“Well-managed time and money lead to a well-managed life.”

Jasmine C. Tate

Time and money management are critical at every stage of adult life and many times much sooner. Combining my daily lists with use of my planner and life sheet, I’m able to hold myself accountable and drive productivity toward my goals and responsibilities.

A Life Sheet is a Real World Recipe for success. Read below for ingredients to create your own and download a free template to help you get started on the path to a well-managed life.

Ingredients

• Computer or Laptop

• Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

• Alternative: Notebook and (a) writing utensil(s)

Instructions

1. Create pages for major life categories including goals, responsibilities, budget, bills and any others that are helpful for you .

2. Complete each page based on the categories.

• Goals: Separate your goals into subcategories based on your priorities and values. Mine include Faith, Personal, Professional, Financial, Digital & Social Media and Service. If you’re a visual person a vision board is a great way to supplement this sheet.

• Responsibilities: Add tasks and routines that will not change from day-to-day or week-to-week. This page is designed to be a visual way to see your week and month. It’s like a budget for your time. Enjoying your life is also a responsibility. Although I’m a “social butterfly” and enjoy adventures, I also enjoy having my time and space to myself in the comfort of my apartment. To avoid being too comfortable being at home (Before Coronavirus happened), I identified the things that I enjoy most and committed to incorporating them into my weekends each month; I’ve broken them out into four categories and on the months that include a bonus weekend, I allow for spontaneity.

• Budget: This page should be dedicated to your income and expenses. Start with three sections: Income (primary and secondary), Fixed Expenses and Flexible Expenses.

• Bills: Once you’ve completed your budget, the bills have to be paid on time. This page tracks your bills by due date. I once paid all my bills on their due date, but now I reference this page of my Life Sheet on the 1st and 15th of each month. The bills that are due anytime before the 15th of the month are paid on the first and those due after the 15th are paid on the 15th. I also label columns for what’s in the budget for each bill and how much is spent each month. This is most helpful for flexible expenses.

3. Reference your life sheet regularly.

It won’t work for you unless you use it consistently to plan your days and weeks and manage your finances.

How do you manage your time and finances? Engage with me in the comments below or on social media. Click the link to download a free template to get started. Cheers to a well-managed life!

Hugs & Handshakes,

Jasmine C. Tate