Money is a tool. Money is time and energy, creativity, inspiration and skill. Money is many things.

 

Money is not emotion, though. It has none and it can give none to us – but we have become used to attaching feelings to it, so that we think it can.

 

If we are contemplating buying something we really like, very expensive, we know we can’t afford, we can imagine the joy we might feel once we own this thing. Even though we know the joy would diminish almost immediately, perhaps even as soon as we walk out of the shop.

 

Have you ever gone into a room to get something and forgotten why? It’s actually a studied psychological phenomenon, called the doorway effect, where our memories suffer as we walk through a door. Apparently, our brains know as they enter a room that they are going to need space for a lot of new information, and so they get rid of a bunch of old data, clearing out our short-term memory.

 

It’s useful for doing new tasks, not so great for remembering what we came here for.

 

We can use this to our advantage. Whenever you feel your emotions connecting to money, imagining a purchase making you happy, walk out of the door. It could be a real door, like the one to the street from the fancy shop you are in, or just opening a new app on your phone.

 

Your memory will clear a little, and your emotions will adjust. You may realise the right thing to do is keep on walking along the street and put the money in the bank instead.

 

Today’s task: use the doorway to forget about spending and get on the path to financial peace of mind.