I wish my wife would kick me out of the house for a day. I could get all of this done, and more…

http://themedium.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/addressing-security-concerns-on-mintcom/

While it’s not for everyone, Mint has simplified my life substantially.

I was in Charlottesville because 1) it’s far enough from home (Alexandria), 2) it’s got coffee shops, and 3) it has good hikes/walks. I need to take a break every couple of hours, and a change of scenery does wonders for my creativity and frame of mind. And yes, I bring a notebook with me on the hikes/walks and noodle through a few things.

It is indeed a great place.

(We haven’t followed this exact practice since having kids. But we might be able to return to it in a few years.)

Rob

These are all great tips, but I struggle the most with #8. It’s a hard habit to change, but I think I need to start shutting down all the distractions when I need to be in the zone whether it be at my day job or when working on the Engaged Marriage blog.

Thanks for getting my thoughts headed in the right direction.

Can you elaborate more on http://www.mint.com. How safe is it?

Love your blogs!
R

On a daily basis, I usually assign a few tasks that work to do those. It’s better than having an awfully long list all the time!

The change of scenery can be a big part of it, too. I was told that if I have problems studying, I should hit up a Starbucks or Barnes & Noble and do my studying there. The change of surroundings, plus the lack of extra distractions, can help get me to actually study instead of think up creative reasons as to why I don’t need to study.

Renting a hotel room for myself when I was first attempting to undo my debt problems would have been a luxury I definitely couldn’t afford, though! I think it’s possible to get a lot done without the expense of a hotel room–just takes focus and willpower.

So I thought about it and realized that I really wasn’t getting much from following sports so closely (especially as a Chicago sports fan!). So I cut back on it, didn’t join any fantasy leagues, and paid more attention to my money.

Not only has it paid off financially, but it’s also had a more intangible effect — it’s made me feel more grounded and involved in my own life.

I track and update my budget on a regular basis.

What I will try to take from this post is to put time aside for the “financial to-dos”. In my case that would be claiming FSA reimbursements, filing my papers that pile up, cleaning out the files, etc. One of my to-dos that I’ve been putting off is to create a list of all my accounts, make sure that my sister is the beneficiary on everything, and send her a copy. May be morbid but I hate the thought that some bank would keep my money because there was no beneficiary and she didn’t know to contact them.

I’m sure my wife would be fine with it….as long as I took the kids with me.

And I also would like to read about how to find the power to save again after getting into debt again (for a good reason) after being almost free of debt.

I love your blog!

If you’re making big, life affecting changes though, I’d think it better to treat it as more of a “family” holiday than a personal one.

Robert, glad you found (or were forced to find) the time to get things in order. I automate the bejeezus out of my finances and like to devote an afternoon every month or so to making sure everything is working like it’s supposed to.