DrDeClutterBlog.com

Problogger Darren Rowse has a fun look at saving 37 minutes a day to get more blogging done. Pretty funny.

Business online is magical really when you think about it. Digital nothings zipping around the universe making sense, information, education, entertainment, connection and commerce.

Do you make money from online time?

If not, I’d say, get off most of these more than minutes at a time if this is not your way of making money.  Get back your time and focus by limiting and stopping all together some online activities that waste minutes, hours and ultimately days of your life.

Darren’s list: 

• Turn off Twitter – 6 minutes an hour
• Turn off Facebook – 3 minutes an hour
• Stop checking your Traffic Stats – 2 minutes an hour
• Stop checking your AdSense Earnings – 2 minutes an hour
• Stop Tweaking your blog design – 3 minutes an hour
• Stop checking your Google Page Rank – 1 minute an hour
• Turn off Email – 5 minutes an hour
• Log out of your RSS Feed Reader – 2 minutes an hour
• Stop checking to see if someone Dugg your latest post – 1 minute an hour
• Stop checking affiliate earnings/e-book sales earnings – 2 minutes an hour
• Turn off any other Social Media Sites (LinkedIn/StumbleUpon/Plurk/Reddit etc) – 3 minutes an hour
• Turn of Skype, Gtalk and all other IM services – 4 minutes
• Stop Reading Blog Tips and Start Blogging – 3 minutes an hour

Save more time! I’ll add:

• Get off ezines and newsletters you don’t read anyway but glare at and wonder if you should read them – 3 minutes an hour
• Stop opting in to sites just to leave your Comment – 6 minutes an hour
• Don’t pass on jokes that aren’t funny anyway! – 3 minutes an hour

Life’s short! Enjoy every minute in the best ways you can imagine!

http://givingcircles.org/ brings together individuals so they can pool ideas and money to make a bigger impact! Check it out!

Unless you donate to the same charity every year, or local ones that you trust, you can check out the finances and general sustainability of more than 5,300 groups at http://www.charitynavigator.org/ 

Did you shop ’til you dropped on Black Friday? Eeeeeek!

Are you still doing it?

If so, and you may be feeling some remorse. Simply find your receipts and see what you can take back that you really don’t need, and neither does the person you thought would really like or need the item.

I know, that feels hard to do, especially now during the core of holiday shopping season, but it’s going to feel worse when the bills start coming in and you can’t pay them! Can you say “interest” rates?

Start your Waste-Watcher’s Diet now. Start saving more, spending less, even during the holiday season.

Get creative and give differently this year if money is tight.

Write down some belt-tightening measures to yield at least $150 in savings each month (or as much as you can realistically save), then commit to shedding your budgetary flab. Your financial health depends on it.

I agree to cut back on ___________________________

    For a monthly savings of ____________________________  

I agree to cut back on ___________________________

    For a monthly savings of ____________________________

I agree to cut back on ___________________________

    For a monthly savings of ____________________________

I agree to cut back on ___________________________

    For a monthly savings of ____________________________

I agree to cut back on ___________________________

    For a monthly savings of ____________________________
 
Signed ___________________________

    Total $_________________________
 

You can't do it all and you can't do little pieces of many things well, so . . . What do you need to STOP doing? 

In Seth Godin's little amazing book, "THE DIP," he let's us know a lot about quitting, stopping and walking away from what is not our priority and what is wasting our time.Our time is chopped, diced, spliced, and frittered away every day. The important things don't get the attention they need and deserve due to too many interests (none of which get any attention either) or too many "shoulds" (usually stuff that doesn't matter or bring great paybacks, but cause a lot of unnecessary guilt.)

Sometimes a big makeover isn't the answer, but a quick and easy small one might be to freshen up your room! 

In "Speed Decorating", the new book by Jill Vegas the author gives some quick and easy ways to liven up your kitchen:

Got credit card debt?

