Planning

I've been working quite hard recently, including some time away from home, and consequently haven't been as well-organised in various respects as I might have been. As well as being inefficient with time and energy, my lack of proper forward planning has also led to some financial inefficency.

For instance, I recently ignored the telephone calls from the car insurance company about my renewal until the last possible moment, meaning that I didn't have time to shop around properly for a quote, as I had intended to do.

I've also forgotten to take my packed lunch in to work a couple of times, and therefore had to buy lunch out. I used to feel that a bought lunch was a nice treat on those days - two or three a week - when I was away from home. Nowadays, except on these few recent occasions of forgetfulness, I am in the habit of taking a packed lunch, and save buying lunch for a special occasion, usually a social gathering.

If I am in a hurry I am also more likely to leave making travel arrangements to the last moment, so not being able to take advantage of cheaper rail fares, as well as more likely to eat out for convenience rather than pleasure.

When things are going well, I enjoy planning ahead, and find it quite easy to do so, but I have noticed that my natural instinct is to put my own affairs on hold if feeling under pressure, and find myself living from one day to the next. I'd like to think it is partly the result of a conscientious nature, but is probably not ideal for my own health and happiness, and this is something I am resolved to work on. (A classic example of this is my old habit of leaving my expenses claims to languish for months before submitting them - though that is one habit I have now more or less broken.)