Quick Recap: In our mid-year check-in post, we introduced three practical exercises to help you evaluate your financial progress. We’ve explored how to evaluate your money mindset and optimize your Beewise investments. Now, let’s dive into our third exercise: identifying the ONE financial move that will have the biggest impact on your money for the rest of 2025. This exercise builds on the GROW pillar by helping you take your existing financial foundation and focus your efforts where they’ll create the most significant progress.

Let’s be real, you’ve probably set several financial goals this year. Maybe you wanted to boost your savings, start investing, pay down debt, and spend less on takeout. How’s that going? If you’re like most of us, some goals are on track while others … not so much!

Here’s something we’ve learned from helping so many people with their finances: sometimes the key to making real progress isn’t doing more, it’s identifying what matters most right now. This Financial Focus Finder exercise helps you channel your energy toward the single most impactful financial move you can make by December.

Whether you’ve been following our previous articles and using tools like the Money Journal or the Beewise app, or you’re just joining us now, this exercise will help you find clarity on your next best financial move. The beauty of this approach is that it works no matter where you are in your financial journey.

This Financial Focus Finder is all about strategic focus – identifying the single financial move that acts as a lever, making everything else easier. It’s the next evolution in our GROW pillar, helping you turn awareness and habits into targeted action.

Why Focused Action Creates Bigger Results 🎯

Before we dive into the exercise, let’s talk about why finding your ONE financial focus is so powerful:

The Science of Focus

Research consistently shows that our brains aren’t wired for multitasking. A study from Stanford University found that people who try to juggle multiple goals actually perform worse than those who focus on one thing at a time. When we narrow our attention, we:

• Make more consistent progress
• Experience less decision fatigue
• Feel more motivated by visible results
• Create momentum that carries into other areas

Think about the most financially successful people you know. Chances are they didn’t improve every aspect of their finances simultaneously. They probably focused intensely on one area, whether it was paying off debt, building a side hustle, or maximizing their investment contributions, before moving on to the next.

The Leverage Effect

The best part? Your ONE financial focus often creates a positive ripple effect that improves other areas automatically. For example:

• Focusing on increasing income might automatically boost your ability to save
• Concentrating on paying off high-interest debt improves your monthly cash flow
• Building a solid emergency fund reduces financial stress and improves decision-making

Finding your ONE thing doesn’t mean abandoning your comprehensive financial approach. It simply means strategically channeling your energy where it will create the most impact right now. This perfectly aligns with our GROW pillar approach of creating sustainable systems that evolve with your life.

The 30-Minute Financial Focus Finder Exercise 🔍

Alright, let’s find your financial focus for the rest of 2025! This exercise takes just 30 minutes and requires nothing but your phone or a piece of paper.

What You’ll Need:

• Your phone (with notes app) or paper and pen
• 30 minutes of uninterrupted time (and maybe your favorite drink)
• Any financial tracking you’ve done so far (bank statements, apps, notes, etc.)

Step 1: The Quick Financial Scan (7 minutes)

Take seven minutes to jot down your current status in these key areas:

1. Saving: 

• If you have a Money Journal: Review how much you’ve saved this year and rate your progress 1-10.
• If you don’t have a Money Journal: Check your bank accounts to estimate how much you’ve saved since January and rate your progress 1-10.

2. Debt: 

• Check your current balances and note if your debt has increased or decreased in 2025. By how much?

3. Income: 

• Is your income where you want it to be? Any changes since January?

4. Investing: 

• If you’re using Beewise: Open your app and check if you’re regularly contributing to your investment goals.
• If you’re not using Beewise yet: Note any investments you’re currently making elsewhere, or mark this as a potential focus area.

5. Spending: 

• If you have a Daily Spending Log: Review to see if you’re staying within your means or regularly overspending.
• If you don’t have a Daily Spending Log: Think about the last month of spending – did you feel in control or stretched?

This creates a snapshot of where you stand right now, using whatever financial tracking you have available.

Step 2: Identify Your Money Leaks and Opportunities (8 minutes)

Now, spend eight minutes answering these revealing questions while reviewing your Money Journal insights:

1. What’s causing the most financial stress right now? (Be specific) 
2. Where do you seem to lose money without getting much value? 

• If you have a Daily Spending Log: Check for patterns in your tracked spending.
• If you don’t have a Daily Spending Log: Think about recurring expenses that don’t bring you joy or value.

3. What financial move would make everything else easier? 
4. What’s one financial win you’ve had this year that you could build on? 
5. If you could magically fix one money issue by December, what would it be?

These questions help reveal both your pain points and your opportunities, crucial information for finding your ideal focus.

