Even so, I made my students in my Personal Finance course keep track of their expenses for three weeks.  Not necessarily to torture them, but because they might need it later on. I don’t keep one, so I’m not about to suggest that that everyone else needs to start writing down all their purchases, packing those little flimsy receipts into their wallets and stressing until every last purchase gets recorded into their personal accounting software. Since I don’t keep one myself, I hesitate to suggest it for others. And yet, if debt is a problem, you might need it. The “Observer Effect” from physics explains is why you should budget expenses every month if you’re having trouble getting out of debt. The Observer Effect is often described in shorthand as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal,[1] although I recently learned these are different, frequently conflated, phenomena. Quantum theory posits that the act of observation influences electrons in spatial relationship with other particles.

In other words, to look at an electron is to alter either its position or its momentum.  Which kind of leads to messed up science. But messed-up science can be our friend in personal finance. To take a more common personal situation than quantum physics, doctors who study effective weight-loss techniques struggle with the basic scientific problem of Observer Effect.  Where To Buy Kourtney Kardashian Cat Eye SunglassesEssentially, when you enroll people in a study to observe weight loss effectiveness, you more often than not change the behavior of the people in the study.Puppies For Sale Gumtree Australia Consciously or not, study subjects begin to consider more carefully their behavior and its effect on their weight.  Gray Linen Duvet Cover Queen

Whether you’re enrolled in the ‘control’ or the ‘study’ group, you no longer act or think precisely the way you did before enrollment. Personal budgeting is a way to take advantage of this observer effect, if you have trouble coving your costs on a monthly basis. We can use the observer effect to our advantage, altering our behavior in the act of observing it. How I use the Observer Effect in my own life I don’t carry monthly credit card debt, which is my primary excuse for not doing personal budgeting.[2]  Frankly, my behavior when it comes to monthly expenses is fine already.  But I periodically struggle with two other problems: time management – and keeping to a regular exercise schedule.  I already know the ‘right answers’ when it comes to these behaviors, but knowing the right answers is not the same thing as doing the right thing on a monthly basis When I get really stuck, I’ve learned I can track either of these behaviors in a spreadsheet.   

Do I think I run four times a week but really I only run twice a week?  Do I think I go the local gym twice a week but really it’s twice a month? Am I wasting two hours a day surfing Facebook, clicking ‘like’ on Gawker articles?  When I track every half hour of my day, I can begin to see that a scheduled twenty minute conference call actually eats up an hour and a half, between preparation time, and follow up emails, and daydreaming about what I should have said during the call. This tracking inevitably changes my exercise and time management behavior, subtly altering it for the better. Look, I know it’s not a permanent change, and it’s not a cure-all.  But it’s a start – and better than doing nothing. A very successful business leader once told me the hardest part of his business is enacting adult behavior change. I’ve learned over time that personal habits – especially personal habits we’re not proud of – rarely survive wholly intact after exposure to close observation.

All of which is to say if you have a hard time covering your expenses on a month-to-month basis – try budgeting. [1] Apparently the ‘Uncertainty Principal’ describes the difficulty of simultaneously measuring paired properties in particles like electrons – such as location and momentum.  The ‘Observer Effect’ with which it is often confused describes the problem of observing certain phenomena without changing the measured phenomena in the act of observation. [2] My secondary excuse? [3] Here’s the best time-management book I’ve ever read, 168 hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam.  Also, she provides a handy spreadsheet that you can use to track your time. Post read (4565) times. Thanks for visiting Bankers Anonymous. Be sure to sign-up for my newsletter so you never miss what's happening on my site. You can also connect with me on Facebook and Twitter to keep the conversation going. Tags: budgeting, Observer Effect, personal finance, quantum physics

It is my opinion, that loosing weight is a relatively straightforward concept, but it is the lack of discipline that complicates the issue. The reality is that weight loss and more importantly weight management, has and will always be predicted on some basic concepts. Even as we make medical advancements in the area of obesity and weight management, and the proliferation of new fad diets and surgical intervention continue, the road will inevitably make its way back to the concepts that we will explore in this article. It is my belief, that if you follow these time tested principles, you will have the necessary tools to meet your weight loss goals and maintain a healthy weight. The principles listed below are nothing new and they surely do not require a comprehensive understanding of Quantum physics to grasp them. require a large degree of discipline to use them effectively. The same discipline that serves as the cornerstone for achieving our goals and dreams in most every aspect of our lives, is this same discipline needed to reach our weight loss goals as well.

Now, let's begin to explore these principles in depth. Try eating smaller portions at mealtime and make sure your plate if colorful.  A proper balance of whole grains, vegetables and fruits and the occassional protein portion that is no larger then the palm of your hand, will make a colorful plate.  Also if you want prepared meals and snacks, many of the well known food manufacturers package their cookies and snacks, and frozen meals in smaller portions sizes, with respect to quantity and total calories. Consequently, you get a lower calorie count per package. The concept here is to consume smaller portion meal. Our bodies function most efficiently at the height of the day, when are at our most active. Ideally, this is the time when you should have your heartiest meal, when we are burning the most calories. As the day progresses, our bodies naturally start to slow down, and as evening turns to nightfall, our body begins to shut down in terms of activity. This is not the time to consume a large meal.

We have all done it…after we eat this meal at 9:30 PM or 10 PM; we hit the couch and watch television or read a book. Well at this hour, our bodies are fully shut down compared to 12 noon, so we are not working off any calories. Consequently, the food just sits there and you know what that means. When is the last time you pushed back from the table or lunch counter satisfied but not stuffed? More times than not, you walk away bloated and uncomfortable. In my opinion, this is a common mistake that is made when we consume our meals, mainly at lunch or dinner.  The simple act of training yourself to eat until your hunger has been adequately satisfied is an important aspect of weight loss. Much like the portion sizing, this will cause you to consume fewer calories per meal. This is the big one. This is where the game is won or loss. Exercise is the cornerstone of any weight loss method you choose. Simply take a look at any of the latest fades in dieting, and you will discover that exercise, movement or activity is an essential component of those diets.

Exercise is good for the body, because it is the mechanism that burns calories and reduces your body fat. Now I realize that not everyone likes or even cares to exercise. Sorry to say, that dieting alone won't do the trick.. You have to do some form of exercise. So get out and do something, be it walking, cycling, hiking, aerobics etc. Whatever you choose, just move, so you can loose! As was stated earlier in this article, these principles have been around for decades and have been used successfully by many individuals. In this world of quick fixes, many of us do not want to invest in hard work when it comes to weight loss.  Discipline is absolutely essential to having any successful weight loss program or plan. I am a true believer, that if you follow these principles and use will power and self-control, you will be successful in loosing weight. It is not going to be easy, but anything worth having is worth fighting for. Go out and make it happen, take control of your weight. If you put in the work, it will pay off.