Why Discipline isn’t the Key to Budgeting

If you think that your problem with money is discipline, it isn’t… Have you ever felt like you were a lost cause when it comes to your money? That no matter how many spreadsheets you make you still can’t make the budget? Trust us, we’ve all been there before. However, we have a life changer for you and it’s called… *drum roll please* Automated Systems.

Many of us go straight to thinking we’re the problem when we don’t meet our budgeting goals. With all the fancy apps and spreadsheets available to us, society has us believing that the issue with our money is “that we just don’t know or can’t stick to our budget". Well, we’ll bust another myth and keep it honest and just tell you that your system is the problem, not you… We know you’ve tried a lot of things that haven’t worked, but we promise, you are not a lost cause.

People who have more “perceived” self-control don’t have a magical superpower, they have a good system. If you don’t believe us, believe science. James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is an awesome read on building sustainable habits, and in the book he writes “When scientists analyze people who appear to have tremendous self-control, it turns out those individuals aren't all that different from those who are struggling. Instead, 'disciplined' people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control".   That’s why leveraging automated systems is an absolute lifesaver when it comes to meeting budgeting goals because you won’t have to rely on discipline in the first place.

So, the next time you think that budgeting “isn’t for me” or “I’m just not good at the numbers” or “I don’t have the discipline to budget” — remember this post!  DON’T GIVE UP!!! Instead look to create a system to help you meet your financial goals and avoid the stress and the manual labor of a spreadsheet or app.

If you need a little help planning these systems, our Financial Therapist, Jasmine specializes in helping BIPOC professionals grow their income without stress or guilt of spending money. Jasmine takes UMR and clients out of network in NY & NJ! Click here to learn more.