Goodbye 2020 and hello 2021! Did 2020 surprise the heck out of you like it did the rest of us? With all it’s plot twists and turns, ups, downs, and chaos, it’s clear to see why some people said f-it and slid right into the new year without a second thought of last year. Because of the unexpected happening for so many people, it’s only right that I do my part to help you organize your life in 2021 with this blog post. That way, no matter what happens this year, you will still be ahead of the game because of my 5 Steps to Organize Your Life in 2021.
1. Create A Budget
This by far will transform your entire financial life. With all the financial surprises of 2021, there were so many people that were not prepared. The coronavirus pandemic struck and they were hit with layoffs or loss of income. I don’t want that to be you, should something like that happen in the future.
As of October 2020, there were 4.5 million people that had lost their temporary jobs, with 3.8 million people that had lost their permanent job.
cnn.com
There was a time when I didn’t have a budget, and my finances showed the truth in that. I spent my money however I wanted. The fact that I never told myself “no,” when it came to spending, led to way too much compulsive spending for me. My overspending and lack of discipline in my finances finally got the best of me. As a result, I vowed to get my money right and transform the way I viewed and managed my money. So, I decided to get on a budget and learn the truth about my financial situation. It was eye opening and a pretty big gut check! Not knowing where you stand in your finances is not a smart place to be. I have Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliché to thank for my budget and showing me how to set it up. In her book, The One Week Budget, she completely breaks down how you need to set up your budget, step by step, regardless of your income level. She also provides the templates you need to get started and begin your healthy road to financial freedom.
Several years later, and I still use these same templates in my budget. In her book, she also shows you how to completely automate your bill payments every month. That part alone has been a complete game changer for me. I love the fact that I only have to view my bills about thirty minutes every month. This is to confirm everything was paid and check the payment off on my spreadsheet. If you’re ready to transform your finances, this book will help you do it, once and for all.
2. Set Some Goals
We are now in a new year and many people have set goals and new year’s resolutions. The truth is, most resolutions are lost in the shuffle before January is even over. Because 2020 threw us all for one hell of a loop, this year has to come with some major changes and new disciplines, especially if you want to organize your life.
I know setting goals can sometimes be overwhelming, which is exactly why I don’t want you to focus on a laundry list of goals. I encourage you to choose 3 main goals that you can work on throughout this year and stick to them. Whether your goal is to lose weight, create your budget, start a new job, launch a business, or even save a certain amount of money, make a commitment to yourself and stick to it. This is especially helpful if these goals will help you transform in certain areas of your life. Let this year be the year that you get tired of setting goals that you don’t stick to. I want to see you win in 2021!
3. Organize Your Personal Affairs
Because the pandemic caused so many people to unexpectedly lose their lives, many people may have passed without getting their household affairs in order. Rightfully so, when you’re hit with that type of sickness, it doesn’t leave much room (or time) to take care of everything. So ask yourself, “If something were to happen to me today, would my household be okay?” Would everything be in order to the point that your family can focus on grieving and healing and not have to deal with also taking care of things you may have left behind? This is especially critical if you’re a single person living by yourself. Does someone in your family have access to all your personal affairs (i.e bank accounts, household accounts, insurance accounts, and so forth)? If you own a home and other assets, do you have a will in place? Does someone have contact information for your lawyer? Better yet, do you have a lawyer?
These are some of the things that people don’t always consider until it’s too late. My goal is to encourage you to get your affairs in order before you have to as you work to organize your life.
4. Create Another Stream of Income
As I said earlier, this pandemic has caused millions of people to lose their income. The unfortunate part about it is the fact that many of those people may have only had one stream of income. So, when their money was cut off, that more than likely caused some panic for many households. This is why it is imperative that you create another stream of income beyond your 9-5 because you never know what can happen. There are many things you can do to create additional streams. For simplistic ways to create income, you can use your existing skills to create new ways to earn money. You can also launch a home based business. If you’re interested in this route but not sure if it’s what you want to do, my Home Based Business Decision Guide will help you decide.
5. Build Your $1000 Emergency Fund
Building this fund will help you with unexpected expenses, especially while you organize your life. Plus it keeps you from having to dip into your existing household funds that you use for your bill payment. For example, car repairs, home repairs, unexpected medical expenses, and several other things that may come up. This will not solve all your money problems but it will help give you a peace of mind should you need it. Plus it keeps you from having to use a credit card for these minor expenses should they come up.
You might be thinking about how impossible it might be to save $1000, but did you know that if you made a 90-day game plan to do it, you can make it happen. That averages out to be $11.11 per day. I’m sure you can probably think of something you bought today that cost you more than $11.11. Some people easily blow $100 on things they don’t need.
Why not make a commitment to yourself today to start building your emergency fund? That way, whenever a financial emergency comes up, you’ll already have the funds you need to cover it? The first step you’ll need to do is decide where you want to save your money. I recommend you opening an online high yield savings account. That way, you’ll be able to earn interest on the money you’re saving. The best part about saving, is that when you hit your goal, you’ll be able to celebrate achieving your goal!
If you apply these steps, it will help you set your 2021 up for success, and get you prepared for any unexpected things that can come up. So, now it’s time to get to it and organize your life!
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