During the height of the pandemic, when the world seemed to stand still, I found myself in a moment of reflection and action. Everything was uncertain, and I had no idea what was coming next, but I knew one thing: I needed a plan. So, I created a framework to keep my household running smoothly during those unprecedented times. This wasn’t just about making it through the day-to-day – it was about building wealth, focusing on the essentials, and being as self-sufficient as possible.
Why Frameworks Are Important for Wealth Building
Fast forward to today, and I’ve come across these frameworks I had set up during the pandemic months, like those for April, May, and July. Looking at them now, I realize how efficient my household was running back then, especially at the beginning of my wealth-building journey. It wasn’t easy, but it was effective. As I reflect, I’m realizing it’s time to return to some of these frameworks, even though we’re no longer in the pandemic.
What I’ve learned from the past is that systems help. Not just to survive, but to thrive, even when everything else is uncertain. The next four years, in particular, are going to be unnerving. There’s a lot of unpredictability ahead, but I believe the most important thing anyone can do right now is focus on what they can control. It’s easy to get caught up in external factors, but as I’ve written before, ownership is key.
Focusing on What You Can Control: Mental and Physical Health
We can’t control the political landscape or if, for example, the Department of Education shuts down and leaves Pell Grants or student loans in limbo. What we can control is our mental and physical fitness. It’s about eliminating distractions, limiting the news, and eating healthier to clear up brain fog.
Looking back at the frameworks I created, I see things like, “Be mindful of your physical health and oral wellness. Cut back on sugars. Focus on veggies.” These little reminders keep me grounded and on track. For example, tracking my calories was part of that goal. Even though it’s been a while, it’s time to get back on it. It’s about making those incremental steps towards bettering myself, even when the world around me feels chaotic.
Setting Boundaries and Staying Focused
I believe that frameworks, like the ones I created, can help you stay grounded in your life when chaos is abundant around you. The news is one thing that’s hard to escape, but you can control how much time you spend absorbing it. Are you going to check the news every hour? Or will you set a boundary and only check in once a day? Perhaps you don’t need the TV on all day with the news in the background. Maybe you limit your time to just checking in on independent journalists that matter to you.
It’s all about setting those boundaries. For me, in 2025, I’ve narrowed it down to five things that matter most: family, school, the gym, eating healthy, and ownership. These are my priorities. They’re not in any particular order, but they are all equally important to me. If everything feels unpredictable around you, take back some predictability in your own life. You may not be able to predict how your investments will do, but you can control whether you keep investing. You can’t time the market, nor should you try to predict doom and gloom. Instead, focus on what you can do, and move forward with purpose.
Navigating Uncertainty: Taking Control of What You Can
A personal example of this: I just got into the University of Washington Tacoma. But right now, there’s an attack on the Department of Education, and Pell Grants – which were a huge factor in me going back to school – are up in the air. If something happens, I may not be able to attend school right away. But guess what? I can’t control that. What I can control is what I do in the meantime. I’ve secured my spot, signed up for orientation, and gotten my immunizations records sent over – and I’ll keep moving forward regardless of the outside chaos.
This is what frameworks can do for you. They help you take control, stay focused, and keep moving forward. In the face of uncertainty, these systems ground you, giving you a sense of stability when everything else feels unpredictable.
How Frameworks Help You Thrive Even When Times Are Tough
So, even though we’re no longer in the pandemic, I see the value in returning to these practices. I know that despite the chaos in the outside world, I can continue to build my wealth, stay grounded, and make progress. There’s no time like now to get back to the systems that helped me, and I truly believe this is the right approach for 2025 and beyond while we batten down the hatches once more.
These are some of the frameworks I used during the pandemic to build my first portfolio.
This was written on 7/14/2020
- Because you are not able to invest in a traditional IRA account – Robinhood will be your future wealth portfolio until you are able to do so.
- Steps to take while building out wealth:
- Stay away from those who aren’t taking covid seriously!
- Do not spend time in the lobby!
- Continue to get yourself in better shape and take care of both your health.
- Only go out when needed and stay indoors working on income projects, intellectual property, and investments.
- Continue to order groceries online and if you and the kid really want something find a way to have it delivered.
- For the Holidays:
- Continue to plan at-home projects such as a Halloween party at home.
- Have Christmas and Thanksgiving items delivered when it is fruitful to do so.
- Order Thanksgiving dinner items in October so you won’t have to be out searching for items.
- Order Halloween items in September and plan the party.
- Put enough funds away for Black Friday Deals.
- Plan to have funds to shop for deals at Target, eBay, Amazon, and other stores.
