Mike Michalowicz tells a reader who keeps failing at budgeting that the problem isn't them, it's the system. He recommends tools like The Money Habit and Puffers that automatically sort money at the bank level, working with how people actually behave instead of against it.
I've tried budgeting 10 different times— apps, spreadsheets, all that. I do well for a month and then I stop. Is that a me problem or are budgets just not realistic and long? I kind of paraphrase this because it's a long email, but the reality is that's not a you problem. If you've tried budgets, you've tried spreadsheets, you've tried apps and they're not working, it's because they're not complementing your natural human behavior. The goal is for you not to change the The goal is for you to work with who you already naturally are. That's the key. So if you're failing in an area, it's because the systems or the things you're using don't work with the natural wiring of you. I call this behavioral intercept. And yet that's the thing we interface with most. We log into our bank account. So we need something that works through our natural path. The Money Habit, Puffers, all work at your bank account level. It intercepts your path. It categorizes money before you spend it so you know what's available for what purpose. So if it's not working, it's likely because you're fighting who you are. Stop fighting who you are and channel who you are to get the outcomes you want.
