The average American should expect to live about 78.6 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you’re lucky, you’ll spend about a third of that time sleeping. With the time remaining, the idea is to spend as many of them as possible doing what you want to do and as little as possible doing what you have to do.
How can you increase your free hours and reduce your working hours? In the short term, you work smarter, not harder. In the long run, you will become financially independent as soon as possible.
Here are some proven techniques that will help you spend more time remaining in your spare time. A few things will help you quickly find more free time. Someone else will help you make that free time permanent.
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1. Adjust the situation: Think time, not money
Almost every resource at your disposal, from possessions to money, is likely to be renewable. However, the number of watches you have on this planet is limited: once used, they cannot be exchanged.
Keep this in mind, and you may find yourself spending less, saving more, and achieving financial freedom more quickly.
If you go to the mall and spend $200 on clothes, that’s $200 investable. If you earn 12% of $200, you will raise more than $6,000 in 30 years. Ignoring inflation and assuming you can live on $5,000 a month, taking off those clothes today means retiring more than a month ago.
Of course you need clothes. But maybe you don’t need $200, or maybe you’ll get it for less. It’s your choice: expensive things today or free time tomorrow.
This is the philosophy I have taught since I wrote my first book, “Life or Religion” in 2001.
2. Create a goal
Early retirement is an example of a goal – something specific that you want to achieve by a certain date. Set short and long term goals, and you will achieve a relaxed life much faster.
If you want to reach a fun destination, you’re not going to get in a car and wander aimlessly, hoping you’ll get there eventually. Same thing with goals. Say something specific like, “I’m going to have a $10,000 savings account today next year.” Then, do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Related: 7 Kitchen Gadgets That Make Healthy Cooking Easy
You will be amazed how easy it is to achieve the things you set. And if not? Try again. No one will shoot you.
3. Ask for a raise
The more you earn, the more (hopefully) you save and the sooner you can become financially independent. There are two ways to achieve this: get more out of yourself by earning a premium, or find a higher paying job.
The key to getting a raise is to prove to your boss that you are worth more than what you currently receive. See “10 Tips to Remember When Asking for a Raise.”
The key to finding a higher paying job is to leverage your knowledge in a higher paying job elsewhere or train yourself for something that pays more.
And for God’s sake, if you’re currently working on a job that could someday be outsourced to a robot, start planning your next move now.
4. Spend less than you do
Sounds simple? Many people don’t know if they are spending more than they earn until their debt hits and eats into the budget.
At the end of each month, calculate your net worth by subtracting your debt from what you have. It won’t be long.
If you get richer, you head to the amusement park. If not, find out the cause and fix it.
5. Make your money work harder
Let’s say you set aside $1,000 per month. If you earn 1% interest for 30 years, you will earn more than $400,000. Earn 10% of it and you will get more than 2 million dollars. Those who earn 1% have a good nest egg. Those who earn 10% are not only permanent residents of the entertainment city, but their children may move there one day.
“But wait!” you can say. “There’s no way to get 10% without risk. And if I lose my money investing in things like stocks, I’ll be worse off because I’ve wasted the time it took me to get them!”CORRECT. But as with love, when it comes to money, there is no reward without risk. Act with caution, but don’t miss any opportunity. Learn a little more, then earn a little more. Check out “7 Ways to Get Rid of Your Investment Fear – and More.”
Can’t afford stock ideas, real estate, or other risk-based investments? Get at least the highest price for your savings by stopping at our Solution Center and shopping for the best prices.
6. Small and soon, not big and later
These are the main (legal) ways to get rich:
inherit
marry well
Build or lead a valuable business
Take advantage of extraordinary talents
Very lucky
Spend less and invest your savings consistently over time
Even if you think you’re on the right track with any of the first five, why not do the latter just to be sure?
Even if all you can save is $5 per day, accumulate it at 10% over 30 years and you’ll end up earning over $300,000.
Wealth is rarely created by investing a large number of dollars at a time, and it is not often earned at the end of life. Wealth often comes from small beginnings. Check out “7 Proven Ways to Increase Your Savings Today.”
7. Pay yourself first
A pay cut is one of the best solutions for struggling savers. With this approach, you have money automatically taken from your paycheck and transferred to a savings or retirement account. .may be allowedYour employer even deposits paychecks directly into some accounts.
Also, send any additional income from a raise, bonus, cash bonus, or other windfall directly into savings. If the air conditioner breaks down or it’s time to set sail, you’ll have a lot of money waiting for you in the bank.
8. Collect your savings
Some banks, including Bank of America, have programs that automatically collect your debit card purchases and then transfer the additional amount to your savings account.
For example, let’s say a tall vanilla latte costs $3.50. Under this system, your bill will be rounded up to $4, with an additional 50 cents deposited into your savings account. This creates a painless way to get closer to your goals.
9. Save changes
The low-tech version of the tour program hides the extra changes at the end of each day. Store in a jar, cup, glass, or piggy bank. When the trash can is full, turn this change into a bank deposit. Fill this pack with Turbo by hiding individual banknotes as well as coins.