- Unplanned future income– 2nd Stimulus:
- Put 2nd stimulus into savings account to have a better cushion.
- Invest additional cash flow into investments – businesses.
- Any income that comes into the house from projects put into savings or investments.
- Projects:
- Plan for $20 – $40 to be spent on additional projects.
- Transportation:
- If too crowded, get off and catch another one if possible, especially if someone is coughing and there is no airflow.
- Continue to wear a mask and carry hand sanitizer.
- Living Expenses:
- Be reasonable in what you spend and how much and know when you are overspending and know when you need to spend a bit more than usual.
- Splurge where reasonable such as household traditional chocolates from See’s Candies.
- Remember: If you continue to build and make conscious decisions all else will be fine.
This was last modified on 5/15/2020
- Things to do to keep the household running efficiently into June:
- Don’t consume all the food such as the ice cream in one sitting or over a short period of time, remember to be frugal and stretch meals and all things consumable into next month.
- No more outgoing transactions outside the house, the only exception being laundry or emergency needs – food isn’t one of them if you can find a replacement or substitute in your fridge, freezer, or pantry.
- Look online to find recipe ideas for mix-matched items or for food items and substitute with what you already have – get creative.
- Cancel subscriptions that are not needed for next month such as HULU, Printer Ink, etc.
- Go to the park for free exercise and to get out of the house – if the decision is Wright’s park, pack a lunch and leave the debit card at home.
- Continue the routine of your household duties such as cleaning, tidying up, and making the apartment feel like home.
- Continue to do nutrition and wellness with the kid.
- Calorie tracking is still worth it, and you are killing it so keep at it.
- Continue to be mindful of your health and oral wellness as with the kid.
- Continue to take advantage of Disney+.
- No touching of your savings and do with what’s in checkings.
- Don’t check the market until June 3rd at the latest and June 2nd at the earliest.
- No more investments as of May 15, 2020, as of this morning you have increased all company positions sitting in the portfolio.
- Personal things to focus on:
- No stress and continue to focus only on what you can control and on the things under the umbrella of your responsibility.
- Continue to choose the battles that come across your battlefield and continue to move in silence – If you don’t tell people what you are doing, then people won’t know what to attack or use for their own gain.
This one was written on 4/11/2021
- Things to do to keep the household running efficiently into May:
- Continue to eat what needs to be eaten in the fridge and freezer to save on groceries for the rest of April.
- No more outgoing transactions outside the household.
- Cancel subscriptions that are coming up at the end of the month to save money and avoid automatic transactions.
- Go to the park for free exercise and to get out of the house – if the decision is Wright’s park, pack a lunch and leave the debit card at home – walk up the hill for exercise.
- Continue the routine of your household duties such as cleaning, tidying up, and making the apartment feel like home.
- Continue to do nutrition and wellness with the kid – get back on track.
- Calorie tracking is still worth it, and you are killing it so get back on it, starting tomorrow, April 12th.
- Continue on your fitness routine by getting out of the house walking or running – just make sure to move your body for your mental health.
- Continue to be mindful of your physical health and oral wellness as with the kid – cut back on the sugars and focus more on veggies moving forward.
- No touching of your savings and do with what’s in your checking – exceptions only what is essential such as Walmart delivery if needed then only allocate $50 from savings to what is already in checking.
- No more investments as of April 11, 2021, you already increased your share position in KO, added an ETF (Value and Growth), and allocated the rest of your purchasing power to Ethereum. ( Note, 2/7/2025, I quickly sold my position in Ethereum that month. It was not for me at all, and I stick solely to stocks as my bread and butter.)
- Remember that if you plant seeds today there is no need to check on them religiously because you are planting seeds for the future.
- Continue to create the environment and setting of your book to the best of your ability while developing the social construct of the characters and the roles they represent tied to the story outline.
- Personal things to focus on:
- No stress and continue to focus only on what you can control and on the things under the umbrella of your responsibility. Continue to choose the battles that come across your battlefield and continue to move in silence. Do not worry about the outside world or what ‘society’ might think when it comes to your position in the world.
- Because (A) no one is focused on you as much as you think they are and (B) you are right where you need to be to get to the next best chapter of your adult life.
Turning Isolation into Opportunity: The Power of Introversion
These frameworks significantly helped me get to where I am today. While many struggled with boredom and isolation, I found myself thinking of Isaac Newton and the period when he was dealing with illness. It was during that time he came up with some of his greatest discoveries. I knew the pandemic was my chance to restart and thrive in my natural setting of introversion, and I ran with it. Now, I hope that a glimpse into my world of frameworks and how I managed my household helps you.
I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.” – Isaac Newton
The Broke College Student 
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