The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Sally. Sally is the blogger behind TinyApartmentDesign.com, a blog about design, living well, and simple, tiny spaces.
We talk about personal infrastructure as all of the tools and systems that help your life run, although we are also part of the infrastructure of our communities.
So, if you want to do trail runs and bike rides in your neighborhood, but there are no trails or bike lanes, it will be hard to make those activities a part of your daily life. If you want to take public transportation to work or to go somewhere on the weekends, then you’ll need buses, rail or paratransit in the neighborhood. If you want to buy an electric car but there are no charging stations within 20 miles of you and you can’t charge at home, it will be difficult to justify buying an electric car.
In our cities and communities, we are always looking to build systems that work, that people will use and that provide value to the users for years to come. We can also do that in our own lives as well.
One of the first places to analyze your own infrastructure is how you’re spending your time on a daily basis. Here’s an easy personal example:
When I go to work at 8 am, it takes me almost 50 minutes in traffic to get to the office. While I usually try to take advantage of that time and listen to books on tape, I’ve neglected going to the library and haven’t listened to much besides the radio and songs on my iPhone. But when I wake up early to go to the gym, it takes just 20-25 minutes to get to work, which means I can save two hours each week that are not spent in the car. Those two hours are then included in my workout, so it’s a double benefit.
We also spend a lot of time at work, and if you can use your time efficiently, you can make the case (eventually) that you don’t need to be there just for office hours, you need to be there to take care of your work. The next time you are tempted to waste some time before getting to your next task, step away from your work area for a minute or two, visit with a coworker and head into the next job refreshed. Make your work easier to do. If you work in the field, keep all of your tools with you. If you work in an office, you can listen to relaxing music (just Youtube ‘study music’ for good options) in 25 minute chunks while you focus on getting an immediate task.
How does all of this affect your finances? When you are using your time and resources well, your finances will improve. Some of the first things you can implement are:
- Setting up direct deposit for your income
- Setting up automatic savings each week or month
- Setting aside 30 minutes each month to update your net worth
- Reviewing your estimated fixed monthly expenses at least every 6 months to identify places to save: cell phones, internet, even your mortgage or rent
You may already be doing all of these things, but the key is to keep reviewing and looking for improvements. If the system isn’t working, it can always be adjusted.
How about you all? What systems do you have in place that is working best?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/3957311986/in/
