Daily Practice ·
Get your money out of the swamp: a practice to put it into circulation today
A simple practice to review in just a few minutes where you have money sitting still and give it a clear destination, without fear and without letting it wither.
By Pedro J. Pérez
Almost all of us have money that is sitting still without us having realized it: an account we no longer look at, a savings fund we started years ago and never decided what to do with, an amount we leave there out of habit or caution. Meanwhile, life goes on and that money loses strength little by little, without making a sound.
Putting it to work doesn't mean doing anything risky or complicated. It means, first, seeing clearly what you have and what each part is for. This practice leads you to sort out that picture in a short while, at home and without any special materials.
The practice Duration: 15 minutes
Take inventory of what is sitting still
For five minutes, write down on paper or on your phone all the amounts of money you have sitting still: accounts you barely use, savings without a destination, cash put away, forgotten balances. Don't judge or calculate yet, just write each one down with a word that describes what you think it's there for.
Mark the destination of each amount
Spend another five minutes putting a label on each one: reserve for unexpected events, reserve for an opportunity that may come, or seed to invest. If something doesn't fit any of them, it's a sign that it has been without direction for a while. The goal is not to move it today, but to decide what role each part plays.
Choose a single seed
From everything you have labeled as seed, choose a small and specific amount that you can put into circulation this very week, even if it's modest. It doesn't have to be the largest or the most ambitious: the first one, the one you can sustain without anguish. Write down what you are going to do with it and when.
Protect your two reserves
Before closing, confirm that you have set aside one reserve for the unexpected and another for that exceptional occasion you cannot foresee. You don't need perfect figures: it's enough that they exist and don't get mixed with the rest. That liquidity is what will allow you to act when the moment comes, instead of watching it pass by.
To reflect on today
Which part of your money has been sitting still the longest and what fear or habit has kept you until today from giving it a clear destination?
To finish
Money is like water: when it stagnates, it loses life; when it finds its channel, it waters everything it touches. Today you don't need big moves, just to know what you have, what you are keeping it for and what part you are willing to set in motion. With that clarity, tomorrow it will be easier to take the next step.