Sometimes we learn things and we don’t really realize their value until a lot of time has passed.

I remember going to London many, many years ago, probably close to 15 years at least. It was a very short weekend where the man I was with at the time would go to a kind of conference with multiple events focused on personal growth.

At that time, I was really into personal growth, not that I’m not into it anymore, but I do think things have shifted in the way I approach growth.

( for example: I have a better detection system for fluff, especially when it comes to certain styles of teaching )

Still, one piece of learning I got from that moment is that we shouldn’t always discard the content just because the delivery (or the style)wasn’t great.

Back to London

So, back to the story.

We went to this course about “the millionaire mindset”. I feel a little bit stupid now telling the story, but, as I said, I learned a lot.

We were there for, I don’t know, one or two hours, and during that time we went through a few different exercises and presentations.

One of them that stuck with me ever since: splitting your income into different bank accounts.

The concept was to have one account for paying the bills, another for learning, another for joyful things, and so on.

You had different categories where you put the money.

Then, with one card, you knew you could spend that money without thinking too much or worrying about whether you were using money meant for something else.

Obviously, you need to tune the numbers so that you don’t move money you still need to pay the bills, but the concept was clear and easy to follow.

Splitting the Money

I’m not diligently using the system the way it was intended, but the whole concept of having separate bank accounts is something I’ve continued to use.

What made it valuable for me was, first, realizing that if you have all your money in one bank account, it’s easier to spend it, that moving some of the money out of the way helps limit the spending or, to better put it, helps controlling it.

Once you move some money elsewhere, guess what happens? You have less money available. Assuming you use one bank account for paying the bills, whatever you have left available is what you can spend, and therefore you’re less inclined to spend unnecessarily.

Money You Can Spend

But the same idea also works in the opposite direction.
Moving money into different accounts isn’t only about limiting yourself, but it’s also about giving you the permission to spend it, removing the guilt.

Some of that money can be for learning. Some can be for joyful things.

Once I set that money aside and knew I could use it, I knew I was ok spending that money.

You can use the separation to prevent yourself from spending money you shouldn’t spend, but also to give yourself permission to spend money that you decided was there to be spent.

So, if you have trouble with spending, or if you want more control and awareness over where your money goes, using separate bank accounts can be a good strategy. It creates clearer boundaries between what you need to pay, what you want to save, and what you’re allowed to enjoy.

I’m sure this doesn’t come as a surprise to some people.

But it did for me at that time.

And sometimes, a simple idea becomes valuable precisely because it stays with you long after you first encounter it.