Struggling to stay on top of your money is not a unique problem.
But neurodivergent people — such as those with autism or ADHD — can face a unique set of challenges when managing their finances, says Andrea Ewalefo, founder of Modern Lady Vibes, a financial coaching business specializing in neurodivergent women of color.
One of these challenges is something called executive dysfunction. It can crop up in variety of areas — “anything from your impulsivity, to your ability to make decisions, to your to your ability to be consistent,” Ewalefo says. “Time blindness is another one, you get caught up in certain experiences. Or you don’t have enough dopamine to keep you focused for a long period of time.”
If any of this sounds like you, the traditional approach to managing money you’ve been taught may not work for you, says Ewalefo, herself a member of the neurodivergent community.
“A lot of the things people in the financial education space get caught up in is throwing systems in people’s faces,” she says. For neurodivergent folks, “we struggle with not only getting the systems set up, but sticking to them, or getting emotionally invested in them.”
Ewalefo knows that no two people have the exact same concerns when it comes to money, and tries to meet clients where they are. Her advice for nearly all of them: “Don’t beat yourself up.” And whenever possible, try to automate and delegate the financial tasks that drain you the most, so you can focus more on achieving your money goals.
Removing decision fatigue can make it easier to manage your money
For some neurodivergent people, the “spoon theory,” can serve as a useful metaphor for a daily store of energy that’s depleted by doing tasks.
“Brushing your teeth — things that neurotypical people just wake up and do — we have to consciously think about, and it uses our energy, our spoons,” Ewalefo says. “This morning brushing my teeth might take ten spoons. Yesterday it took two.”
The idea is that you have a set amount of spoons for the day, and once they’re gone, you’re completely mentally spent, “a log on the floor,” Ewalefo says.
For many of Ewalefo’s clients, the first step to getting on track financially is about taking money-related spoons off the table.
“If we can remove as much decision fatigue as possible, particularly within our financial planning, then that can help preserve our energy to do other things,” she says. “What that might look like is automating as much as possible.”
Ewalefo recommends setting your bill due dates to align with the days you get paid. If you’re paid once a month, for instance, set up autopay for all your bills on payday.
“Since it’s happening right when you get that paycheck, once your bills are paid, everything left is just free spending money,” she says. “Now have the freedom to enjoy your impulse buying without worrying about the fact that, oh no, I just spent my car payment.”
What’s more, setting rote financial tasks on autopilot can allow you to dedicate more of your mental energy to the money goals you really care about. To make progress on those, she says, you’ll also have to pay yourself from each check — and that can be put on autopilot, too.
“It’s not just the bills or the debt, it’s also auto-drafting your savings and investing needs so that those are prioritized just as much as your rent, just as much as your water bill,” Ewalefo says. “And all of that money has been set aside and put where it needs to go, so whatever is left in your account can literally just be spent on whatever you want.”
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