Common new year advice won’t make you unstoppable in 2024.
The cliche tips dished out like toilet water at this time of year are:
- Do more
- Do less
Screw that. My approach is to take what I’m already doing and find a better version to replace it with. Here are some kickass examples you can copy.
Replace fear with experimentation
People often start the new year and don’t know what to do.
Everyone is posting about their 2024 goals. Everyone is sharing their “best of 2023” lists. This time of year gives me FOMO. I feel like I, too, should be sharing my 2024 goals and 2023 reflections. But I often don’t.
I dislike it. I prefer to stay focused on what I’m already doing. I don’t need more advice or more inputs. Nope. I need to stay the course. Not all of you are in the same phase of life though, which I respect.
Many of you are quietly ruled by fear like I was for a decade. You think a lot about your fears and how to overcome them in 2024.
One strategy I’ve learned is to replace fear with experimentation. Instead of focusing on what you don’t know or what’s holding you back, focus on doing more experiments based on your curiosity.
Action creates insight. More action will tell you what to do more of, and more importantly, what to do less of.
Replace lukewarm interests/passion/hobbies with obsession
I used to call writing my hobby.
It sounded smart. It made me feel good. 2023 taught me that nothing I do is related to passion/interests/hobbies. Nope. I chase obsession. Obsession is more powerful because it has a greater intensity. It’s the 1–2 things you can’t NOT do. You can’t stop thinking about obsession.
It’s a dictator that rules your mind.
Don’t get caught up in the lukewarm, piss-weak trend of interests and passion. These are for dabblers. They’re for non-serious people who fall in love with someday and overnight Hollywood success fantasies.
In 2024 double down on your obsession.
This is where all the energy is found. It doesn’t require motivation or special mentors with magic handwavy networks.
Replace feeling stuck with walking
I get stuck on problems all the time.
The more I think about them the more I can’t find answers. I’ve found going on walks is better than staying in my home office and feeling stuck.
Walking helps get your brain thinking. Once you’re in motion it’s amazing the ideas you can come up with. I find walks in nature to be extra powerful. It reconnects me to my roots and my ancestors.
Walk off your problems.
Replace spending with investing
Most of us are master spenders.
We could be given $1000 and spend it at the shopping mall in seconds. And we brag about being thrifty or getting a good deal. I’ve learned these habits won’t make you wealthy.
True wealth comes from investing, not a saving or accumulation habit centered on a scarcity mindset.
The assets you invest in during 2024 will determine how wealthy you are in the next 5 years. Do deep research on what to invest in. Set up an investment portfolio. Get some passive income.
Money can’t fix every problem but it can sure relieve some stress.
Replace Netflix with books
Before you think I’m some white knight with a perfect cold shower routine, let me be honest. Netflix got the better of me a few times in 2023.
Yep. That’s right. I’m not proud of it. This year, instead of relaxing at night with a TV show, I’m going to read more books. The problem with modern content is most of it has a recency bias.
The other issue is that if we’re all watching and consuming the same content, then we all start to think and act the same. This scares me.
More books, less dopamine content that you’ll forget by the end of the year.
Replace planning with execution
Too many people are master planners.
Planning is often just overthinking in disguise. Read that again.
In 2024 it’s time to focus on execution. Stop wanting to know all the answers upfront. Stop trying to figure everything out like a high school science project that you want the teacher to give you an A+ for.
Execution creates data. Data leads to true insight. The best part about execution is it gives you confidence. With real confidence you can become unstoppable.
Replace scrolling social media with pre-bookmarked writers
Algorithmic feeds dominate our online experience.
And they’re making us freaking stupid. The other day, on a live Zoom call, I brought up my X homepage.
The first two posts were from Elon Musk gaslighting competitors. The next one was an argument about who will win the election. And the next two were both about Andrew Hate and his antics.
Algorithms serve us up cheap dopamine. And TikTok and Instagram are nothing more than softcore p*rn.
Once you see this reality you can’t unsee it.
If you pick the default online experience, you’re naturally led to the wolf pack to be eaten alive by the bad news of the world.
In 2024, I will continue to use bookmarked content creators and information sources, as well as handpicked newsletters, instead of algorithmic stupidity feeds. I recommend you do the same.
Replace loser friends with paid practitioners
I don’t mean to replace all friends (obviously).
What I’m saying is it’s a good idea to replace bad friends. The ones who’re going nowhere. The ones who mistreat you. The ones who are users but do nothing in return for anyone — they just want free handouts.
One mistake I made here is I tried to replace bad friends with free mentors. I quickly learned that when you expect someone to help you for free, you get the least amount of their time and their bottom of the barrel “hacks.”
An interview between Sahil Bloom and David Perell helped me see another modern trap I’ve fallen into. It’s easy to replace bad friends with so-called experts. Sahil says credentialism is losing momentum.
We’re tired of experts who only have their title because of the number of years they’ve done one thing for. But time in the game doesn’t mean one has mastered the game. Read that again.
So what people do you look for then?
This is going to sound controversial: paid practitioners. People who are interesting because they’ve done interesting stuff, not collected certificates from Harvard to look smart.
What I’ve found is when I’ve spent money to chat with a practitioner, often, if there’s enough similarity, future conversations can be either free or much lower cost.
Look for practitioners.
Replace blaming with compassion
My extended family bought my daughter a high chair.
It sucks. She can’t sit in it. She screams when we put her in it. And she has to be tied down to the chair like a prisoner serving life for murder.
My wife blamed my family. “Why would anyone buy such a stupid high chair?” I quickly interrupted her thought pattern.
The high chair was bought by family who are in their late 70s. They’re boomers who didn’t grow up with the internet. They rarely read online reviews. They buy most things in person at a local store from someone they trust.
From that perspective, it’s easy to see how they didn’t understand all the nuances of a high chair and select a good one from a bad one. What this shows is the power of compassion.
When you go from blaming to compassion, you understand people better.
Things make more sense and outcomes often become more logical. In a year when the US will have an election, compassion is crucial.
Replace late nights with early mornings
Staying up late is overrated.
The best work happens in the morning because it’s when we are the most rested from a full night’s sleep. And staying up late wrecks our natural circadian rhythm.
More research from doctors like Andrew Huberman is showing the importance of going to bed and waking up at the right time. I’m not suggesting you wake up at 3 am and flex your biceps.
What I’m saying is when you wake up early you get a headstart. It’s less busy at 6 or 7 am than it is at 10 or 11 am. When you start the day early you feel like you’ve achieved more than you have.
That feeling bleeds into the rest of your day and creates momentum.
Replace the focus on a job with the focus on a side business
A job is level 1 of a career.
But you can’t build someone else’s dream forever. I’m not suggesting you hail mary your career and quit your job tomorrow with no plan. What I did was build a tiny online empire after hours.
When there was enough evidence and data, then I quit my boring job. Refocus your energy away from a job. Still show up. Still pass go and collect your paycheck that barely keeps up with the cost of living. Just make sure you build on the side.
Start experimenting. Start writing. Start building a community on social media or with an email list.
Final Thought
As a wise man named Mr Hormozi once said, “All New Year’s resolutions come down to one thing: impulse control.”
If you want 2024 to be your best year yet then focus on your impulses. They are what distract you from the big goals that’ll lead to true fulfillment and meaning. It’s time to be relentless and stop living life on easy mode.
This article is for informational purposes only, it should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. Consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions.