10. Learn more
When you have free time, how do you spend it? Hopefully by doing things that lead to more free time on the road.
Instead of following the Kardashians, how about using your free time to:
Learn new skills.
Understand the stock market.
Find a new computer program.
Realization of new business ideas.
Read about real estate.
These are things that could someday lead to more free time and less work time.
11. Avoid debt
In my 30 years of providing financial advice, I have had many questions about debt:
“Should I borrow for this or that or that?”
What is the acceptable level of debt?
Is there such a thing as good debt?
Related: 7 Free Tools to Save More Money on Amazon
There’s a lot of analysis and ambiguity about something that isn’t mysterious at all. Paying interest means giving your money to someone else in return for using their money.
General rule: To get as much money as possible, avoid giving it to other people.
If you want to work less and enjoy more time, pay interest only in two cases: when your back is against the wall, or when the value of what you buy increases more than you pay for the interest.
12. Spend less
One obvious way to speed up a good savings account is to spend less. Less obvious: The key to spending less is avoiding shortages. In other words, reduce your spending without compromising your quality of life. How? Many ways.
Never buy what you can buy used new. On everything from cars to furniture to clothes, this new shine comes at a high price. Instead of heading to a department store, head to a consignment store, thrift store, yard sale, or a website like Craigslist or eBay.
Always ask for lower prices. People say you get what you pay for. I tell you what you asked for. In addition to negotiating more traditional things like houses and cars, you canYou can get lower rates on hotel rooms, doctor visits, cable bills, car repairs—just about anything.
Stop paying for brand names. What is the meaning of a name? Often nothing more than a higher cost. Paying more is okay if higher cost means higher quality. But it’s unacceptable to overpay just to help pay for annoying ads for some company. See “20 Things You Should Always Buy in General” for more information.
13. Stop looking rich, start getting rich
You see the guy in the Porsche next to you at the red light? He’s not rich. He’s a street vendor on his way to someone’s house.
When he gets there, the homes of wealthy potential clients tend to be mediocre but highly paid. The cars in the driveway are likely to be bought second hand, and the potential buyer’s wardrobe will be less than one of the seller’s outfits.
Turning your investable money into things like cars, clothes, vacations, and homes you can’t afford may make it seem like you’re living a comfortable life, but you’ll end up working too hard.
14. Don’t make your welfare the responsibility of others
If you need surgery, you have no choice but to entrust your fate to specialists. But when it comes to your money, never leave complete control to anyone.
Asking for advice is always a good idea. But no matter how smart the advisor is, your money is more important to you than to the advisor. Therefore, if you don’t do everything yourself, at least understand what’s going on.
Almost anyone can learn how to navigate finances. If you can’t take the trouble of taking over your own money, just keep it in the bank. At least that way you won’t be stealing, damaging, and blaming other people for your problems.
15. Pay with cash
Using automatic cash makes your expenses more efficient than using plastic. The widely cited Dun & Bradstreet study concludes that people spend 12% to 18% more when using credit cards than cash.
Reasons for this pattern may include psychological difficulties handing over cash or a desire to avoid going back to the ATM to refill your wallet. Whatever the reason, it worked.
16. Do what makes you happy
If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Finding a job you truly enjoy is easier said than done, but it should always be your goal.
Did you spend the whole weekend freaking out on Monday mornings? You are in the wrong job. There is something that makes you happier. Look for it.
17. Work smart The faster you work, the faster your free time.
There are many simple things you can do to work smarter, including:
Create and stick to a to-do list
Manage your email
Start each day by prioritizing your calendar
Delegate everything you can
Set a daily “Do Not Disturb” appointment
Planning the next day the night before
18. Automation
If you don’t pay your bills automatically and pay yourself automatically, you are working while enjoying your entertainment. Things you can order online, including full meals, can save you money and trips to the store.
Use direct deposit, online banking, apps, and every other labor-saving technology you can think of to save time, postage, and trips to banks and stores.
19. Organizing
Whether it’s at work or at home, the less time you spend looking for something, the more time you will have to enjoy things.
Do you go to the store to find out later that you got what you just bought? Have you ever given up looking for a piece of paper, did the job again, and then found its real days?
Keeping up to date on your things means looking down and relaxing. Step one: If you have a lot of stuff, get rid of it. The more you have to look at it, the more organized you will be. See “7 Unusual Ways to Spruce Up Your Home.”
Once your things are organized, organize your papers by digitizing them and storing them in the cloud. It will be easier to find and not take up space. See “7 easy tricks to tame your documents.”
20. Find a mentor
If someone likes you, it never hurts to approach them and ask them for help. Just let them know that you want to be where they are now and they’ll appreciate any advice they cant they give on how to get there.
They will be flattered, and you may find yourself receiving some life-changing and comforting advice.
21. All work and no play…
While it may seem counterintuitive, taking time to relax can make you a less stressed and more productive worker.
Many studies have shown that workers who take time off are often less productive. Free time is important to relieve stress, reset your clock, and restore your energy. So if you feel guilty about not doing something productive on Labor Day, stop. This is your day. have fun!
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