Episode: 366 - Debt-Free Dad Returns: Why Rest is Key to Financial Success and Avoiding Burnout
Welcome Back to Financial Freedom
Hey everyone! It’s great to connect with you again. Over the last couple of months, I've received numerous messages from many of you, wondering when new content would be available. Those messages mean the world to me as they show that our journey together is important to you.
The Power of Taking a Break
Life can get incredibly busy. For nearly five years, our team and I have been dedicated to providing valuable insights and guidance on personal finance. However, this past summer, I realized just how exhausted I was. The end of July came quickly, leading into a hectic August filled with last-minute summer activities and family vacations. As September arrived, the hustle and bustle of back-to-school season began, leaving me with little room to breathe. So, I decided to take a much-needed break.
Taking a step back allowed me to recharge and return with renewed energy and focus—not only for my benefit but also to better serve you. It’s vital to recognize that rest is not a sign of failure. Rather, it is a crucial part of the process, preventing burnout and helping us maintain momentum in achieving our financial goals.
How to Rest Without Losing Financial Progress
If you’re feeling burnt out, especially after being on your financial journey for some time, it’s okay to rest. But here’s the key: focus on the basics.
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Stick to the Basics: Stay committed to your foundational financial practices. For instance, if paying off debt has grown tiresome, consider making only the minimum payments for a while to ease the pressure without regressing.
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Continue Saving: Even if it’s less than usual, maintain your savings to prevent financial backsliding.
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Manage Your Budget: Regularly check in with your budget to maintain control of your spending and savings, even during breaks.
Remember, taking a break doesn’t mean stopping altogether. It means pacing yourself intentionally. Give yourself a definite time limit for your break to avoid letting it stretch indefinitely.
Maximize the Last Quarter of the Year
As the year moves into its final quarter, it's crucial to stay vigilant. This time of year can be distracting, with festivities such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas just around the corner. Often, these distractions can lead to procrastinating financial progress until January. But remember, there’s never a perfect time to start. Begin now, using the time left this year to make significant strides.
Take Small Steps for Big Gains
Small, consistent actions can lead to substantial outcomes. Whether it’s finding hidden money in your budget or creating a simple holiday plan to avoid overspending, these steps build towards financial peace and preparedness. Imagine entering the new year focused and in control, not stressed about holiday spending.
Conclusion
If you need to take a break, take it. Just don’t quit. Continue with your financial journey, even at a slower pace. Now’s the time to gather your focus and end the year on a strong note. The choices you make now can lead to financial empowerment and the accomplishment of your goals. Here’s to finishing the year strong and starting the new one with confidence!
Resources:
The Totally Awesome Debt Freedom Planner https://www.debtfreedad.com/planner
Connect With Brad
Website- https://www.debtfreedad.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thedebtfreedad
Private Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/debtfreedad
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TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@debt_free_dad
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@bradnelson-debtfreedad2751/featured
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Transcript:
Brad Nelson: [00:00:00] Hey everyone. Welcome back officially to the Debt Free Dad podcast. Listen, you guys, it feels really good to be back behind the mic again. And before we dive in today, I just wanna say thank you. You know, over the last couple of months I've had a lot of you reach out asking Brad when our new episode's coming out for the Debt Free Dad podcast.
Brad Nelson: Heck, what even happened to that Every Dad podcast? And I can't tell you how much those messages meant to me because it tells me that this show matters to you. That's exactly why I'm excited to be back today.
Brad Nelson: Hey guys, my name is Brad Nelson, founder of Debt Free Dad. I paid off about $45,000 in debt. I've been debt free now for more than 12 years.
Brad Nelson: I've also been fortunate to help thousands of other people save and pay off tens of millions of dollars with the work that we do here at Debt Free Dad. Now before we get into today's topic, I wanna just take a quick minute and acknowledge the break that we took. Now here's the thing, you guys, for almost five years straight.
Brad Nelson: We've been producing episodes here at the Defy Dad Podcast. On top of that, we've been putting out tons of content across all [00:01:00] of our social media platforms, and I'm gonna be real with you. I was tired, right? End of July hit and the month of August is already crazy for our family. We're getting in last minute summer activities.
Brad Nelson: We took a little vacation in August and then right behind that September hits, and our kids go back to school. Sports start, and our schedules just get crazy, and I was already tired as it was. I told the team, I gotta take a break, you guys. We've been doing this now for almost five years straight.
