Free printable · Moves 1 and 6 of the roadmap
The Paycheck and Skills Worksheet
Thirty minutes and a pen. First your paycheck math (Move 1), then five short parts that turn “all I know is my job” into skills you could earn more with (Move 6). Fill it in on screen, print it, or download the PDF.
Part A · 15 minutes · Move 1
Your paycheck math
Grab your last two pay stubs and last month’s bank and card statements. Example only: $1,560 net every two weeks is $1,560 × 26 ÷ 12 = $3,380 a month. Spread over 80 scheduled hours plus 10 hours of commuting, that’s about $17.33 an hour.
| Line | How to find it | Your number |
|---|---|---|
| Net pay per paycheck | From your latest pay stub | |
| Paychecks per year | 26 (every two weeks), 24 (twice a month), 52 or 12 | |
| Monthly take-home | Net pay × paychecks per year ÷ 12 | |
| Hours per pay period | Scheduled hours + commute + unpaid prep | |
| Real hourly wage | Net pay ÷ hours per pay period | |
| Needs this month | Housing, utilities, groceries, insurance, minimum payments, transportation | |
| Wants this month | Eating out, subscriptions, hobbies, upgrades | |
| Future you this month | Savings, extra debt payments, investing |
One leak I’ll plug this month, and where that money will go instead:
Part B · 20 minutes · Move 6: the skills you could earn more with
Part 1 · 3 minutes
Read the translation
You do these things every week in your job. Outside it, each one has a plain business name, and real businesses run on it. Read the list once and notice which rows make you think, “Well, obviously.”
| In your job, you… | Off the clock, that’s… |
|---|---|
| Building trust with a nervous stranger in the first ninety seconds | Rapport and client care |
| Explaining something complicated to a scared person, in plain words, in under five minutes | Teaching and simplifying |
| Getting a calm yes on a decision someone has postponed twice | Ethical sales |
| Talking a furious customer back to calm | Conflict resolution |
| Keeping accurate records, every day, with no one checking | Documentation and process |
| Keeping a full schedule on time when two things go wrong at once | Operations and time |
| Noticing the thing the person didn’t mention | Observation and judgment |
| Saying the same message a hundred ways until one lands | Messaging and copy |
| Staying kind with someone’s fear, embarrassment or grief | Empathy |
Part 2 · 7 minutes
Rate yourself twice
Circle a number for how good you are at each skill, then circle a second number for how much energy it gives you (1 = drains me, 5 = fills me up). Fill in a real moment for the ones you’re proud of. The skills that score high on both are your raw material.
| Skill | How good (1–5) | Energy (1–5) | A moment I used it well |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapport and client care | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Teaching and simplifying | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Ethical sales | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Conflict resolution | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Documentation and process | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Operations and time | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Observation and judgment | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Messaging and copy | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 | |
| Empathy | 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5 |
Part 3 · 5 minutes
Listen to what people already ask you
Coworkers, customers, friends and family already ask me about…
I could explain this for an hour without notes:
The part of my workday I want less of, not more:
Part 4 · 3 minutes
Match your top two skills to a way to earn more
Write your two highest-scoring skills from Part 2 here: and . Then tick every option that leans on at least one of them.
| Option | Leans most on | Tick |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance or consulting | Operations, process, conflict resolution, sales | |
| Tutoring or teaching | Teaching, rapport, empathy | |
| Digital products (guides, templates) | Teaching, documentation and process | |
| Content (writing, video, newsletter) | Teaching, messaging, trusted recommendations | |
| A local service | Rapport, sales, operations, empathy | |
| Asking for a raise at your current job | Operations, sales, documentation of results |
Part 5 · 2 minutes
Write one rough sentence
It doesn’t have to be good yet. It just has to exist. You’ll test it with the two-week test in Move 6 of the roadmap.
I help with through , so they can .
Example only: “I help new hires in my field with their first month through one-on-one coaching, so they can walk in with confidence instead of dread.”
Next step
You have your numbers. Now put them in order.
The free roadmap takes this worksheet further: all six money moves in order, worked examples, 2026 IRS limits and a 90-day plan.