How to make the most of your money, time and energy

To fix this, it’s easy to think that we “just need more”. More time, more energy, more money, and that once we have more, everything will be fine.

So, why is it that regardless of how many hours a day we spend at work, however much we reorganise our diary, we so often still get to the end of the day and wonder where the time has gone to?

We might not be working at the weekend, but we can still get to Sunday evening and feel as though we haven’t achieved anything.

We can be retired, and wonder how we ever had time to fit in a full-time job and looking after a family.

The same applies to our money. We think that if we just have more money, we will be okay, but the reality is that we generally still find ourselves getting to the end of the week, or of the month, without any more money in the bank, or our savings accounts, than we had before.

So why is this, and what can we do about it, because we don’t want to keep going through life running out of time, money and energy?

We don’t want to get a few years down the line having worked more and more hours, working harder and harder, earning more and more money through salary increases and overtime, but still feeling as skint as we ever did.

Parkinson’s Law says that whatever we have, we use. If we have more of it, we use more of it. We fill our time, we spend our money.

If we find “spare” time in our day, it gets filled and if we have extra money coming in, it gets spent, and by continually using everything we have, we find ourselves in danger of constantly searching for more, which can lead to overwhelm, frustration, stress and exhaustion.

Norfolk-based money coach Kim Uzzell of mymoneymovement.co.uk (Image: @Valentinestudio)

By recognising and acknowledging Parkinson’s Law, we can understand that the problem doesn’t lie with us being rubbish with money or chaotic or lazy with our time management. Once we cut ourselves some slack, we can look at things a little more objectively and see that it is not how much we have, but how we make the best use of that.

Time, money and energy - we need to stop chasing all the time, and be more efficient with what we have first. If that involves getting budgeting help, or speaking to your boss, colleagues, clients and family members about how to better manage your time, make time in your diary this week to take that step.

YOUR MONEY MATTERS

If you are looking for financial help and advice, here are some of the resources you can turn to locally.

Norfolk Citizens Advice

Offers free, confidential and impartial advice on debt, benefits and money issues.
0800 1448 848
ncab.org.uk

Money Support Service
Norfolk County Council service for those needing help with budgeting.
01603 223392 (option 4)
norfolk.gov.uk

Community Action Norfolk
Charity offering help including warm homes and collective oil buying scheme.
01362 698216
communityactionnorfolk.org.uk

Norfolk Community Foundation
Charity that runs schemes including nourishing Norfolk and community shops.
01603 623958
norfolkfoundation.com

Norfolk Assistance Scheme (NAS)
Helps people who are in financial hardship and cannot pay their living costs.
0344 8008020
norfolk.gov.uk

The Trussell Trust
Free 'Help through Hardship' helpline and food bank search tool.
0808 208 2138
trusselltrust.org

The EDP has launched the Your Money Matters campaign (Image: Archant)