Brad Nelson: I need to take some time off to just take a step back, recharge, reset. And honestly, it's exactly what I needed to get ready for A fantastic fall and a strong push to finish out this year really well, and not just for me, but. For you guys too, because if I'm refreshed, I can show a better here to help you guys stay focused and to make progress with your money.
Brad Nelson: And I'm not in the business of just putting out content for the sake of just putting out content. Some people said, I should push forward, I should keep putting out episodes so we don't lose, any momentum. , And I agreed with to them to some point, but at some point too, I also had to say, I need to [00:02:00] take a break.
Brad Nelson: We've been doing this for, again, almost five years, and I, I was just worn out and just wanted to recharge. And if you think about it, we all rest at times, right? Athletes, rest students take breaks. Businesses even will pause and regroup, just kinda like what we did over the last few months. But when it comes to money and your personal finances, a lot of us feel like if we're not constantly grinding.
Brad Nelson: Then we failed. And I kind of was starting to feel some of that guilt by taking this break as well. But at the same time, I had to remind myself I needed to take this break. I wanted to come back, refresh, and excited to put up more content and more episodes that are gonna help all of you guys. And the fact is that it's not failure.
Brad Nelson: It's not true that you're failing when you take a break. Rest is part of the process. In fact, rest is what keeps you from burning out and quitting altogether. Taking a step back doesn't mean you're. If you're going backwards, it means you're actually being intentional. So what I wanna share with you guys are some tips on how you can take a break without losing all the progress that you've made.
Brad Nelson: what I would encourage you [00:03:00] to do is first focus on the basics. The basics that we talk about here inside roots. So if you're someone who has, been on your journey for a while, you're feeling that burnout, right? We talk about that all the time. The hard part isn't learning this, the hard part isn't in the first 90 days, the first, six months, the first year.
Brad Nelson: Even. The, the hard part is you get on this journey for a long time. Someone like Katie, who's a co-host on our show, you know, that girl's been working this. System now for six plus years made incredible progress. And she, too has talked about feeling some of that burnout. So make sure you just stick to the basics when you want to take a break.
Brad Nelson: Don't give up on your finances altogether. So for instance, if you're exhausted with paying a ton of extra on your debt for whatever reason, you'd like a little bit more money just to have some fun with, because you're just, you know, your, your, your life is just not as fun right now because all you've been doing is paying down debt.
Brad Nelson: Take a break, just pay the minimums for just a little bit. That way you're not falling further behind. If you're saving, keep saving something. Maybe it's not the [00:04:00] full amount that you've been saving. Maybe again, you wanna take a break, have a little bit of fun in your life, even if it's just saving $20 here or $50 there, you know, keep up some of that momentum so you're not quitting things altogether.
Brad Nelson: Things like your budget. Make sure that you're still working on your monthly budget, doing your little budget check-ins. But again, if you've got some big goals that you're working towards with your finances, paying down debt, saving money, reducing financial stress, that grind can hit pretty hard. So again, when you get to that point, tell yourself it's okay to take a break, but we're not going to give up on everything altogether.
Brad Nelson: We're just gonna focus on the basics. Tread water for a little bit. Then when we're ready, we're gonna bounce back. All right? And that's the thing I wanna mention too, is when you do take a break, give yourself a time limit because it's easy as humans just to keep taking that break, taking that break, taking that break, taking that break, right?
Brad Nelson: Pretty soon, a week turns into a month. A month turns into months, and months can turn into years. And you're, you're taking a break altogether, right? You're not even getting back to it. So make sure you [00:05:00] give yourself a time limit. When we took a break, my goal was to have this podcast back up and running here by the time fall hit.
Brad Nelson: That's exactly what we're doing. And so I gave myself that time limit and said, we're coming back now, guys, here's the exciting part. The show is back. Podcast is back. And guess what? We've got three months left in 2025 you got three months to regroup, refocus, and finish the rest of 2025.
Brad Nelson: Really strong. This is where I really want you to be careful though, because this time of the year, when you start getting into October, November, and December, it gets funny, right? Halloween hits and then Thanksgiving and then Christmas, and man, do the excuse to start piling up. One of the biggest ones is, well, I'm just gonna wait until January.
