlane, and 1Password. The browser extension that's offering to automatically save your passwords isn't as secure - it's worth the initial time investment to set up a password manager that will make your life so much easier.
3. Sort your mail
Have you seen that episode of Parks & Rec where Ben moves in with April and Andy and teaches them how to be adults?
Instead of eating canned turkey chili off of frisbees with a single shared disposable fork for breakfast, he makes them buy dishes. He teaches them how to pay their rent and electric bills (so the lights don't get shut off). He discovers that they've been keeping their mail...inside the freezer, "so it doesn't get lost".
"Okay, you have to PAY these."
Now, I'm willing to bet you and I have never made a habit of eating breakfast off of frisbees. But the mail? We may or may not have a little more in common with April and Andy there.
Set yourself a 20-minute timer. Find your stack of mail, and go to town. Be ruthless! Trash those advertisements, one-time offers, and coupons. Set aside handwritten invitations and notes to respond to in a moment. Rip open the bills to deal with right after your timer's over. Take no prisoners - and enjoy your new freezer space...er, kitchen counter space.
4. Take note of what you enjoy spending on
If you're on my email list, you've probably felt some guilt or regret around spending money before. Maybe that's an everyday experience; maybe you have a few purchasing memories that haunt you to this day. But that's not what I want you to focus on right now.
What I want you to do is think about...what you LOVE spending money on.
What's that one thing that you never regret the time and money you spent on it?
Your most recent vacation?
Quality clothing that lasts you years and makes you feel your best?
Your car, which brings you joy every time you settle into the driver's seat?
(For me, it's any trip to the bookstore...Half Price Books has both my heart and my wallet. If you've been on a call with me or seen my instagram reels, you've seen my beloved home library behind me.)
I want you to pay attention to these things because they give us a huge clue into your money values, which will help us design your vision and growth for the future.
5. Cull who has access to you via email
Here I am, writing to you…and you probably got to this post because I emailed you. So I'm going to tell you an open secret (that is NOT in my best interest...haha):
Your email address is one of the most valuable pieces of information a company can know about you. If they have access to your inbox, they can form a relationship with you, they can let you know when they're selling products, and whether you see their message to you is more determined by the quality of their content than by the whims of the algorithm (cough cough, social media)!
If I know that, guess who else knows that?
Amazon.
Target.
Best Buy.
Apple.
Every single website you've ever visited that had a pop-up for you to put your email address into to get 10% off your first purchase.
Tell yourself: "When I need something, I'll buy it. I don't need to rely on Labor Day sales from shoe companies, purveyors of pillows, and online photo editing softwares. My desires, resources, and goals determine my purchases, not the one-time-only coupon that just came in my inbox."
Then, scroll all the way down through those emails from Target and hit unsubscribe. You can thank me later.
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Have you tried one or two of these tactics? Are there any you swear by right now? What else should I add to the list?
I've said it twice this email already, and I'll say it again: money + psychology = POWER COUPLE.
If you're ready to accelerate your money health (and get the support you need to make your financial success a reality!), I'm ready too.
Book a free discovery call and let's talk!
