Having trouble staying at the pinnacle of your money is not a unique problem.
However, people with nervousness, such as those with autism and ADHD, can face a set of challenges when managing their finances, says Andrea Ewalefo, founder of the financial coaching business, specializing in neuroclass women of color.
One of these challenges is what is called executive dysfunction. “It can manifest in a variety of fields, from your impulsivity to your ability to make decisions and to be consistent,” says Ewalefo. “Time blindness is another thing. You get caught up in a certain experience, or you don’t have enough dopamine to stay focused for a long time.”
If this sounds like you, then the traditional approach to managing the money you’ve been taught may not work for you, and she herself says she is a member of the Neurodivergent community.
“A lot of the things people in the financial education field get caught up in is throwing the system in people’s faces,” she says. For the people at Neurodivergent, “We struggle not only to set up our systems, but to stick to them or to invest emotionally.”
Ewalefo knows there are no two people with the exact same concerns when it comes to money and tries to meet their clients where they are. Her advice for almost everyone: “Don’t beat yourself up,” and try to automate and delegate the financial tasks that emit you the most whenever possible. This will allow you to focus more on achieving your money goals.
Eliminating decision fatigue makes money easier to manage
For some Neurodivergent people, “spoon theory” serves as a useful metaphor for the everyday reservoir of energy that is depleted by performing tasks.
“Brushing teeth – what neuronal people wake up and do – we have to think consciously, and it uses our energy, our spoon,” says Ewalefo. “It might take 10 drinks to brush my teeth this morning. It took me twice yesterday.”
The idea is to have a certain amount of spoon for the day. Once they’re gone, you’re totally mentally spent,” Ewalefo says.
For many Ewalefo clients, the first step to getting back on track financially is to get the money-related spoon off the table.
“If we can remove as much decision fatigue as possible, especially within the scope of our financial planning, it will help us maintain our energy and do other things,” she says. “What it looks like is to automate it as much as possible.”
Ewalefo recommends setting an invoice deadline. For example, if you are paid once a month, set Autopay on all your invoices on payday.
“It’s happening when you receive that salary, so when your bill is paid, everything that’s left is just a free money,” she says. “Now you can enjoy your impulsive purchases at your own pace.
Plus, by setting up Rote’s financial tasks on Autopilot, you can dedicate more mental energy to the money goals you really care about. To advance them, they say they have to pay themselves from each check. It can also be placed in the autopilot.
“It’s as prioritized as water bills because it automatically drafts your savings and investment needs, not just your bills and liabilities,” Ewalefo says. “And all that money is put aside and it’s where it needs to be, so anything that remains in your account can be literally spent on what you want.”
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