How to Maintain 100% Effort on Your Financial Journey

How do we keep up motivation and effort with the ebbs and flows of our financial journey? Once we know how to budget, cut spending, pay down debt, and increase savings the challenge can become how to maintain these practices over years! On this episode we're talking all about tips for motivation + focus to keep us working towards our goals and maybe even have some fun along the way!

Sponsors: 

• Empower: An awesome mobile app jam packed with features that make managing your money easier. With a high-yield checking account offering 1.6% APY, and direct access to their financial coaches; Empower is an obvious choice in mobile apps! For more info about Empower, visit: empower.me/FRUGAL and use offer code FRUGAL to get a $5 bonus when you reach your savings goal
• The couch: That comfy womfy cocoon calling your name after work, on Saturday, and all other hours of the day that you’re not in bed. Couches are designed to make you want to stay all day and binge those Netflix comedy specials you don’t really care about but you already finished the first season of The Witcher and you’re waiting for season 2 so it doesn’t matter. The couch, don’t do any of those things on your to do list. Just sit.

Notable Notes:

What the Internet has to say:

This article from James Clear talks about the in's and out's of motivation and how we actually achieve this in our lives!

What Jen + Jill have to say:

• What is motivation?
  • "At some point, it is easier to change than to stay the same...it becomes more painful to not do the work than to actually do it" - James Clear
• Misconceptions about motivation:
  • it often comes after starting a new behavior, not before
• How to:
  • Set rituals
  • Schedule motivation - set a time to do it!
• Make it a habit
  • Step 1 - make it SO easy
  • Step 2 - get moving
  • Step 3 - follow same pattern every single time
• Long term motivation = goldilocks rule (right on edge of ability; not t0o hard, not too easy)
• What to do when motivation fades
  • "Suggestion engine"
  • Remind self, discomfort is temporary
  • You will never regret good work

More from the Internet:

This article from Stunning Motivation gives tips on how to create an environment that is optimal for maintaining effort and forward movement towards goals.

More from Jen + Jill:

• Make improvements to physical environment
• Stay away from distractions
• Have water within arms reach!
• Location hack!
• Consider who you spend time with

BILL OF THE WEEK - Thanks for sharing your bill with us Lorna! 

• If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill

Lightning Round:

We've got one of our best lightning rounds yet as JILL PAYS OF HER DEBT!!

• INCENTIVE! Jill's paying it forward - if you are currently on your debt payoff journey, she wants to give you a small boost. Subscribe to our frugal friends youtube channel AND comment on this video (it’s episode 100) with how much debt you’re paying off. We will select 1 winner by March 26th to win a $50 amazon gift card!