Don’t you take my blankie spreadsheet away!
I’m trying a new experiment that I want to share with you.
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I’ve experienced considerable financial anxiety throughout my entrepreneurial journey. While I’ve made a lot of progress toward equanimity, I still worry about money more than I’d like.
A few years ago, I simplified things. I moved away from a massive, itemized spreadsheet to tracking just four numbers: sales, payroll, operating expenses, and profits. It felt like progress.
But even with that simpler system, I noticed I almost always had that spreadsheet open. If a payment hit the bank, I logged it. If a client signed—or moved on—I’d immediately update the forecast to see how it changed the rest of my year.
I told myself this was “being on top of things.” I thought I was gaining control. But I’ve come to realize that I wasn’t finding control; I was just feeding my anxiety.
A shift away from analysis and toward presence
I have a wonderful bookkeeper who keeps everything up to date. So, I started wondering: What if I only looked at the budget once a month?
Initially, my stinking thinking screamed that I’d feel out of control. But the opposite happened. By choosing a different perspective, I found I don’t think about the money that often anymore.
I check payroll toward the end of the month. I review invoices when my bookkeeper sends the reports. Then, at the month’s end, I look at the budget.
I still stay close to my pipeline reports because that data motivates me to take action and maintain agency, even in uncertain times. But the constant budget refresh? That was just baggage I didn’t need to carry.
An Invitation to Reflect
Often, the things we do to feel safe are the very things keeping us from being present and focused on what actually matters.
I’m curious about your experience:
- What is the one report or metric you find yourself checking way too often?
- What would happen if you let go of that close watch for just 30 days?
- Are you willing to try a different way of looking at it?
I’d love to hear what spreadsheet is currently taking up too much of your mental space. Hit reply and let me know—I’m still working through this myself, and I’d value your perspective.