In the fourth of our foundation posts we continue with looking at building our optimal life through choices as we continue with:

Curation

We continue with the last three areas of our curation pillar.

Money

We are not going to run through much in the way of money optimisation. More of that comes through in our Maintenance and Growth stages of the three stage plan. At this point, we are really looking to take command of our existing outgoings.

As we move through life we make commitments which were right at the time but we forget to ever review. These commitments can often incur a financial cost. Our intention through our exercise to curate how we use our money is to turn our spending into solid conscious decisions and not the residue of previous interests or ambitions.

The starting point is to simply understand your current financial position. You’ll need to have your bank statements and your credit card statements. Electronic versions are best but if you have to trawl through manual statements it’s still worth the effort.

We start with your outgoings. Total up your regular outgoings and calculate what it equates to per year. Understanding what percentage of your total salary you spend in each area can be eye opening and can often help identify the areas of spend that need attention.

You will need to sit and review all of your expenditure line by line. The key principle you are reviewing for is value. Calculate how much you will spend on any given expenditure item over a year and ask yourself, are you getting the value you want for that cost? The most common areas where costs can be saved are:

• subscription to services hardly ever used
• the cost of staying up to date with the latest tech despite your outgoing tech having all of the functionality that you need
• paying too much interest – essentially outside of your mortgage and motor finance, the cost of debt is usually very high so you need to be repaying it as quickly as you can.
• over-buying personal items – especially as a result of sales – many of us get drawn in by bargains and this leads us to buying things that we really don’t need
• wasteful buying – especially on food – buying food without a solid meal plan can lead to both poor diet and food waste
• paying for services without using them – gym memberships top the list here – we wouldn’t necessarily say that these should be canceled but be realistic about whether you’re going to get value – it may spur you on to actually go to the gym
• gambling – make sure that your seeing it for what it is and if you’re not getting joy out of it or your expectations are unrealistic (e.g. this week we will win the jackpot) then maybe consider reducing your expense

Your list is your list and your assessment of value is your own. It’s important that you run through your own list at this stage and make your own assessments. Don’t get caught out by lack of awareness and unconscious spending from historic commitments.

Energy

Without energy nothing happens. How are we managing our energy?

There are three drivers which are key to your energy flow:

Sleep: Both your body and your mind require sufficient sleep in order to function properly. We should all be conscious of our sleep patterns and understand what drives good or bad sleep for us as individuals. Although there are commonalities (avoid blue light at night, no distractions in the bed room, don’t eat to close to going to bed, etc.) what is right for one of us is not right for everyone. It’s important that we try different tactics and find out what works for us. There are innumerable sources on line and a variety of books available on ways to improve sleep.

Nutrition: Different foods have different nutritional compounds and the release of energy can be quite varied with some releasing energy quickly and others more slowly. It is worth remembering that following the energy boost from a quick release energy food the body and mind will then crash and we will feel tired and lethargic. Repeatedly consuming quick release energy (or high sugar) products will ultimately reduce the impact of the boost and increase the level and length of the crash.

Exercise: Our bodies have evolved to be used yet with our modern lifestyle we are more sedentary. We are more likely to have to ensure that we engage in specific exercise sessions to combat the impact of our sedentary lives. Moderate exercise at least once, but preferably twice per day, will keep us healthier and boost our energy levels significantly.

The next questions we should ask ourselves is “are we able to put our energy into the things that we value?” and “what do we do that requires the most mental energy or the most physical energy?”.

We need to think about how we match our energy levels to the times and activities that require the energy. It is unreasonable to anticipate constant levels of energy throughout the day and throughout the week. Knowing what our own schedules are we can work out when we will need to have the highest levels of mental energy and when we need the highest levels of physical energy. From understanding this we can look to build an eating, sleeping and exercise plan.

Specific resources will be recommended in the bibliography on the techniques to support in completing a plan. There are many resources available on-line also. The purpose of this blog is to draw your attention to the importance of having a plan. It is more important that we find the right tool that works for each of us.

People

In the words of Jim Rohn, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. As we go through life we will meet new people, lose touch with old friends. Life has a way of moving people around and it sometimes can be hard to maintain relationships with everyone, even in the modern, connected world.

The challenge of us it to be selective in who we maintain contact with. We should aim to spend the time with those that elevate us, support us, challenge us; those that make us laugh or those that mean something to us. We should try and spend our time with those with the same values or a common purpose.

Curating a friendship group is not easy. Especially when it comes to removing people from our lives. Sometimes we can let friendships slowly burn away, with contact reducing and fading over time. For some people, however, we need to be more direct. Honesty can be hard. Turning to someone and saying “I am sorry but I don’t really have a space for you in my life” is not an easy thing to do, even when it’s the right thing to do.

Similarly, it can be awkward trying to spend more time with the people that we want to spend time with, without looking like a stalker.

We recommend that the transition of the people in your life to who you want to spend time with should take time. Look for opportunities to spend more time with those that you want to be with. The more that you do this, the easier it is to tell others that you are busy or have other commitments. You can also look for openings and opportunities to move yourself away from those that you are hoping to spend less time with.

The Curation element of the Foundation is about awareness, about making choices. Some of the tools and techniques required to maximise how we curate our lives will be posted in the blog. There are so many resources available on-line and in books that suggesting a sure-fire method is not part of our foundation. Everyone is different and although we can suggest varying techniques it is for the individual to find what best works for them.