Page 58 - Workbook2E

Your Financial Stress Profile—Evaluations Stressor No. 6 Maintaining Financial Records from page 38
This is a day of record-keeping. Government agencies, political and social organizations, email and paper trails—everybody is keeping records. Often the complex record-keeping maze society has created can be very difficult for the naïve, unprepared, or intolerant. Consider these recommendations based on the results of Your Financial Stress Profile questionnaire.
You currently feel little stress from maintaining good financial records.
You recognize the need to keep complete and accurate financial records. Make sure you keep things in perspective. If you allow yourself to focus too finely on details, you may obscure the bigger picture.
Don’t allow yourself to become critical of others who aren’t
as careful record-keeper as
you. Don’t fall into the trap of not trusting others and doing the work so it will be done correctly. Practice separating the person or event, from the record of the event.
Don’t allow your penchant for good records to take over your life. Take time to live and make sure you allocate “fun money” along with savings and investing in your budgeting and projections.
Don’t confuse record-keeping with the strict practice of making yourself or others justify every expense or allocation. This only increases tension and stress and alienates your associates.
You currently feel moderate stress from maintaining good financial records.
You’re moderately strict
in keeping complete and accurate records. Realize that “moderate” is in-between and your records may suffer from some deficiencies and errors, causing some stress.
Consciously choose to do things a bit sooner and a little more carefully. This will help you prevent the stress created through missing deadlines and making mistakes. Remember it’s difficult to get ahead if you’re barely keeping up.
Schedule blocks of time in your planner to take care of record keeping so it will be easier to maintain. Remember being
on time is not too early or too late.
Only use a moderately strict standard when judging the records of others.
Remember all events in life don’t require a paper trail. As you improve your record- keeping skills, avoid any tendency to over-record.
You currently feel considerable stress in keeping good financial records.
Your answers indicate you’re not strict with yourself in keeping complete and accurate records. Be aware this makes you appear to be more relaxed and easy- going, but it’s not necessarily so.
You tend to ignore important record-keeping until it becomes urgent, then stress sets in as you try to make up for lost ground.
You may even forget which tasks have been completed since you’re inconsistent in keeping records of your progress.
Ask yourself why record- keeping seems unimportant. Then begin to form simple record-keeping habits step-by- step. Take a note book and a pencil with you wherever you go; write down prices, dates, appointments and important conversations. Attach memos and receipts to your notebook, regard it as an article of clothing you’d be embarrassed to be without. It will help you learn organization and build a daily map of your life.
54 Workbook 2: Improve Your Financial Life