Step 3: Run the Impact Test (8 minutes)

This is where we find your ONE thing. For each potential focus area, ask:

• If I made significant progress here by December, how would it affect my overall financial picture?
• Would success in this area create positive ripple effects in other areas?
• Is this something I can realistically impact in six months?
• How motivated am I to work on this specifically?

Score each potential focus area from 1-10 on these criteria. The highest combined score points to your highest-impact move.

Step 4: Declare Your ONE Focus (7 minutes)

Based on your impact test, choose your ONE financial focus for the rest of 2025. Write it down as a clear, specific statement:

“My ONE financial focus for the rest of 2025 is to ________________.”

Examples might be:

• “My ONE financial focus is to pay off my €2,500 credit card debt”
• “My ONE financial focus is to increase my monthly Beewise investment to €150”
• “My ONE financial focus is to build my emergency fund to €3,000”
• “My ONE financial focus is to increase my income by €300/month through a side hustle”

Congratulations! You’ve just identified your highest-leverage financial move for the rest of the year. This clarity is powerful, and it builds perfectly on the financial awareness you’ve developed through your Money Journal and Daily Spending Log.

Creating Your Action Plan 📝

With your ONE focus identified, let’s create a simple plan to make it happen. This plan will integrate with the financial tools you’re already using.

The One-Page Plan Template

Create a one-page plan with just these elements:

1. Your ONE Focus Statement

• The clear statement you created in Step 4 above

2. Your December Target

• The specific number or outcome you’re aiming for
• Make it ambitious but realistic and achievable

3. Monthly Milestones

• Break your December target into monthly mini-targets
• Example: If paying off €3,000 debt, aim for €500/month

4. Your Three Key Actions

• Identify the three most important actions that will drive progress
• Be specific about what, when, and how often

5. Your Progress Tracker

• The simplest way to measure your progress
• Could be as basic as a weekly check-in on your phone

Here’s what this might look like for someone focused on building their emergency fund:

MY ONE FOCUS: Build my emergency fund to €3,000 by December 31, 2025

DECEMBER TARGET: €3,000 in my emergency savings account

MONTHLY MILESTONES:

• July: €1,500 (current) → €1,750
• August: €1,750 → €2,000
• September: €2,000 → €2,250
• October: €2,250 → €2,500
• November: €2,500 → €2,750
• December: €2,750 → €3,000

MY THREE KEY ACTIONS:

1. Set up automatic transfer of €250 to savings on 1st of each month
2. Create a “no-spend day” every month and transfer what I would’ve spent to savings
3. Deposit any unexpected money (gifts, refunds, etc.) directly to savings

MY TRACKER: Weekly Sunday check-in to record current balance

That’s it! No complicated budget spreadsheets or 20-step plans, just a clear focus and the essential actions to get there. This simplicity is what makes it so powerful.

Making It Stick: Micro-Habits for Massive Progress 🌱

The secret to achieving your ONE focus isn’t motivation, it’s creating tiny, consistent habits that keep you moving forward even when life gets busy. Let’s design some “micro-habits” specifically for your financial focus.

What Are Micro-Habits?

Micro-habits are extremely small actions that:

• Take less than 2 minutes to complete
• Can be done daily or weekly without disruption
• Create momentum toward your larger goal
• Are almost impossible to skip because they’re so easy

Sample Micro-Habits for Common Focus Areas:

For Saving Goals:

• Check your savings balance every Monday morning
• Transfer €5 to savings whenever you skip a coffee shop visit
• Set a “savings reminder” screen on your phone
• Review your upcoming expenses every Sunday for 2 minutes

For Debt Payoff:

• Check your remaining balance every Friday
• Celebrate each €100 reduction with a small (free) reward
• Send any €1 coins you receive directly to debt payment
• Tell one supportive friend about your progress each week

For Income Growth:

• Spend 2 minutes daily browsing potential side gig opportunities
• Send one message per week related to income growth
• Track all “extra” income earned in a special note
• Research one new skill weekly that could increase earnings

For Investment Focus:

• Check your Beewise investment progress monthly 
• Take note of the Smart Tips on the Home screen of the Beewise app
• Schedule your monthly investment as a calendar appointment
• Tell someone about what you’re investing toward and why

Choose 2-3 micro-habits that align with your ONE focus and add them to your action plan. These tiny actions create disproportionate results by keeping your goal top-of-mind and building consistency.

Finding Accountability That Works For You 👥

Even with the best intentions and plans, doing it alone makes success harder. Let’s find an accountability approach that matches your style and situation.

