How to get organised.

Note: For beginners


My elders once told me, when reading something good, you might not remember the whole book - but try to capture a thing or two and practise it. That brings me to something Robert T. Kiyosaki mentioned in one of my favourite reads, Rich Dad Poor Dad :

There are three things in life you have to learn to manage ; people, time and money.

1. Managing people. I’m no expert in this field, BUT I do know that being open minded can take you a long, long way. You don’t have to agree on the same things to be friends. Different may not be a bad thing. Sometimes different is just different. I was surprised to find how much I learnt from all my different friends! And remember, love yourself first, then love the world!

2. Managing time. I have one simple solution: get a planner. You don’t have to carry it with you everywhere you go. Your scribbles don’t have to be too detailed and long winded. In fact, what I have is a sort of all-in-one diary + daily/weekly/monthly time and financial planner. Every night, I list down my things to do for the next day. I feel so much lighter in the morning knowing exactly what needs to be done! As I go on with my day, I mentally tick off the things I’ve completed and plan for the ones I haven’t. Really, planning makes life so much easier!

3. Managing money. Summarise your daily expenses and any any money you receive into a line or two. Every Sundays, accumulate your daily expenditures. Every end of the month, accumulate your weekly expenditures. For example, this is how I’d write my daily expenditures:

“ Received : RM 50 ( tuition fees by Mary Anne )
Spent: RM 7 ( 2 – bus, 5 – lunch ) “

And for my weekly and monthly accumulations, I’d simply write : “*Spent: RM 200. Received : RM 300. Saved/Invested: RM 100.”

Nevermind if what you see in your financial journal is far from how it ought to look. Starting it is already the first step taken towards financial responsibility! With time, you would learn to prioritise your expenditures, your ownself.



This is Laveena Kukanesan writing to you for Antara TV. I hope you had a good read! Don’t forget to give me your side of the story!

Til next time!