The Four Categories of Improvement

It’s already February and next month will mark my 2 year anniversary at my current dead-end job. It’s hard to believe two years have passed since I started. I thought for sure I would find something else and move on but here I am still with no other prospects. I have to admit though that I haven’t been putting much effort into finding a new job. It’s very much true that you become complacent and find it much easier just to sustain the status quo. In an effort to overcome this I’ve decided that I need to better manage my time and cut down on the wastage. How many times have you surfed online for hours only to realize afterwards that not only did you not enjoy the time spent, but that you feel guilty for not being more productive.

The Four Categories of Improvement

I’ve worked out a plan whereby everything I do must fall in to one of four categories. If I catch myself doing something which falls in to none of them then I must stop what I’m doing immediately.

Professional

- Attempting to increase my income. Whether by finding a new job or by creating side income.

Intellectual

- I’m broadly defining this one to include things such as reading and practicing my French.

Physical

- This includes anything fitness related. Working out at the gym, lifting weights at home, or out playing tennis and other sports.

Emotional

- A broad category that includes things such as spending time with friends and family, going out to a movie, or going out for lunch with someone. What this doesn’t include is mindless time spent in front of a computer watching videos or surfing.

I think these four categories are fair and will set me on the right path to improvement while still allowing me to enjoy myself along the way.

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Feb 2012 Net Worth Update +1.07%

*If you're just interested in the numbers then scroll down to the bottom to skip my long-windedness and run-on sentences.

January was a busy month for me and yet my numbers barely reflect it. I moved in to a new apartment this month and incurred the costs usually associated with moving. Conveniently I was able to sell my old beater of a car this month as well and so was able to put it towards some new furniture. (I was gifted another hand-me down car so don't worry.) Also, the good amount of money that I received from family to take a vacation this spring has more or less been spent now in the transition. It all comes from the same pot so it doesn't really matter and I still have lots of savings to splurge on a trip when I find somewhere to go. 

Funds were going in and coming out of my account as fast as I could count it this month, but I still came out ahead by a little under three hundred dollars. This could have been higher but I decided to deduct my monthly rent as it should be paid on the 1st of every month, even if it hasn't come out of my account yet. What also hampered me was the fact that I moved in half way through the month and so this month's numbers include half a month's rent, a security deposit, and then a full month's rent as well. I just don't like to wait to include something in my numbers when I know that I am going to have to pay it. This is why I also deduct charges I know I placed using my credit card but which have yet to show up on my account.

New things this past month:

-If you're one of the handful of people that have visited my site before you may have seen that I opened a TD Waterhouse TFSA recently to buy e-series funds. While I've been able to transfer money into the account, I am still waiting for them to receive my signed application and documents by mail before they allow me to begin trading. I wonder if I should have couriered it instead of sending it back with the prepaid envelope. Oh well, for the moment $200 will just be sitting there. I plan to contribute $200 or so a month to the e-series and hope to see a return that is at least better than parking it in an ING savings account at 2%.

You can read more about opening a TD Waterhouse account here.

TD Waterhouse - e-series workaround Part 1

-As you have surely noticed by now my stocks continue to lose ground with a dismal 5.81% loss this month. Even with the discount I bought them at I am only barely breaking even. Now that we are in a new year I am able to buy into the program again but instead of buying in a lump-sum payment I have decided to use dollar cost averaging to relieve some of the pressure. I don't want to get emotional about stocks and this is an easy way to make sure of it. Each paycheque (26 of them), my company will take $118.46 which turns into $136.23 of stock after the discount. This has made my already tiny paycheque seem even smaller but in the end I know it's the same amount of money whether I give it as a lump-sum or spread out over 26 installments. I just have to get used to seeing my paycheque $100 lower.

Upcoming:

I will be receiving a cheque soon from my company equal to my RRSP contribution less the applicable taxes. This should guarantee a sizeable increase in my net worth for next month assuming I don't go crazy buying things for the new apartment.

Finally, here are the numbers for the month:

Feb 1, 2012

TFSA - $15,285.82 (+0.17%)

ISA - $7,108.81 (+0.12%)

Stocks - $3,104.92 (-5.81%)

New stocks - $136.23 (NEW)

RRSP - $1,247.24 (+0.17%)

TD Waterhouse TFSA e-series- $200 (NEW)

Chequing - $849.67

Total: $27,932.69

Gain: +1.07% or $294.71

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