Choose Your Accountability Style

1. The Competitive Approach

• Find a friend with a similar financial goal
• Set up a friendly competition with weekly check-ins
• Consider a small reward for whoever makes the most progress
• Perfect if you thrive on challenges and comparisons

2. The Public Declaration

• Share your ONE focus (safely) with friends or family
• Post updates at strategic intervals to maintain commitment
• Consider a social media challenge if appropriate
• Ideal if external expectations motivate you

3. The Partnership Method

• Pair up with one trusted friend who’s also working on a goal
• Schedule regular check-ins (can be about different goals)
• Ask specific questions about progress and challenges
• Works well if you value deep support over broad sharing

4. The Solo Tracker

• Create a visual tracker that you see daily
• Set calendar reminders for weekly self-check-ins
• Use an app that sends you progress notifications
• Best if you prefer privacy but need structured reminders

Choose one accountability approach that resonates with you and implement it this week. Remember that the right accountability partner or system makes your success almost inevitable.

Integrating With Your Financial Tools (If You’re Using Them) 🧰

If you’ve been using financial tools we’ve discussed in previous articles, here’s how to integrate your ONE focus with them:

If You Have a Money Journal:

• Create a dedicated section for your ONE focus in your Money Reflections
• Use your Progress Tracking section to monitor milestones
• Connect your ONE focus to the financial values and goals you’ve already identified

If You’re Using Beewise:

• If your ONE focus involves investing, set up or adjust your Beewise investment goals accordingly
• Use the Activity tab to track your progress
• Set up monthly reminders for investment contributions if that’s part of your focus

If You Have a Daily Spending Log:

• Note actions related to your ONE focus in your Daily Spending Log
• Track how your daily spending decisions impact your focus area
• Celebrate small wins that move you toward your big goal

If You’re Just Getting Started:

• Consider which tools might help you achieve your ONE focus
• Start simple – even a note on your phone can be an effective tracker
• Remember that the tools serve your goals, not the other way around

By integrating your ONE focus with whatever financial tools you’re using, you’re ensuring consistency and making progress more visible.

Common Obstacles and How to Overcome Them 🧗‍♀️

Let’s address the most common obstacles you might face while pursuing your ONE focus, along with practical solutions:

Obstacle #1: “I keep forgetting to take action”

• Solution: Place visual reminders in your environment (sticky notes on your mirror, phone backgrounds, etc.)
• Micro-Solution: Set a recurring calendar alert for your key actions

Obstacle #2: “My motivation disappeared after a few weeks”

• Solution: Create a “motivation jar” with written reminders of why this goal matters
• Micro-Solution: Set smaller milestones to celebrate more frequently

Obstacle #3: “Unexpected expenses keep derailing my plan”

• Solution: Build a small buffer into your plan from the beginning
• Micro-Solution: Plan in advance how you’ll handle setbacks (if X happens, I’ll do Y)

Obstacle #4: “I’m not seeing results fast enough”

• Solution: Track leading indicators (actions taken) not just lagging indicators (results)
• Micro-Solution: Take weekly progress photos of your tracker to see momentum over time

Obstacle #5: “Life got busy and I lost focus”

• Solution: Schedule a monthly “reset day” to get back on track
• Micro-Solution: Link your financial actions to existing daily habits

Anticipating these obstacles now means you’ll be prepared when they inevitably arise. Remember that everyone faces setbacks, the difference is in how quickly you get back on track.

Bringing It All Together: Your GROW Strategy

Congratulations on completing the Financial Focus Finder exercise! This is a powerful evolution of the GROW pillar we’ve been developing together. You’ve now:

1. Identified your current financial situation
2. Discovered your highest-leverage financial move for the rest of 2025
3. Created a plan to achieve it that works with whatever tools you’re already using
4. Prepared for potential obstacles to stay on track

New to Beewise and our financial approach? 

If this is your first time reading one of our articles, you might be interested in exploring some of the tools we’ve mentioned:

• The Money Journal helps track your spending and financial thoughts
• The Daily Spending Log creates awareness of your spending patterns
• Beewise investment goals help you easily set up and invest your money over time

These tools can enhance your financial journey, but remember, the most important thing is taking focused action on your ONE thing, regardless of what other financial tools you’re using.

The Financial Focus Finder isn’t about starting over with a new approach, it’s about leveraging everything you’ve learned so far to make even more significant progress in the second half of 2025.

Here’s your challenge: Take a photo of your ONE financial focus statement. Set it as your laptop or phone background for one week. Not only will this keep your priority front and center, but it’ll also create natural accountability conversations when friends inevitably ask what that note on your screen means. Sometimes the simplest accountability methods are the most effective.

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