Index Cards of Advice
From Column #402.
Health
Have a consistent bedtime & sleep 8 hours each night.
Maintain a healthy weight by controlling calorie consumption.
Cook >80% of your own meals. Use raw sources.
Drink water, unsweetened tea, and black coffee (almost) exclusively.
Try to move (walk, stretch) consistently throughout the day.
Exercise 3-4 times a week for 30-45 minutes.
Mix aerobic (e.g. jogging), anaerobic (lifting), and balance/flexibility (e.g. yoga) for a well-rounded routine.
Wear protection (condoms & sunscreen).
Get a physical every year & get vaccinated.
Cyber Security
Passwords - use a password manager (e.g. Lastpass, Bitwarden) to generate strong, unique passwords for every account you have. The password for your password manager should be 20+ characters, with all character types.
Never share personal information with anyone unless YOU initiated the communication.
Use 2-factor authentication if it’s available.
Back up your important data in multiple places.
Pull your free credit reports annual: annualcreditreports.com
Avoid public wifi networks or use a VPN.
Productivity
Have a consistent bedtime & sleep 8 hours each night.
Use systems to manage your time & tasks (e.g. a calendar).
Have an “inbox” to continually capture ideas, tasks, and notes.
Review your systems and get to inbox zero at LEAST weekly.
Write big, multi-year goals for yourself. Break them down into multiple smaller, measurable, time-based results.
Consistently make time to do focused, distraction-free, sustained work toward these results. Work on ONE THING at a time.
Say “no” to unimportant things & do what’s most important first.
Take breaks between working sessions & move your body.
Personal Finance
Spend less than you earn. Avoid unnecessary expenses.
Pay your credit card balance in full every month.
Save at least 20% of your income.
If you use an advisor, make them commit to a fiduciary standard.
Buy a home when you’re ready to stay for ~5+ years.
Buy inexpensive and well-diversified index mutual funds, and hold onto them for the long haul. Don’t buy or sell individual stocks. Avoid “actively managed” funds.
Insure what’s valuable, including you.
Max out tax-advantaged savings & employer match.
Happiness
Have a consistent bedtime & sleep 8 hours each night.
Exercise most days. Eat and drink responsibly.
Accept that you cannot be happy & satisfied all the time.
If you’re always unhappy and dissatisfied, seek help.
Don’t aim to be better than others; be better than you were.
Don’t wait for a goal or a thing to make you happy. Enjoy the journey. The present is where we live our whole lives.
Take things only as seriously as they need. Laugh & play more.
Read more books and less news. Avoid advertising.
Consume less. Create more. Take care of yourself. Then help others.