Today was leg day at the gym for me.  I knew that if I cranked out a bunch of squats, I might not have enough energy left to work the lower legs.  So I worked my calves first.  If I left them for later, they might not get done. I might have forgotten, or changed my mind. Instead, I made them a priority and got them done first.

If something is important to you, you will make it a priority, and generally you will get it done first, before everything else that isn’t a priority. This applies to exercising, healthy eating habits (it’s recommended that eat your vegetables first), and pretty much anything you may find important.

Is becoming wealthy important to you? Most people will respond with a resounding “Yes!” when asked that question – almost everyone wants to be wealthy. So you would think that more people would prioritize doing the things that make you wealthy – namely spending less than you make and investing the savings. Given how strongly people feel about the topic, you would think saving some money would be a priority.

But the reality is different.

To become wealthy, you need to prioritize saving. The first dollar that goes out when you receive a paycheck should go towards your retirement funds or savings accounts. Save first, and spend what remains. Very few do that, however. Most people spend first and save whatever is left over at the end of the month.  And there’s almost never anything left.  So nothing gets saved.

If becoming wealthy is important to you, you need to prioritize saving some of your income and putting it towards your investments. To make sure that happens, do it first. Right when you get your paycheck, set a portion aside for debt paydown or investments.

Before you pay for the stuff you want, even before you pay for the stuff you need – pay yourself first.  The easiest way would be to have it taken out of your paycheck automatically and put into a retirement account such as your 401K or IRA.

If you want to make sure you work your calves, do them first.  If you want to make sure to eat your vegetables, eat them first.  If you want to make savings happen, do it first. Make it a habit. Automate it. You’ll won’t notice it missing.

Back in July 2015, I got promoted to part-time supervisor in a UPS warehouse. The job allowed me to start contributing to 401k. In the 9 years since then, I always endeavored to contribute the maximum amount every year, and I managed to do so almost every year. I didn’t make all that much, and no one else at my salary level was contributing as much as I was, but I made it a priority, so I made it happen. At times, I had 50% of my paycheck being put into my 401k – and that’s only because that was the maximum amount UPS allows us to contribute! In the military, they allowed us to go up to 92 or 93%.

Consistently saving part of every paycheck and automating the contributions really paid off – this is what my 401k balance looks like today:

Make saving a priority – do it first. Your future self will thank you.