The Cup Method

 

I'm a self admitted workaholic. It isn't intentional and it's something that I have mixed feelings about. I've historically used work to escape dealing with other areas of life that I had less control over. It's allowed me to achieve a lot on paper, but there are negative side effects that I won't go into right now. 

However, I get asked semi-frequently what my 'process' is. How do I find it so easy to concentrate on tasks for so many hours day in day out without getting bored? The answer is, I don't. I would get just as bored as the next person, require copious amounts of caffeine to even function at basic humaning in the mornings and I burn out if I'm forced to work on something I have no interest in for longer than a few hours. If anything, I have less intrinsic concentration skills than most people I've met. The difference is that I realised this at a young age (I'd probably be diagnosed with ADHD if tested now) and was in a very competitive environment where I was expected to perform at consistently high levels or face various forms of punishment. So I had to adapt quickly.

Over the years I've read various 'CEO lifestyle' posts that advise you to get up at 5am while it's still dark outside, have cold showers every day, run for 5 miles before breakfast, etc. Every so often I'll try this for a month or so out of curiosity. It is pure torture. Every single time my productivity crashes, I feel exhausted, depressed, and end up having to play catch up the following month. I've learned the hard way that you have to work with your natural rhythm. What works for one person doesn't neccessarily work for another.

For me, my natural state is that of a night-owl. My routine is completely backwards compared to the stereotypical CEO. I'm useless in the morning and use that time for creative brainstorming. My mind can't focus on one thing and automatically wants to branch off in multiple directions. So I use that to my advantage. I'll wake up around 8-9am, have breakfast, write out what tasks I need to do that day, then take my time getting ready, reading the news, checking/trading stocks, etc. I'll then do any design work, rough sketches or tasks requiring creative thought. I also find it's a perfect time to do any type of therapy or meditation, as I'm already in a semi-conscious state and can more easily deal with certain topics that the logical part of my brain would otherwise fight against.

By around 11am, I'll have consumed enough caffeine to switch on the logic part of my brain and can start working on tasks that require more focus. My concentration and energy levels continue to climb until about 7pm, when I start to get hyperactive unless I go for a walk or exercise in some way to burn off the excess energy. If I try to exercise in the morning (as most PTs recommend) then I feel drained for the rest of the day. When I get back I'll normally return to work for a few more hours. My peak productivity is always late afternoon/evening, sometimes later if I'm really switched on and enjoying the task. Trying to do things the other way around just doesn't work.

My brain also hates being told what to do (even by me!) so I've experimented with various techniques until settling on the below cup method. I have no idea if there are better methods out there (probably), but my philosophy is always 'if it ain't broke then don't fix it'. This method has worked well for me over the years and might be useful for anyone else reading this who struggles to get things done.

After writing out my tasks for the day each morning, I'll cut them up into individual bits of paper, fold and stick them in a cup, and pick one at random. I'll work on that task until it's either complete or I'm bored (in which case it goes back into the cup). This tricks my brain into feeling as if everything I do is a random surprise and I get to constantly switch things up so I'm not forcing myself to keep working on something when I'm out of the zone. I still get everything done, just in a non-linear fashion. This works especially well for really tedious and/or repetitive tasks that I can break up into 30-60 minute blocks and fit around other tasks in the day.

The same method applies to any big projects that I work on that can span 2-3 years. I'll break it all down into minor tasks with a (digital) 'cup' for each of those. I'll then split each task into smaller tasks and add them to the cup. Each week I'll pick a cup at random and work on tasks within that cup until I get bored (at certain times of the month, I'm also far better at technical or creative work due to hormones so that also impacts which tasks I choose - I'll maybe do a separate post on that for the ladies!). There are a couple of other ADHD types in my team find the same method really helpful. The work all gets done, just in a more roundabout way. We've tried other methods in the past and people would work hard-core for a bit, then burn out and quit the project. So far this way of working has been the most successful.

Does anyone use a different technique to stay motivated? Or have you tried something like the cup method and found it beneficial?

Monthly Budget 2020

A while ago I did a breakdown of what an average month looks like for me and thought it would be interesting to compare how things look today. My life several years ago was pretty extreme. I was sharing a sofa-bed with my ex in someone else's lounge at one point - not something I'd recommend! Things have improved quite a bit since then. But I haven't done a comparison for a while, so this will be interesting for me too...

