13 Signs That You Need More Free Time

Your Bills Look Like the Leaning Tower of Pisa

When we're busy, we don't put as much time into building foundations as we do toward putting out fires.

But those foundations not only build our future, they make day-to-day living easier. There is no area where this is truer than your finances. Effective, well-organized systems like a budget, the right accounts, bill payments and estate documents will save you lots of time and money in the long run. Additionally, when we're short on time, we take shortcuts—which usually end up being more expensive.

Try this: Take a few hours each weekend for the next month to tackle your finances. First address the most pressing issues, like getting through that stack of bills or calling your credit card companies to reduce interest rates. Next, create great systems that will help you more easily maintain, like receipt and filing systems (we recommend going paperless), linking up your accounts to track spending, or just using simple Excel spreadsheets or cash envelopes. The key is experimenting and finding what works for you.