Money Management for Mortals

I was listening to a podcast featuring the author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and I won't do it justice but basically he was saying that no matter how much we try to optimize, we will never get everything done. We won't wake up one day and say, "Well, I've done everything there is to do. I'm completely finished." This is true in life, at work, at home, at the gym, in the grocery store, and every area that you can think of.

Optimizing your time or your resources is not a terrible idea but you should be aware that there is no end to it. There will always be "more" because life is dynamic rather than static. If you focus too much on getting everything done, you are not only chasing an illusion, you will miss out on the present moment, which is where you actually are. The present is not something to "get through," it is life itself. There is no living outside the present. 

When thinking about my life, there are so many areas where this rings true. As a parent I will probably never think, welp, the kids are great and my work is done here. I'll always be wondering about them, wanting to help them, and so on. At work I already knew this but the tasks will never be completely finished, and when I'm retired someone else will just pick up where I leave off. I'll never feel completely healthy, perfectly spiritual, absolutely wise. 

As a goal oriented person this can be a jarring thought. What, then, is my goal? How will I know if I'm doing the right thing, heading the right way? When will I be done?

I'm not sure if this is Zen or what but I think the truth is I'll never be done AND I am already done. Or there is no "done" there is only "doing" and "being." After I get past the jarring-ness of it all, this concept can be freeing. Much of life is wasted on anticipating or working toward some alternate reality rather than living in reality as it is. Life is already amazing and full of wonder if you can stop and see it. 

Applying this financially, what would money management for mortals look like?

Money management is often similarly optimized -- earn X amount and save X amount and you will be financially secure. You'll be done. 

Well the other day my wife and I were talking about how our kids are benefitting from their private elementary school (we live outside the US) and why we might consider continuing private school if and when we return the to the US because ... lots of reasons I won't get into. In the back of my mind I could see our savings evaporate and my retirement postponed because spending that money would mean that I'm not "done" as soon as I would expect. Private school is super expensive. Financial worry ensues. 

Enter Zen. What if there is no financial version of "done"? You can see this with the billionaires of the world -- they are never done and they never have enough and they are just as messed up as anyone else (if not more). I mean no disrespect -- others could say the same about my level of enlightenment. Just as I'd like to say to a billionaire, "Hey, you have enough so just enjoy the journey a bit, eh?",  I should in fact be saying the same to myself. Which is what I'm doing right now. 

I will have enough, I do have enough. The more important factor is, am I living according to my values? Financially, am I earning and spending according to my values? If I value private school for my kids at a certain point of their lives, finances need to be worked out but it is not a financial decision per se. Money is a tool, not a goal. 

Whether it is time or money or whatever other temporary resource that we have, there will always be trade offs. We can use our time this way or that way, spend our money on this or that, but we will never have an optimal amount of time or money. Figure out what it means to live well in the present first and the rest will follow.