In our time-starved lives it can be tempting to give our finances short shrift. People are juggling multiple checking, savings, investing and credit card accounts, and it gets more complicated when you add mortgages, tax and insurance concerns into the mix. Each of these comes with an abundance of deadlines, mail (both junk and legitimate), statements and stress. It can seem easier to pretend none of it exists.

“No one wants to spend lots of time on financial chores, so your best bet is to create a good system for getting the ones that matter most done fast,” says Laura Vanderkam, time management expert and author of 168 Hours. “This way you can focus on other things, like earning your money and putting it to good use.”

The best way to tackle your personal finances with the least time and energy is by creating a system of daily, weekly, monthly and annual tasks to complete on a schedule, she advises.

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