99 Ways To Invest In Your Future
Happy new year! As 2023 dawns in a bright light of possibility, I feel something tugging at my shirt sleeve. Oh, right, it’s those resolutions I’m supposed to make.
If you don’t feel like doing the whole “make a list of resolutions and stick with them for five weeks” song and dance this January, I’m right there with you. Here are, instead, some tools that could be a bit more useful to you—a list of 99 ways to invest in yourself this year, in your career, partnerships, health, and everything else.
Of course, not all of these tips will work for everyone, but hopefully, you will find a few nuggets that resonate with you and that you can use as a jumping-off point now or any time you’re feeling stuck and in need of some inspiration for bettering your life. Here are 99 of our favorite ways to invest in your future.
Ways to Invest in Your Physical Health
1. Drink water. How much water you need is a highly individual metric, but a good starting point is 65 to 100 ounces per day.
2. Walk. If you live in a walkable area, walk to do errands as much as possible—if not, try walking a mile a few times a week.
3. Exercise. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says to aim for 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense exercise a week. That walking mentioned above counts toward your exercise!
4. Strength training with weights a couple of times a week helps prevent bone loss and reduces your risk of fractures.
“Stretch a few times weekly to improve blood flow, increase flexibility, and decrease your risk of injury.”
5. Buy quality sneakers that fit you, so you’re less prone to injuries while running or at the gym.
6. Invest in some workout gear, like dumbbells, resistance bands, and, if possible, exercise machines, so you can maintain your fitness even when you can’t get to the gym.
7. Stretch a few times weekly to improve blood flow, increase flexibility, and decrease your risk of injury.
8. Hire a personal trainer. If this is possible for you, it’s a significant investment toward many aspects of your future health.
9. Get a yearly physical. Get blood work done at the appointment, too, so you’ll know if you have any nutrient deficiencies.
“Sleep! Sleep needs vary, but aim to get seven to eight hours per night.”
10. Sleep! Sleep needs vary, but aim to get seven to eight hours per night.
11. Meditate—10 minutes a day can help you manage stress.
12. Take digital breaks. Try turning off your phone and computer for an hour or two every day while you walk, cook, meditate, clean, read, or rest.
13. Discover what kind of rest you most need and how to get that rest.
14. Cook whenever you can. There’s no better way to eat healthy for cheap!
15. Eat a couple of different types of fruit and veggies per day, every day.
16. Replace processed starches like pasta and bread with whole starches like brown rice, barley, oats, and quinoa a few times a week.
17. Replace proteins like processed meats and red meats with healthier proteins like eggs, legumes, and fatty fish a few times a week.
18. Aim for no more than 30 grams of added sugar per day.
“Invest in regular bodywork like massage therapy.”
19. Practice an elimination diet if you’ve having gastrointestinal or digestive issues to try and identify what you’re sensitive to.
20. Take supplements intentionally. If you have a deficiency or are targeting a particular concern like stress management or a stronger immune system, do lots of research and only try one supplement at a time. Some of our favorites are probiotics, omega-3, and adaptogens.
21. Invest in regular bodywork like massage therapy.
22. Use screens to your advantage by checking out health apps to help with meditation, fitness tracking, nutrition, and period tracking.
Ways to Invest in Your Relationships
23. When you can, call instead of text.
24. Reach out first. You don’t want to find yourself in a completely one-sided relationship, but take the time to reach out first, even if you reached out first last time—it doesn’t have to be transactional.
25. Have coffee or shopping dates with friends/family members that don’t always involve alcohol.
26. Write birthdays and other important dates in your calendar, so you don’t forget.
“When you feel hurt, say something—respectfully.”
27. Introduce friends to each other.
28. If you have a partner, make it a priority once or twice a month to spend quality time with friends outside of your relationship (this benefits your relationship and friendships).
29. Show the people you care about grace and kindness. No one is perfect.
30. When you feel hurt, say something—respectfully.
31. If possible, housewarming gifts, birthday presents, and sometimes picking up the tab goes a long way to show someone you care.
32. Exchange gifts, especially with your partner, intentionally. Focus on things you know your partner will appreciate deeply or on experiences you can have together.
33. Ask lots of questions when you spend time with a loved one.
“Stay true to your word—try not to cancel plans unless you really have to!”
34. Try something new with a friend, partner, or family member—something neither of you has done before!
35. Leave positive reminders on sticky notes for your partner.
36. Stay true to your word—try not to cancel plans unless you have to!
37. Share laughter. When you see something funny online, send it to someone you care about!
“Take trips to reconnect with your partner if you can—even if it’s just a two-day camping trip.”
38. Choose your battles.
39. Don’t repeat secrets.
40. Take trips to reconnect with your partner if you can—even if it’s just a two-day camping trip.
41. Don’t underestimate the power of a compliment.
42. Plan a date with a friend or partner, especially if you’re not the usual date planner.
43. A bouquet of flowers, a treat from the convenience store, or a home-cooked meal are all super easy ways to show someone a bit of love—do things like this regularly.
44. Once a week or once a month, sit down with your partner to discuss highs and lows—whether about the relationship or just about life.
45. Give as much as you can in your relationships—with friends, family members, or romantic partners. When you go through more difficult seasons, you’ll be grateful for the strong connections you made when you had the chance.