INCOME

£1943 (Salary after tax and pension contributions)

EXPENSES
 
£600 (Rent, utilities and other household bills - I pay a lump sum for a room in a houseshare)
£10 (Travel - my commuting costs have almost disappeared since getting a job close to home)
£12 (Phone/Internet)
£15 (Clothes/Accessories/Toilettries - I generally either raid charity shops and adjust the items or just make my own from scratch if I need clothes. Slow or non-perishable toilettries I buy in bulk at the start of the year as this gives me a huge discount)
£20 (Work expenses - things like batteries for my keyboard/mouse, a new phone charger)
£0 (Debt / University fees - I paid off everything a few years ago and have paid for any qualifications since then in cash)
£50 (Gifts - Christmas / Birthday presents, socialising and other random expenses - the majority of this goes on presents)

£1943 - £707 = £1236 left for saving / investment

So that's roughly where my money goes each month. I've cut back on a lot of things and have tried to simplify everything else. Being single has helped, as it meant I could easily downsize my living arrangements. And I work within walking distance of my home, so unless it's torrential rain outside then I can walk to and from work (although during lockdown I haven't even needed to do that).

My biggest expense after rent are gifts or social events that I'm expected to attend (birthdays, weddings, etc). I now keep a seperate savings account for these and just siphon away a bit of money each month to cover any random expenses. Anything I don't spend during the year gets reinvested into other assets.

I would still like to increase my salary. I earn an income from investments, but that gets spun back into other assets so I consider that seperate to 'living' money. I have a small hobby company now, but that will take a few years to monetise. So I'm looking into other avenues for extra income in the meantime. If anyone can suggest any (legal) methods then I would love to hear them!

March Update

I received a lovely surprise yesterday afternoon. When checking my bank balance, it seems that a company I contracted for last spring has given me around £1000 tax return. Thank you Past Tense Self! It may sound odd, but I never check my tax figures until right at the end of the financial year, as I consider it a potential savings account. Although I know the money is mine already, getting a random unexpected payment the next year always cheers me up and acts as additional motivation! It's an illogical, but positive psychological boost.

So altogether my net worth is now £17,250 and earnings per day (passive interest) is £1.20. I know it still isn't anywhere near my million pound goal, but when looking at my progress plotted on a chart over the last decade it's wonderful to see the debt total plunge and completely disappear and the assets total increasing on a gradually steeper curve. Considering all the redundancies, moving around the UK to different jobs and homes, living like a hermit and sacrificing everything to get this far... I'm pretty pleased with those figures.

New Motto For The Year: GSD

I've had no time to write blogs in the last few months. Instead, I have been following my new motto: Get Sh*t Done (or G.S.D, as my mother taught me it's bad manners to swear)! So far it has worked well. In fact, I think it should be the new national motto for Britain. Don't wait for the government to save you - just GSD yourself!

My partner and I started a local group just over a year ago, and this month saw the completion of a collaborative project that we are all very proud of. At the same time, I finished the biggest and most important (grade-wise) assignment of my degree, moved office and changed job at work! Today I took a day off to catch up on all the smaller tasks that had been put to one side, and figured I should update this blog as a reminder to myself of why I'm working every hour under the sun. I'm exhausted and have forgotten what a proper night's sleep feels like, but I also have an over-riding sense of wonder at everything I've managed to fit into the last few months! GSD, people!

Spring Has Sprung

Well, sort of. Then it disappeared again underneath a layer of snow... The weather has always had an obvious effect on my mood and therefore my finances. If it's cold, dark and gloomy outside, then it's always tempting to try and cheer myself up by splashing out on a new outfit, a meal in some posh restaurant, a gym membership (that I will likely never use again) or some other random purchase that will put a temporary smile on my face and leave a permanent dent in my bank account. So Britain is probably the worst place I could choose to live, considering the 3-hour summers we get here!

Hence my lack of update for February. All my willpower and Jedi skills were focused on just getting through the month without going crazy with the salary. And I think I succeeded. I had a couple of birthdays to pay out for, but otherwise I've done well. I reached the maximum limit on my ISA for this year, so opened a high interest savings account to act as a spill-over. I've also organised all my accounts on colourful spreadsheets that calculate how much interest I'm earning per day (still in the pennies, but it makes me feel good at least). Have now surpassed the £5k mark.

Mid-January Update

Thank you Mr Tax Man! I had a nice surprise when I returned home last Friday to find a cheque from HMRC refunding the majority of my National Insurance from 2011-2012! I'm adding this to the total, as technically it was my money to start with and they have simply given it back. Very positive start to the year!

November Update

It's been a very long month, but have managed to add another couple of hundred to the kitty and now nearing the £3k mark. December will be expensive so I'm not expecting the total to increase much until the new year, but any extra will be a bonus.

On the down side, we have just been informed that the flat we currently reside in is likely to be sold in the next year. So now we have even more reason to save like crazy!