Getting free of unsecured debt might take some time and patience, but since interest charges are compounding your problem, the sooner you start a reduction plan, the better.

Try these step-by-step strategies:

1) If possible, pay off all your unsecured debt with your rainy day reserve. Then replenish your savings posthaste.

2) No cash reserve? Prioritize bills representing unsecured debt. First cover food, medicine, utilities, gasoline, any child support, and taxes if you’re self-employed.

3) Liquidate your credit card loans: Organize and take stock of your unsecured credit card debt by creating an accounting form like the one below. Organize the list in descending order of interest rate. Pay off the card with the highest APR first, then proceed down the line.

Credit Card: ____________  Minimum Monthly Payment: _____
 Balance: ______
 Interest Rate: _____
 
Credit Card: ____________
 Minimum Monthly Payment: _____
 Balance: ______
 Interest Rate: _____
 
Credit Card: ____________
 Minimum Monthly Payment: _____
 Balance: ______
 Interest Rate: _____
 
4) Don’t be a slacker when you transfer amounts.

Always transfer the amount you’ve been paying on one card to the next in full, so that your payment will increase. In other words, the monthly amount you were paying on the card just paid off — $200—plus the minimum payment on the next card—let’s say $45—will be the new amount you now pay on the next card—a total of $245. (Don’t pay a minimum below $245 or you’ll be creating a longer payoff period again.) Continue this process until all your credit card debt is paid off.

5) Have at least one good credit card is good for your credit. So. when your unsecured debts are paid off, close all but one or two credit card accounts, and continue to pay them off each month.

6) Keep going! Redirect the monthly amount of the payment on the last credit card, including the extra $150, to your investment account or toward reducing other bad debt.

7) If you’ve followed through on 1-6 above, WHOO HOO to YOU!! You deserve a deep breath and a round of applause.

You’ve worked hard to get your debt payed off, now, what about paying yourself first?

People of wealth and financial security know how to pay themselves first, while taking care of bills, investments and more.

How? Think piggy banks!

Get your three piggy banks,

1. one for saving,
2. one for tithing to charity,
3. and one for investing.

Each day put the same amount in each piggy bank.

Every month, make your separate deposits as described earlier.

Investment Savings Account

Remember, the money destined for an investment savings account should be kept in that account until you’re ready to invest it some other way. Once you’ve invested a dollar into the asset column, never take it out of the asset column. This is your “employee,” and it will generate your eventual passive or portfolio income—the true beginning of financial freedom.

Thoughts drive behavior.

Emotions and childhood patterns and conditioning from others drive thoughts and beliefs.

What you learned as a child may be a incorrect. In order to have a better life, one that flows with more ease and allows more good in you must to be honest with yourself about this now, that “What you learned as a child may be a incorrect.”

Before you start down the path to financial freedom, you must first understand that some “input” you received in your formative years wasn’t correct. Parents, teachers, preachers and peers were doing the best they could from the programming they received, but it doesn’t mean it was right.

Have you ever noticed, for example, how the rich think about money and how the poor and middle-class think about money differ widely? Plus, if you don’t actually, personally know any “rich” or wealthy people, you’re only guessing what they think at all! You’re only running on childhood training, observations and experiences and now as an adult judging from a small corner of the money spectrum options.

What is true, and proven, is that regardless of how much money you make, you will end up right back where you started if you don’t change your thoughts about money. Including, if you inherit a boat-load of it (fishing boat or cruise ship amount), win the lottery, or other “windfall”, old thought habits (revolving around fear and struggle) will get the best of you and your finances.

Simply put, the most effective way to change your life and your financial freedom is to change how you think.

  - Write down what you think about money.

  - What do you think about people who have lots of money?

  - Can you have more?

  - Is it okay to have lots of it?

  - Can you spend it on yourself?

  - What would other people (family and friends) think?

Just these few answers will give you an idea of the organization of your thoughts about money.

I offer coaching on this and other issues where you feel stuck and “wobbling.” Let me know how I can help you.