Ways to Invest in Your Career
46. Take a few courses you’re interested in on HubSpot or LinkedIn Learning.
47. For a bigger investment, earn an additional certification at a local university or community college.
48. For an even bigger investment, get a degree—whether a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or even Ph.D. is most beneficial to your specific field.
“Email someone you admire professionally to ask specific questions related to their career.”
49. Sit down and look at the big picture every few months. Where are you now in relation to where you want to be? Where do you want to be in a year or five years?
50. Email someone you admire professionally to ask specific questions related to their career.
51. Bonus: ask them to get coffee to chat in person.
52. A one-off conversation is great, but try finding a mentor, too—a higher-up in your company or field who you can meet with regularly for advice.
53. If possible, invest in a career coach.
54. Develop your LinkedIn profile with the appropriate skills and certifications.
55. Build a website if it’s relevant to your industry. Some website builders are geared toward specific industries, so do your research!
“Don’t just pay attention to your network when you’re job hunting, but rather continue professional relationships by reaching out regularly.”
56. Invest in a custom URL, too, if you can.
57. Consider getting your resume professionally reviewed/written.
58. Maintain personal relationships. Don’t just pay attention to your network when you’re job hunting, but rather continue professional relationships by reaching out regularly.
59. Capitalize on opportunities to network and build more connections, too.
60. Consider learning another language. Speaking multiple languages can be hugely beneficial in all sorts of careers, especially if you often work with folks outside the U.S.
61. Join a committee or board of a professional association in your field to raise your profile and make new connections.
62. Ask a colleague you admire about anything they might be doing to invest in their career.
63. Maintain your family and personal life. When you have a strong family life and social connections, you have more opportunities to broaden your horizons and focus on positive, non-work things to clear your mind.
Ways to Invest in Your Finances
64. Check your bank and credit card statements regularly.
65. Create a monthly budget based on your earnings, bills, and cost of living.
66. Download an app to help you with monthly budgeting, like Mint, Clarity, or Goodbudget. These apps can sync all your accounts, help you pay debt, and provide financial insights.
67. Create a yearly budget, too. This’ll help you plan for any big expenses that might be coming up, like a car repair, a trip, or a wedding.
“Set a savings goal at the beginning of the year.”
68. However you decide to pay off debts, whether you prioritize those with the highest interest rates or lowest balance, make a plan and schedule monthly payments for each one.
69. Set a savings goal at the beginning of the year. Determine how much money you can put into savings (if any) each month to hit that goal by the end of the year.
70. Consider bumping up your retirement savings rate this year if you can.
71. Enroll in automatic payments for all your bills.
72. If you have children, consider saving for a college fund if you haven’t already.
73. Get your documents for tax season as soon as you can.
74. If you make donations, learn about charitable deductions available to you come tax season.
“Ask for a raise!”
75. Ask for a raise! If you haven’t gotten one in the past six months to a year, make the case to your boss for why you should.
76. Or, find a new job to raise your salary. Make sure you try and negotiate your starting offer.
77. Start an emergency account and try to make sure it’s fully funded. A good rule of thumb is to have three to six months of (liquidable) bills/cost of living saved up for emergencies.
78. Switch to a credit card with better rewards.
79. If your employer allows, consider leveraging your skills with a second gig.
“If you have a partner, practice talking about money openly with them.”
80. Find out if your employer has benefits you’re not taking advantage of, like commuter or fitness benefits.
81. If you’ve never invested your money, start learning with these inclusive podcasts.
82. And when you’re ready, here are five socially responsible investing platforms.
83. Look into a health savings account, especially if you know you’ll have certain healthcare expenses this year.
84. If you have a partner, practice discussing money openly with them.
85. Consider hiring a financial advisor.
Ways to Invest in Your Mental Health
86. Mental and physical health are related, so some tips mentioned above, like getting enough sleep or meditating, are super relevant here, too.
87. Practice gratitude, whether you keep a gratitude journal or do a quick mental exercise at the beginning or end of the day.
88. Find and prioritize a hobby you like, or invest in the ones that you have.
89. Start a journal. It can be for gratitude, jotting down your thoughts, or even keeping track of mental lists like things you need from the hardware store. Whatever you want.
“Set time limits on apps like Instagram or TikTok.”
90. Break a bad habit. If you have a habit you’ve been meaning to lose, make this year the year to do it.
91. Set time limits on apps like Instagram or TikTok.
92. Declutter your space. Maybe this is taking 15 minutes daily to clean up or an hour or two on the weekends.
93. Read! Start anywhere—the news, romance novels, self-help books, whatever piques your interest.
94. Volunteer at a food bank, homeless shelter, or anywhere in your community that needs help.
95. Cultivate community. Maybe it’s becoming a regular at a coffee shop or restaurant nearby.
“Try to spend time outside every day, even if it’s just for a five- or ten-minute walk.”
96. Maybe it’s befriending your neighbors or creating a neighborhood Facebook page.
97. If you don’t already, consider investing in therapy, especially if it’s something you’ve been thinking about.
98. Try to spend time outside every day, even if it’s just for a five- or ten-minute walk.
99. If you’re religious or spiritual, consider joining a church or otherwise finding a community to nurture your spirituality.
Natalie Gale is a Boston-based freelance journalist. When she’s not writing about art, food, or sustainability, you can find her biking to the farmers’ market, baking, sewing, or planning her next Halloween costume. Say hi on Instagram!