Brad Nelson: I'm gonna start fresh in 2026, and a lot of people will put all of their financial efforts on the back burner until then. Listen. As you guys know, there is no perfect time to start. We've talked about that plenty of times on this show, and if you're waiting for the stars to [00:06:00] align before you take action on your money, you're gonna be waiting forever.
Brad Nelson: So the best time to start is right now. And the good news is, is you've got plenty of time left this year to start making a real difference within your finances. And it's crazy to me. In fact, inside roots of personal finance, we have our members fill out a 90 day progress chart. So we have them from day one, fill out where they're at, how they're feeling, what their numbers look like, and then 90 days later.
Brad Nelson: We have them do it again. And you guys, you guys would be amazed at the differences people see with how much money they saved, how much debt they paid off, uh, how their emotions feel, how their overall stress levels feel. So 90 days is a lot of time to make progress and think about it, what would it feel like to head into the holidays and the new year?
Brad Nelson: Not stressed about money, but instead you're feeling confident, you're focused and in control, like you've got a plan. Feels pretty amazing. Think about walking into the new year and not having to be some of those people who are gonna be bringing in debt from the holidays and then figuring out how you're gonna have to pay for all that [00:07:00] stuff.
Brad Nelson: You see, guys, this stuff doesn't happen by accident. It happens because you make a choice to take one small step right now, and maybe that means right now. You're gonna find a hundred dollars of hidden money in your budget. Maybe that's shopping your services. Maybe you're gonna sell some things on Facebook marketplace.
Brad Nelson: Maybe it means creating right now, a simple holiday plan so the holidays don't take over you and your emotions and your financial wellbeing so you don't overspend that. Plan's gonna help you stop overspending. Maybe it's just committing to listening to this podcast every week and taking action on one tip that we're gonna share every single week.
Brad Nelson: You see small steps now lead to. Big relief and big progress later. So don't let these next three months slip away. They really do matter.
Brad Nelson: Alright guys, so here's my encouragement for you as we wrap up this episode. If you have to take a break, take it. You're human. Just don't quit your finances altogether. Don't slide backwards now. If you're ready to finish this year, strong, stay plugged in. Make it [00:08:00] a point. Listen each week to the Dad podcast, we're gonna be putting out new episodes every single Tuesday from now until the end of the year.
Brad Nelson: We're gonna be giving you some practical, simple tips to help you stay focused and stress less about your money, which I know all of you are used to if you've been listening to the podcast for some time. Also, if you really want to go all in on your finances and really finish the year strong. Even though we took a few months off of the podcast, we still had members joining us inside Roots Personal Finance.
Brad Nelson: All right. Now here's the thing. We only open a limited number of spots Inside Roots. Now, if you're not familiar with what Roots is, roots is my private membership that's going to give you. A ton of support and accountability in all the education that you need to turn your finances around. I've been running route now for 10 plus years.
Brad Nelson: We've helped thousands of people save and pay off tens of millions of dollars, and if you are interested in getting one of those limited spots, you can sign up by joining our roots of Personal Finance wait list. You can head over to debtfreedad.com. Click on the free resources [00:09:00] section of that page and you'll see the wait list button there.
Brad Nelson: You can also sign up for the wait list by clicking one of the links, at the bottom of the show notes of this episode. Also, if you're looking for other free episodes, we got a ton of our website. But if you're really ready to break free from living paycheck to paycheck, and you want additional content sent to you each and every single week, you guys have gotta sign up for the newsletter called Simplify My Money.
Brad Nelson: It is sent to you each and every single Sunday, and it's a great way to start out your week to stay focused on your finances. You see, simplify My Money is your step-by-step roadmap to better financial control. You're also gonna learn some easy to follow strategies to manage your money effectively. It's gonna help you make better money decisions.
Brad Nelson: And these money decisions are going to help you simplify your financial life. And we're gonna be sharing some tips that really do work for normal everyday people. People just like you, and people just like me. And you're gonna gain a lot of the tools and the confidence that you need to tackle your financial goals.
Brad Nelson: Head on again. You can sign up for Simplify My Money by heading over to our website at defreedead.com, clicking on the free resources [00:10:00] or by clicking the link at the top of the show notes of this episode. Again, you guys, thanks again for sticking with me through this break. I'm grateful for all of you who listen, share this podcast.
Brad Nelson: I can't wait for what's ahead and we will see you back here next week Tuesday.
