The seven · 05 / 07

The question

Do I feel secure and in control — is it funding the life, and have I defined enough?

Every Sunday, Money gets a number from 1 to 7, the same as the other six. The scale is the same for all seven:

1

Abandoned. Not in the plan at all.

3

Maintenance. Showing up, going through motions, no intention behind it.

5

In it. Deliberate effort, visible progress, a plan being run.

7

Fully lived. Lived at full intent. You would put this quarter on the record.

Goals people set here

Ideas, not assignments. Each one names a number or a date, so you will know whether you did it.

• Save 20% of take-home pay, checked at the end of each month.
• Build a six-month emergency fund by December.
• Define what enough looks like, in writing, by the end of March.
• Review every subscription each quarter and cancel what I do not use.
• Clear the remaining card balance by August.
• Move $500 into the index fund every month and leave it alone.

Things worth doing once

From the fifty-two actions — one a week, the same for everybody, chosen and never assigned. These are the Money ones.

• Write down what you own and what you oweEvery account, every debt, one page. Do it again next January and read the difference.
• Cancel the subscriptions you forgot aboutRead three months of statements. Anything you would not sign up for again today, cancel today.
• Put every regular bill on autopayRent or mortgage, power, phone, insurance. A late fee is money spent on forgetting.
• Move savings out on payday, automaticallyA standing transfer the day the money arrives. What is left is what you spend, and you never decide twice.
• Open an account for emergenciesSeparate from everyday spending, with a standing transfer into it, however small. It is the difference between a bad week and a debt.
• Look at your retirement savingsLog in, find the balance and what the fees cost you, and write both down. Then decide whether anything should change.
• Check your credit reportYou can see it for free. Look for accounts you do not recognise, and fix anything wrong while it is small.
• Take a money hour each monthWhat came in, what went out, and whether the automatic transfers still make sense. One hour, the same day each month.