I'll provide two:
- Step on the financial scale regularly - This may be the most difficult rule for most people. Just being open to the reality of your situation scares many people to the point of avoidance. But just like stepping on an actual scale can be painful sometimes it's essential to be in touch with reality. What does this look like practically? It can be as simple as regularly calculating your assets - adding up what you have then subtract your debts. This equals your net worth. This is an important number, write it down, I'd suggest recording your net worth monthly. It might be painful at first, but stick with it, watching that number slowly increase can be a huge motivation
- Get organized - After you're aware of where you stand financially, you'll want to get a handle on your bills and make sure to pay them on time. According to a recent survey of 1000 people by creditcards.com a whopping 42% admitted to being late on at least one credit card payment. The #1 reason people paid their bills late? They forgot. So how do we not forget? Set Reminders - This is a relatively easy fix: set a Google calendar alert or an alarm on your phone. Pick a memorable day of the month to pay your bills. Have a responsible friend give you a reminder text or call. Align Bills - Another organization hack - align the timing of your bills around your paychecks if possible. Most credit card companies allow customers to change the due date of the payment quite easily online. If you are paid at the end of month consider making all bills due sometime in the first week of the following month before you've had a chance to spend everything. Bookmark! - One last practical suggestion is to create a "Bills" folder of bookmarks in your web browser.
I do record my net worth but not monthly. Mostly once per year. And I set reminders for myself too. Didn't do that at first because....sure I can think with my own head. But when lot of things get in a way, you just forgot to do or fix them all. To create bills folder is good idea though.