October Update

Not much to tell in terms of finance. The extra hours at work have made it difficult to fit in degree study, but it will pay off at the end of the month when I see my pay-slip. Last week I sat down and calculated how much I was spending on regular non-perishable items every year and managed to get a year's supply at a massive discount. I can't fit much else under the bed now! I'll have to write a separate post on this, as it's something many people (especially women) would benefit from.

In the meantime, I've added a bit more to my total and have updated the Fortunometer accordingly.

Happy saving!

September Update

Managed to get a few extra hours at work, which equates to a few extra pounds in the bank! It's only temporary, it will help me reach my goal a bit quicker. Very happy!

Have Job, Will Save

I'm back in the game! I should start off by giving everyone an update on my situation. After sending out well over 300 CVs and chasing agencies and employers for months on end, I decided to take a gamble and move to a less-crowded area of the UK in order to find work. It was getting ridiculous putting in so much time and effort for minimal results (3 interviews in the space of a year) and there is a well-known saying that if you want a different result then you shouldn't repeat the same process. So I upped sticks and left my home town, my family and my friends for a completely new location in the middle of nowhere.
It was scary and lonely at first, but I had the added support of my boyfriend (who was in a similar boat). I should point out that one of his major personality traits is a ridiculous level of enthusiasm that is hard to resist, and we managed to convince ourselves over the course of one weekend that moving was the best decision. We had no accessible savings, nowhere to stay (we slept on a sofa for the first month) and didn't know if we would find work. But it wasn't much different to our situation back home. It just had more potential and that was enough!

My boyfriend managed to bag a job immediately (cheeky git that he is) and began work on the Monday. I applied for 3 jobs the first morning we arrived and got a call the next day requesting an interview. The following Tuesday I had a permanent job!

The first 2 months salary went towards sofa rent (we paid the owners part living costs), hiring a large van to move our belongings from one side of the country to the other and then 2 months rent for our new flat. After that was set up fees (a cheap bed and other furniture, work clothes due to me putting on weight whilst unemployed and then losing it again, and other random initial costs). We moved in over Christmas and by the end of March I was back to saving again.

So... current savings total is £2006 (£2k of this has recently moved to a 2 year bond, so I can free up my £5640 ISA allowance for this year). I should note that my boyfriend and I keep our finances separate and currently have no plans to combine them. Rent is split equally and we have split bills so that we pay roughly the same each month towards the flat. We have very different diets (mine is close to T-Total vegan whereas he loves JD and steak), travel needs (he has a car and drives for a living, I have a 3 hour commute by bus/foot), and attitudes to spending/saving remaining income (he mostly spends, I mostly save) so these are paid for individually as this works for us both and neither feels we have to compromise. I will therefore not be including his savings here.

Most larger bills for the rest of this year are already budgeted for, so I am hoping that I will be able to dedicate a higher percentage of my salary to savings for the next few months. I plan to include a breakdown of typical monthly expenditure in the next entry so everyone (myself included) can see where my money is going and where I could make further cutbacks.

Mid-Month Update

Have just banked all the cheques and paper money I received for my birthday, adding another £260 to the grand total! Happy days!

New Beginnings

Well... one month and one pay day down and things are going pretty well. July's rent was already paid off, so I had the majority of this month's salary to put into savings. I put £900 away in a cash ISA and opened up a high interest savings account with HSBC. The ISA limit is £3600 per financial year, so I will need a good home for the rest of my savings.

I've had to make several changes to my lifestyle in order to save as much money as possible. Firstly, I sat down and drew up a list of income and expenditure for the year and then broke that down into a monthly list. The main thing to go was clothes shopping. I can easily blow £200 in one trip if I'm having a bad day - brings a smile to my face, but a makes a huge dent in my wallet! Next to go was online shopping for DVDs and books. Another £50-£100 gone! Takeaway meals are out too. I've dusted off all the cook books laying around the house and decided to teach myself to use an oven. It's about time I learnt to cook for myself anyway! Other than that, I'm now walking to and from work instead of getting a bus or taxi, taking my own lunch instead of visiting Starbuck's every day and money previously spent on after work drinking is now going into my savings account! I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself and it doesn't even feel like hard work!

I should point out the new 'motivational feature' I've added to this blog - the 'Fortunometer'. I find it helps having something visual to measure my ongoing progress, so I've created this little bar to track how much money I have saved and how far I have to go to reach my ultimate goal. Each month I will update the Fortunometer as a new post is added.

I'm sure my motivation won't last forever and there will be times when I'm tempted to go on a spending binge, but for now life is good, the sun is shining and that million isn't looking so scary after all!

Enjoy the summer and save hard!