I'm not sure if you remember the cartoons where a character disturbs a hive and then are pursued by what looks like a cloud of bees? That was this six-year-old soccer game. The soccer ball was Wile E. Coyote and the players were the cloud of bees.

There was also the kids who after about five minutes decided they just weren't that into it. So they either made up a dance together at the back of play or, like one adorable boy, literally sat down and started smelling flowers.

My favourite though was the overexcitable boy who had obviously decided this was a whole lot of fun but he just wanted to kick a goal – so he did. In his own goal. And then celebrated by taking off down the field with his shirt over his head. Of course, as no scores were kept, it didn't really matter.

What was clear to me on the sideline that day was that most of the kids were having a great time. They also thought they had all done a pretty great job judging by the backslapping and cheering that happened as they left the field. However, what was also very apparent is that no one really had a clue what was going on.

Now six-year-old soccer players don't need to have a clue, right? Their main job is to run around, pick up some new skills, enjoy some fitness and have a great time. However, it occurred to me that many of us are behaving like six-year-old soccer players when it comes to our finances. Unfortunately, we can't afford to behave like six year olds when it comes to money or we'd all be fabulous but broke. So following are five ways you can grow up when it comes to your finances.

1. Move from being results-based to activity-based. If I was coaching a team and simply yelled at my players to win but didn't give them any skills or strategies to help them – then unless my players are very gifted, I'm probably not going to get the best out of them. It's the same with our finances. Too often we might think about the results we want – buying a home, holidaying overseas, private schools or retiring early but we don't know where to start so we don't do anything about it. We need to work out the right activity. Whether it's finding great advisers, working out our goals, deciding on a strategy or setting up a budget. Yes, I realise this is Money 101 but I think some of us have forgotten the basics and are looking for fancy footwork while neglecting how to kick and pass.

2. Know your Numbers. Sure a six-year-old soccer game might not keep score but it's important that you do. Make sure you know the critical numbers that will keep you on track to reaching your goals. This might include how much you should be spending per week, how much you should be saving per week and the targets you need to reach so you know whether you're on track to reach your goals.

3. Create a stats sheet. Six year olds don't care about stats, own goals or missed tackles. All they care about is how much fun they had playing. As they should. While you want to have a great time with the money you're earning, you also want to ensure that your expenses are less than your income. Simple, right? Sure, it might seem simple except so many of us aren't living that way. Make sure you work out your own "stat sheet" to make sure you're spending less and saving more or perhaps you need to work on the other side of the equation and work out ways to earn more.

4. Don't join the beehive. Just because your friend, sister and three people at work are all buying new apartments or shares in a hot mining stock, doesn't mean you should be too. Often we're so caught up in the hype of what others are doing or what the media are saying that we jump in without much thought, not wanting to miss out. We skip the crucial step of doing the research to see if we really understand what we're doing or whether it fits in with our goals and situation. Sure, it might be a great thing to do, but do your research and make up your own mind first.

5. Adjust your play to the conditions. Of course knowing what activity you should be doing and then doing it is only part of the story. The rest of the story is monitoring and altering your activity to suit the time of year, pay rises, holidays and even if the car needs major repairs. It's very easy to try something once, decide it isn't for you and then never try again. Instead, people that are great with their finances are always trying to see what is coming up, working out strategies for what might trip them up and then figuring out how they should be responding.

Sure, like six-year-old soccer players, we want to have a great time with our finances for however long we're able to play.

However, it's important to play a grown-up game when it comes to our money and ensure we're able to play not just today but for our entire life.

Melissa Browne is an accountant, adviser, author and shoe addict.

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