Avoiding Your Numbers Doesn’t Mean You’re Bad With Money

If you’ve ever opened your laptop, stared at your bookkeeping for three seconds, then suddenly decided that now is the perfect time to reorganise a cupboard / scroll Instagram / reply to emails from 2019… you’re not alone.

Avoiding your numbers does not mean you’re irresponsible.

It does not mean you’re bad with money.

And hell, it definitely doesn’t mean you’re “not cut out” for running a business.

It just means you’re human.

I know from experience this kind of avoidance is incredibly common. Especially when the thing you’re avoiding feels important, loaded, and easy to get wrong (with potentially big consequences from HMRC).

And yet - you might not like this bit - understandable doesn’t mean the avoidance is harmless…

The quiet build-up of avoidance

Avoidance rarely shows up in a dramatic, over-tired toddler tantrum “I refuse to do with this” kind of way.

It’s much sneakier than that.

It can look like the best intentions for ‘better’ outcomes, like:

• “I’ll do it next week when I have more time to do it properly.”

• “I just need to understand it better first.”

• “I’ll wait until I’ve got everything ready.”

• “I don’t have the headspace today, I have to be fully focused.”

And then weeks pass. Months sometimes.

Because, surprise surprise, the ‘perfect time’ never comes, and life keeps life-ing and your business has its usual ups and downs and hiccups and rollercoasters.

And the task doesn’t disappear - it just gets heavier.

Not necessarily because the numbers are getting worse.But because your head is filling in the gaps.

Uncertainty has a nasty habit of expanding when it’s left alone, and it can become a monster (or a screaming banshee as I explained in my last article).

So… what are you actually avoiding?

Here’s a (small) task I need you to do right now:

Look at the things on your to-do list that keep being pushed down, moved forward, or just ignored.

Then ask yourself - honestly(!) - which of these three things is true?

1. It’s not actually important

If so, to be blunt, why is it still on the list?

Outdated tasks create background guilt. Background guilt drains energy.

Delete it. You are absolutely allowed to decide to not do it.

2. You can’t do it

It could be new, hard or scary. For whatever reason, this isn’t a failure - it’s a signal.

If you don’t know how to do something, the answer isn’t avoidance. It’s just a sign you need support.

Who could explain it? Who could check it? Who could do it with you?

Capability grows through guidance, not pressure.

3. You just don’t wanna

You know you could, and you know it’s important, but it just gives you the ick and you don’t wanna do it… Then you’re not alone. If you’re getting this feeling it’s often because:

• You’re scared of getting it wrong

• You’re worried about what you’ll find

• You don’t trust yourself to interpret them properly

• You’re overthinking it into something enormous

That’s not laziness.

That’s normally your nervous system trying to keep you safe.

Avoidance is a nervous system response, not a character flaw

When something feels uncertain and high-stakes, it makes us feel uncomfortable, and so your brain looks for an exit.

That’s biology (and psychology), not a personal failing.

There’s a useful bit of motivation theory here from an appropriately named individual called Vroom: for you to engage with a task, two things need to be true:

1. You believe you can do it

2. You believe the reward is worth it

With bookkeeping, both of these often fall down.

You’re not confident you’re doing it “right”. And the reward feels vague, delayed, or invisible.

There’s no dopamine hit from reconciling transactions.No instant applause for tidy records.

So your brain says: nah, I’m good thanks.

What avoidance actually costs you

Here’s the part that matters most.

Avoidance might feel protective in the moment - but over time, it’s expensive.

Not just financially, but energetically.

When you don’t look at your numbers:

• You carry uncertainty around with you all the time

• You second-guess decisions you could make confidently

• You burn energy worrying instead of acting

• You miss opportunities to adjust early, while things are still small

Looking at your numbers isn’t about compliance first.

It’s about:

• Understanding what’s actually going on

• Making decisions in real time

• Conserving mental energy

• Building trust in yourself

Clarity is calming - even when the numbers aren’t perfect.

“But I’m bad with numbers”

I hear this from lots of business owners - “I’m not a numbers person” or “I’m not very good at maths”. This self-identity is often based on nightmares about trigonometry from school and an expectation that we have to be like Data from Star Trek or Sheldon from Big Bang Theory to get on with ‘numbers’.

But it’s not true.

Firstly - your business numbers are a language you can learn to speak.

And when you say you’re “bad with money” actually you are:

• Under-supported

• Overwhelmed

• Afraid of making a mistake

• Carrying a lot of unhelpful stories about what you should know by now

Confidence doesn’t come from intelligence.

It comes from familiarity.

You don’t need perfect records to build confidence. You need contact. Repetition. Context.

Good enough, done consistently, beats perfect-but-never every single time.

A small, doable shift (not a big overhaul)

You don’t need a full system reset.

Try this instead:

Set a 10-minute timer.Open your numbers (accounting software / banking app).Your only job is to notice, not fix.

Ask:

• What do I actually see?

• What surprises me?

• What feels unclear (without judging it)?

Stop when the timer ends.

That’s it.

No optimisation. No catching up. No “I should”.

Just exposure.

This is how avoidance loosens its grip — gently, repeatedly, without drama.

What matters most

Avoiding your numbers doesn’t mean you’re failing.

But continuing to avoid them does keep you stuck.

As someone who has taught accounting for over 15 years, the goal isn’t for you to become an accountant.

The goal is for you to feel:

• Calm

• Informed

• Capable

• In control enough to decide what happens next

You don’t need more education first. You might need accountability, reassurance, or someone alongside you while you build the habit.

That’s a very different thing.

I’m currently pressure-testing an idea around accountability rather than education — because most people already know enough.

If this resonated, and you want to talk it through (no sales script, no fixing), I’m genuinely happy to chat.

Sometimes clarity starts with a conversation.