Call it what you want and if you’re one of those people who think ADHD doesn’t exist, let it be. It might not exist but for some people and for me, some of the ADHD tips on management works really well. After pulling my hairs for years, metaphorically to find a solution of financial management that truly works for a person like me who can get loose track of things, has a problem with impulsive spending and almost no concept of long term concept and would prefer instant gratification, managing my finance was quite a hellish experience. It was quite ironic as once I was day trading and I kept up with everything fairly well until I lost interest and just let it be. I used to have this idea that somehow money will always be there and can be found. I might be wrong; it’s not there unless you’re actively looking for it. I also thought building some sort of passive income would be a lot easier but guess what, I am wrong too. There’s really nothing that truly passive income for something that I still somehow manage, though I was intending it to be a passive one. Somehow for the last 2 years I became a lot more disinterested in keeping track of my account and finance. It’s a stupid move and as an adult, I don’t think you should ever do that.

Having a business is not only requiring capital but also risk and sometimes a lot of unexpected expenses. While my mom is the one who does all the things, I was solely responsible for the capitals and anything that has to do with money. But in return,I get quite a bit of profit and that’s all there is. Then, my mom decided to take a break and that’s where my complacency and poor financial management hits me. I was not taking care of it well and even didn't have a balance sheet. When you’re also being taxed, somehow you need a balance sheet to know how much you actually earn + how much you’re losing. I used to have all these but the past year, everything fell apart.

I even tried finding a personal accountant but somehow I couldn’t find any that would understand how cryptocurrency works. So, there I was all alone, trying to figure out how to count everything. I ended up doing it all myself and was mindblown of my own spending. It was that moment when I knew, I lost track of everything. In an attempt to redid the damage, I was searching for solutions that truly worked.

“ What can I use to help me track things?”

In the end, I learned from this online ADHD/ADD magazine that simplifying everything and finding what truly works for our brain will help. So, I did what I could. I found what helps for me and encouragement from my partner because he was worried that for the first time, I was down bad and even though when calculating everything before, things shouldn’t go off the rails. I ended up choosing a spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet is fairly easy to use and a lot more customizable. I hate clutter and it is what works for me. A lot of my friends are using it too. I make categories that are reasonable for my brain and make goals to pay off everything reasonably including a saving that is quite reasonable. (I used to have an unreasonable amount to save up) which I ended up with often 60% failing miserably. As cherry on top, I also have my partner checking out on them and somehow, I get more financially conscious as I know that someone is looking into where my money goes.

Now it’s almost a month that I am practicing it and I am fairly happy to know where everything goes. I make notes of every purchase even daily and somehow I am not afraid of opening up the wallet again and tracking things. Adding someone into the story is definitely a great help because you also know that at some point, you’ll have the talk. Besides, it’s really nice knowing everything a lot more in your life and cutting out unnecessary spendings for something far more important. Unlike a lot of things in my life that eventually fell apart, managing finance now has become something truly important as it would reflect on my taxes and a lot more things about my life. It all comes down to finally accepting that my way though may not be everyone, works for me. It just works and makes sense for my brain.

Perhaps if you’re struggling with saving up, budgeting or any of that sorts, just try to find what works for your brain.

If any fancy financial planner and management doesn’t work, use paper and pen, even spreadsheets like the one I am doing or whatever that is.