Today, I signed up for an online savings account that gives me a much better interest rate than my Wells Fargo savings account. I also signed up for electronic payment on my student loan, which will give me a quarter of a point discount on interest.

Am I boring if I’m excited about that? Yes, slightly. I guess what makes it exciting is that I’m starting to take charge of my own financial situation. Growing up, I guess.

Speaking of finance, I now have things I actually want to save for, instead of small sums of money just stuffed somewhere. I want a laptop, a tailor-made suit, and a car. In that order, I think. I also want more clothes, but I really want a tailor-made suit.

I developed a Post-It system for work. I write down all the little things I need to do and stick them on my desk. When I finish a task, I take the post-it and transfer it to a piece of paper. This paper has the date on it. So all my post-its are like little trophies and this piece of paper is my mantle. It’s a pretty low-tech reward system. Post-its aren’t gold stars, but, like gold stars, they are also yellow polygons.

This isn’t anything new. At my tech writing job, I’d put each task on a tiny post-it. Yet when I evaluated these at the end of the day, I’d just toss them in the recycle bin.

When I keep them, it’s more exciting. I need tangible evidence that I accomplished something during the day and didn’t spend the entire time spinning my wheels. I crave recognition, even if it is just stupid post-its.