I must confess that The Avoider is a favorite of mine because she/he is the mover and shaker type that literally makes the world go round. We all know someone like them. They are the people that as soon as they enter the room things begin to happen. They know how to get things done and know all the moves to make things fall into place.
Being busy is second nature to them, and they are so busy they never take the time to sort out their own finances. They dash from one event to the next and view boredom as a mortal enemy.
And, wouldn’t you know it, taking time to review their financial health is avoided because in their minds finance is boring. But for all their avoidance they pay a high price both literally and figuratively. One client that I would class as an Avoider with deep regret described to me how she ended up paying ten thousand dollars for a computer that she could have easily purchased for three thousand dollars cash “But I was in a hurry, signed the papers, and was out the door not thinking about finance charges and fees.”
Avoiders place great value on their busy-ness. For some it is almost as if by being busy they can run away from a sense of boredom and being idle. And as such, they are always in a hurry and over extended regarding their time and appointments. Their finances tend to be in a similar state: over extended or late. Frequent refrains from them are “I never have the time”, “Everything else I do is more important”, or “I just don’t have the time to sit down and do it perfectly so why bother.” They can organize huge events but some how balancing their check books is a mountain they can’t seem to climb.
If anyone has wondered about the price Avoiders pay, consider the case of Stieg Larsson (the author of the
series The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series). He was involved in a number of social causes in addition to being a busy Journalist and debater. Yet he never got around to marrying or giving legal status to his common-law wife of 30 years. Even the will he wrote was never witnessed. And so, when he dropped dead from a heart attack at the age of 50, his entire estate and any future royalties went to his father and brother from whom he reportedly had been estranged for years.
Organizing Stratgies
1. Consider the case of Mr. Larssen and ask yourself what things you would have left undone if you died?
2. Take on getting your finances in order as a new project and give yourself points when you have mastered an area just as you would in planning any other project.
3. Take a moment and consider how much being in a hurry has cost you in additional charges and fees and resolve to cut those down to zero.
4. Follow one of the rules established for the constant shopper “Ms. Thing” and make yourself wait at least a day before making a decision so you have time to consider other alternatives or the cost of the anticipated action.
5. Consider a bill paying service or schedule automatic payments for those regular bills that need to be paid each month.
The Avoider has skills for getting things done and beginning to channel those skills toward their own financial life can work wonders for getting things accomplished. Start with small tasks and then graduate to the more difficult areas like only a good organizer can do.