38 BEFORE 2024

If you use the last 9 weeks of 2023 to complete every relevant task, 2024 will likely be the most accomplished, confident, and mentally healthy year of your life.

FINANCE

Please note: this is not financial advice, just information I wish I’d listened to when I was younger.

1. Read a starter book on financial management.

Inspiration:

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki.
"The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey.
"The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko.

2. Open a trading account and buy at least $100 USD worth of shares.

If you want a safe, long-term strategy, look into index funds. Starting an investment account won’t make you a millionaire overnight, but it will change your mindset around spending. “Hmm, I could buy these new shoes, or I could buy 3 more shares in the company that makes them."

3. Create and stick to a monthly budget.

4. Set up an emergency fund and begin contributing towards it.

Unless you have a lot of debt right now, your goal by Jan 1st, 2024 should be to have 0.5 months worth of living expenses in this fund. Your goal at the end of 2024 should be to have 3 months worth of living expenses in it.

5. Get rid of all the streaming subscriptions you don’t regularly use.

6. Unless you're satisfied by your earnings, research and select one way to generate more money in 2024.

Examples:

Negotiate a pay rise
Get a new job
Learn a freelance skill
Take on a side hustle
Start a business

7. Educate yourself about the basics of retirement planning and start contributing to a retirement account.

8. Take note of your credit score and aim to improve it by 25% in 2024.

The best ways to improve your credit score:

Pay Bills on Time: Consistently pay all your bills, including credit card payments, loans, and utilities, on time.

Reduce Credit Card Balances: Aim to keep your credit card balances low.

Create a Payment Schedule: Set up reminders or automatic payments to ensure you never miss a due date.

Don't Close Old Accounts: Length of credit history matters. Keep your old credit accounts open, as they contribute positively to your credit score.

Limit New Credit Applications: Applying for multiple new credit accounts in a short period (hard inquiries) can lower your score. Be selective and only apply for credit when necessary.

Pay Off Collections: If you have accounts in collections, work on paying them off.

9. Reduce how often you eat out.

10. Consolidate hight interests loans into one lower interest loan.

FITNESS

11. Walk an average of 10,000+ steps per day in December.

12. Become capable of doing 30+ consecutive pushups.

13. Develop enough flexibility to touch your toes without bending your legs.

14. Work out with a friend at least once per week.

The purpose of this is to add a social element to your workouts, be held a little more accountable, or to create some friendly competition. The purpose is NOT to hold another person responsible for your fitness goals.

Workouts that incorporate two people:

Weights session at the gym
Tennis
1v1 Basketball
Rock climbing

15. Double your plank PB.

PB: Start by timing how long you can hold a plank. This is your pb (personal best).

Example: 40 seconds.

Goal: By the end of 2023, aim to double your baseline.

40 + 40 = 80 seconds.

Weekly Planking Schedule: Perform planks on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Progression Plan:

Week 1: 40 seconds
Week 2: 44 seconds
Week 3: 49 seconds
Week 4: 54 seconds
Week 5: 57 seconds
Week 6: 60 seconds
Week 7: 64 seconds
Week 8: 75 seconds
Week 9: 80 seconds

— END OF 2023 —

SOCIAL

16. Get rid of at least one bad friend.

I’m sure it doesn’t need to be said, but if you only have good friends, don’t get rid of one for the sake of it.

17. Limit your combined social media app usage to 20 minutes per day or less.

18. Invest more time with a good person whom you're not particularly close with.

This could be an old friend, colleague, or someone you met playing FIFA.

19. Arrange a social gathering with your closest friends before Christmas.

If you're unable to host, book a bar or restaurant. And no, you don't have to pay for everyone.

20. Join a community based on an interest.

Love the NBA? Join a fantasy league. Love photography? Join a nature photography hiking group. Love music? Join a choir, band, or discussion forum.

21. Practise active listening and use it in at least 5 conversations.

If you're unfamiliar with active listening, read my article on it here.

22. Expose yourself to one social challenge each week.

Examples:

Make small talk with a stranger
Approach an attractive woman
Ask a colleague about their weekend plans
Ask a salesperson for a discount

23. Volunteer for a cause you're passionate about.

Love dogs? Go to the pound and walk a dog on your lunch break.

24. Partake in a hobby you’re interested in that encourages social interaction.

Examples:

Mixed sex indoor football
Cooking or painting class
Comic book convention

DATING

25. Do a stand-up comedy course.

Not just to improve your sense of humour and comedic timing, but to also get you comfortable speaking in public and thinking on your feet.

26. Get a haircut that suits the shape of your face.

Step 1: Look in a mirror or use a tape measure to measure the width of your forehead, cheekbones, jawline, and face length.

Round: Your face is roughly equal in width and length with soft angles.
Oval: Your face is longer than it is wide, with balanced proportions.
Square: Your forehead, cheekbones, and jawline are similar in width.
Heart: Your forehead is wider than your cheekbones and jawline.
Diamond: Your cheekbones are the widest part of your face, with a narrower forehead and jawline.

Step 2: Either research hairstyles that suit your face shape, or speak to a trusted professional hairstylist and explore your options with them.

27. Begin applying facial moisturiser at least once per day.

28. Get rid of unwanted hairs.

This includes hair from your back, shoulders, the side of your neck, hanging out of your nose or ears, and between your eyebrows.

29. Sign up for a speed dating event.

30. Take a dance class.

31. Take better quality online dating profile photos.

32. Develop a checklist of the ten most important traits you're looking for in a partner.

It's easy to get caught up in 'how can I impress the most women possible.' Changing your mindset to 'what I'm looking for' makes you more confident and less desperate to impress in your approach. It also helps you develop a more refined future search.

33. Unless you’re taking a break from them, try a new dating app.

MENTAL HEALTH

34. If you suffer from situational anxiety, practise emotional reframing.

If you're unfamiliar with emotional reframing, read my article on it here.

35. Reach a point where you can comfortably stand under cold water for 60 seconds.

Week 1-2: Acclimatisation

Start with your regular warm shower.
For the last 30 seconds, gradually decrease the water temperature to lukewarm or slightly cooler.
Do this for the entire week, extending the cooler water time by 10 seconds every 2-3 days.

Week 3-4: Embrace Cool Showers

Begin your shower with lukewarm water.
After 2-3 minutes, reduce the temperature to cool (not cold) for 30 seconds.
Gradually extend the cool water duration to 1 minute over these two weeks.

Week 5-6: Introduce Cold Bursts

Start with a lukewarm shower.
After 2-3 minutes, switch to cold water for 10 seconds, then return to lukewarm.
Increase the cold water bursts by 10 seconds every few days, aiming for a total of 30 seconds.

Week 7-8: Cold Shower Routine

Begin with a lukewarm shower.
After 2-3 minutes, switch to cold water for 30 seconds.
Gradually increase the cold water duration by 10 seconds every few days until you reach 60 seconds.

Week 9: Comfortably Standing Cold Shower

Start your shower with lukewarm water for 2-3 minutes.
Then, confidently switch to cold water and stand under it for 60 seconds.
Congratulations! You've reached your goal of comfortably enduring a 60-second cold water shower.

36. Complete my confidence journal.

Available for free, here.

37. Implement a "no-screen" hour before you go to sleep each night.

38. Write a list of 100 things you’re grateful for.

That's less than 2 things each day.

Examples:

I'm grateful for my car. It always gets me where I need to go.
I'm grateful for the taste of freshly brewed coffee in the morning.
I'm thankful for the support of my partner during challenging times.
I appreciate the feeling of sand between my toes at the beach.