Habits: running and finance; an unlikely pairing.

It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit, I think this is true. 

One of the biggest benefits for me is being proactive and setting out the requirements beforehand; I can avoid that ‘I will do it tomorrow’ tactic by making sure all my gear is ready the night before thus removing one of the excuses of not being able to find socks!

I enjoy running early in the morning to start the day positively and it means I start planning the day while I am exercising. 

On one of my recent runs I started thinking of the similarities between running and personal budgeting. Some of my thoughts were

Start small 

• I did not start running 5k + from the beginning - I started with #couchto5k and gradually worked up.  
• Budget (saving) - start small, maybe just a few pounds a month, yet over time it will become a habit and you can increase.

Tracking

• Every run or exercise I complete is logged on #Strava. This gives me a neat record (with a few charts) of the progress I have made and also how I am tracking against my challenges. I set myself a goal of 25km a week and 1000km in 2021.
• A simple book or online record of money saved or not spent (!) each week will serve the same purpose for finances.

Feelgood

• Even with the best laid plans, it is sometimes hard to get out in the morning, however I know that when I get back after running, I will feel good.
• Saving feels good at the end too - maybe Christmas saving, maybe self-assessment saving; either way a little and often really helps. Many of the new challenger banks allow you to set up virtual pots so you can allocate savings to these.

The key message here is by some simple planning and forethought, you can establish habits that will have benefits in the long run to your physical and financial health.

Feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss anything further.

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