The brown fast food bag sat bloated. There underneath the street light, the drizzle peppered the city and trash alike. A gray blanket hung overhead smothering any sign of the stars. To look up meant facing the elements, head on. Pedestrians simply didn’t commute if they didn’t have to, commuters filled the streets with traffic since they had to. A major holiday but a few days away today, stores found themselves laden with last-minute ‘havers’ seeking more arrangements. On a few households, decorations invited cheer. In others, not a single piece of décor hung up. Ornamented streets, the city looks alive and wet, litter in the rain.
I found three weeks of simple observations somewhat challenging. Each item though, represented more than itself. A trial or success like beating the competition, I thought about cameras, books and magazines. I could plan photos feverishly, but balancing my budget made only negatives. My look at spending begins with one of the only tokens I never spent. Some mustard coin passable for an arcade token, I did not lose or spend for at least a few years now. I don’t remember from whence it came, only that it decorated my desk. Its presence signaled a clear workspace, while the absence showed how convoluted artists could become. Thanks to the power of knowledge, namely learning from literature, the desk appears quite nice- not trashed like the hood.
Nondurable goods like food, restaurant retreats, I’ll name them- captured a lot of change. They conveniently produce burgers and bowls of pork at my hungriest moments. On the other hand, the things I truly seek exist one or two restaurant trips worth of cash away. What could I hope to do? Waiting on Wendy’s was a way of life that went back to the days I waked the halls of high school, concerned about girls and college.
Overconsumption of foods consumes my funds.
The third rule of behavior change begs you, make it easy. The logic tracks since people and I abided by the Law of Least Effort. Energy scarce, humanity operates via least resistance, walking around stopped cars at traffic lights and leaving clothes unfolded at stores on the nearest table. Gaming often gets easier when one button powers the device on, and a click launches the game. These behaviors followed a critical hit: the decisive moment. I throw clothes anywhere the hamper isn’t near. I left the blankets unfolded once I’m out of bed. Environmental design helps a ton, given a writing spot sits adjacent to the workstation. Reading happens like nothing with a bookshelf behind my back.
The coin, Sacagawea herself, tells me this about money. The decisive moment begins on payday. I knew when I got the dollar I would save it, given I didn’t have many and seldom saw them. And now look. Some odd years later, I write about its continued place in my sights. Hames Clear writes about a two-minute rule. At the basis of a desired habit sits a decisive moment. Try to boil it down to a feat accomplished within those two minutes. Rather than concern yourself over the business during the elapsed time, taking the first step within the timeframe matters most. All journeys begin this way, all money piles with the first coin.
Post Summary
- I started a challenge about the items I use to improve my usage, consumption and maybe myself.
- I spend more than desired on convenience, paying others instead of cooking myself.
- People all adhere to the Law of Least Effort since energy is limited.
- The choice to behave a certain way balances on a decisive moment.
- Use the 2-minute rule to behave desirably at the decisive moment, ultimately leading to wanted habits. Buying food starts with hunger. Buying ingredients over buying meals could promote cooking and better budgeting among other things.