Tackling Money Avoidance
(Including Tax Avoidance-Not the Illegal Kind, the Psychological Kind)
For solo therapists who would rather process attachment trauma than open their banking app.
Money avoidance isn’t laziness.
It’s a nervous system strategy.
If you:
Avoid checking your account balance
Put off sending quarterly taxes
Ignore emails from your CPA
Feel dread when thinking about revenue
Your brain is protecting you from perceived threat.
The problem?
Avoidance compounds — especially with money.
So we’re not fixing your entire financial life.
We’re building a low-activation, under-15-minute system.
The 15-Minute Money System
No task below exceeds 15 minutes.
Many are 2–5 minutes.
Small exposure. High repetition. Low drama.
Daily (2–5 Minutes)
1. Glance at Your Business Balance (2 minutes)
Open your business account.
Notice the number.
No analyzing.
No judging.
Close it.
This builds tolerance.
2. Move the Tax Percentage (3 minutes)
When a payment hits:
Move 25–30% into your tax savings account.
That’s it.
If you’re in the U.S., this money will eventually go to the
Internal Revenue Service.
But today, you’re just moving it. I receive money from a contract every other friday, every other friday- I do paycheck budgeting.
Weekly (10–15 Minutes Total)
Choose one consistent day.
3. Categorize This Week’s Expenses (10 minutes)
Open your accounting system:
Tiller HQ is what I use because my brain is basically a spreadsheet, it’s ~$75 per year
Wave is used by a lot of people, it’s free
Categorize transactions from the past week only.
Not the whole month.
Not the backlog.
Just this week.
Progress > perfection.
4. Look at Revenue (5 minutes)
Total revenue this week.
That’s it.
No projections.
No meaning-making.
Exposure reduces fear.
Monthly (15 Minutes Max)
Set a recurring “Money CEO” calendar event.
5. Quick Profit Snapshot (15 minutes)
Total revenue this month
Total expenses this month
Current tax savings balance
Ask one question:
“Is my 25–30% transfer still enough?”
If yes → close laptop.
If no → adjust by 2–3%.
Tiny course correction.
Quarterly (15 Minutes)
6. Pay Estimated Taxes (15 minutes)
Log in.
Submit payment.
Close browser.
No spiraling.
No ruminating about fairness.
Just execution. I actually pay when I do my paycheck budgeting-It’s harder to track all the payments, but my brain struggles with longer amounts of time like quarters and months.
The Nervous System Rules
When tackling money avoidance:
Do not “catch up” for hours.
Do not review your entire financial history.
Do not attempt to fix your entire pricing model in one sitting.
Money avoidance thrives on overwhelm.
You are building tolerance, not intensity.
What Happens When You Do This
Within 30–60 days:
Money stops feeling mysterious.
Taxes stop feeling catastrophic.
You stop bracing every time you open your email.
Because your brain now has evidence:
“I look at this regularly. Nothing explodes.”
The Reframe
You are not bad at money.
You are avoidance-adapted.
And avoidance is reduced through:
Small exposure
Repetition
Containment
Completion
No task longer than 15 minutes.
No financial personality overhaul.
Just consistent, boring structure.
