Few months ago I was terribly infected by the ‘Next Month’ disorder. Not many people believed it’s a fatal disease, as most were infected by it.

Every time I received my credit card statement, I would look at the amount and promise myself, next month I will try to reduce it.

I thought of dealing in cash, yet whenever I pulled out a card from my wallet to make ends meet, I would stare somewhere between the sky and the mountains, and think, next month onwards I wouldn’t use these cards.

When I hear people talking about budget, I promise my self, next month I would definitely plan out a budget.

Once I was talking to Ms. Smith, my neighbor, we discussed various aspects of personal finance. I, however, realized she was younger than me, yet she had perfectly planned for her retirement. I instantly made a mental note to plan my retirement next month.

However, when next month arrives, nothing has probably changed except these things:

My income is drained before I realize it’s end of month. I am more worried about interest rates than my kids and my wife. I never notice a fall in my credit card balance; it always rises the other month. The stack of statements, bills, mostly unread, keeps piling every month; I hardly get any time to even have a quick glace at those papers. Probably next month, I think. Adjacent to the pile, an unopened box of personal finance books and DVD’s remains unnoticed. Lastly, there is a constant undefined fear. All these are symptoms of ‘Next Month’ disorder.

If any of these symptoms sounds familiar, you too have the ‘Next Month’ disorder. However, fret not, because there is a cure for this disease. First, you need to diagnose how serious is it. Get a pen, paper, and calculator, and jot down how much funds you have in your checking account, savings account, and in cash. Oh, and don’t forget to gauge the amount of your debts.

Set a budget for every type of expenses, and set aside some amount for savings every month. And there has to be a ‘debt repayment’ category as well. Hough this wouldn’t be a difficult task, the only thing you wouldn’t be able to find is time. But you have to spare some time every week to review your results and develop an action plan for the next week. You may not like to do this. But neither do you like medicines, yet you take it because you want to get rid of your disease.

I tried these things few times, and I failed. But I realized I would have to stay with ‘Next Month’ disorder unless I do something to cure it. And finally I managed to overcome it.

Remember, planning wouldn’t help. You have to take action now. Or are you still thinking to do it ‘Next Month?’