***Got Messy Financial Piles?

I am often amazed at how many financial books neglect to focus on the critical issue of how to get financially organized.

So many of us are desperately seeking the one quick-fix step that will turn our financial lives around (like investing in the right stock) that we neglect to take care of the seemingly smaller life-changing step of simply getting organized.

When it comes to organizing our financial messes, we groan, procrastinate and justify.   Meanwhile our piles of bills and financial papers continue to grow, taking on a life of their own, just like Audrey II, the carnivorous plant in the film, Little Shop of Horrors.

This film is about Seymour, a nerdy florist, and Audrey II, the plant that appears in his shop one day, having come from outer space during a solar eclipse. Seymour accidentally cuts his finger and learns that Audrey II thrives on blood.  With a supply of blood, Audrey II grows bigger and bigger (making Seymour a local celebrity).

Then she begins to grow uncontrollably, demanding more and more blood in the process.

Our various financial piles and rooms of disorganization are like Audrey II, slowly growing until they become out of control, sucking the blood and life force out of us by leaving us feeling disempowered, overwhelmed and in denial about our financial situation.

I’ve had entrepreneurs in my classes who would begin to giggle nervously when I brought up the topic of good financial house keeping.  They couldn’t deny they had an issue when it came to financial organization.

Do you have piles here and there with important financial information (like bills that are due, bank statements that need to be looked at, overdraft notices or parking tickets that need to be addressed)? 

Perhaps you have an entire room designated to financial chaos that you simply close the door to so you can live in denial a little longer.

If you’re starting to feel a little uncomfortable being reminded about your own financial blood-suckers, that’s great!  I want to motivate you to get off your butt and to do something about it.  It is pretty much impossible to successfully move forward financially without putting yourself through this deep-cleaning process.

Get Financially Organized Action Step

Clean up your financial messes and piles. Most of us have some sort of financial mess or pile that is requiring attention.  Some of us have more and bigger piles than others. Take a moment to mentally identify your financial messes.

You may be feeling overwhelmed or even slightly nauseous thinking about all that needs to be cleaned up and organized, and all the bad habits that need to be done away with.

In tackling the problem of financial chaos, keep the following tips in mind:

1) Be willing to do it poorly.  Many of us procrastinate because we don’t want to tackle a project until we can do it perfectly. Get past that.

Give yourself permission to do the task poorly—especially if that’s what it takes to get you started. You’ll find that once you break past your initial resistance, you’ll discover new energy, excitement and motivation.

2) Take baby steps and be realistic. Take baby steps and remember you don’t have to accomplish it all at once!  And be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given period of time.  Instead of insisting you get your office totally cleaned and organized by the end of the day, decide that for a certain period of time you’ll work on sorting through and organizing one pile.

3) Get support.  Call a friend and have them help hold you accountable to whatever you decide to do.  Agree to call them when you’re done to report on your success.

4) Just do it & do it first thing.  Don’t ask yourself how you feel about the task—just do it.  Decide to do it first thing in the morning, before you do anything else.

If you do it later in the day, you may be filled with anticipation and anxiety long before you actually begin the task.

5) Don’t get distracted.  I promise as you go about cleaning up your financial mess, you’ll find other things that draw your attention– emails, magazines, catalogues, whatever is lying around near your piles of chaos.
Don’t allow yourself to get distracted.  I want your “distraction alarm” to go off loud and clear as soon as you notice this happening, and get yourself back on task.

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel though.  Once you go through the financial housecleaning process you’ll feel as if you’ve been given a new life.  You’ll experience new energy as you reclaim your position of financial organization and clarity.