Time has gone so fast and it’s the end of the year again. We hope everyone has a wonderful journey in the year 2017 and wish you a more fruitful year ahead!
Now, before a new year begins, it’s always good to have some reflections and plan some resolutions to achieve a greater year. Most people believe that the whole year’s work depends on a good start in spring, so, let’s check out together what should you add to your list to make a good start for 2018.
#1 Quit Smoking
A survey in 2016 shows that there is an estimated 22.8 percent of Malaysia’s populations are smokers. It is often considered one of the hardest habits to break because smokers rely on cigarettes to cope with their stress and boredom. The truth is, cigarette never release your stress. It’s the nicotine addiction that makes you feel uncomfortable when the level of nicotine in your body drops. Your discomforts can disappear if you stop relying on nicotine.
Nevertheless, smoking is expensive. Calculating the amount of money you spend on smoking itself can make you stress. So, why don’t you give yourself a challenge? Every time when you want to buy a pack of cigarettes, keep that money in a special purse/piggy bank/bank account. Then, use the accumulated money to reward yourself by going to a concert, a trip or even buying a property.
After all, you will look better and live healthier without cigarettes.
#2 Exercise More
Assuming most of our readers are white-collar workers, physical inactivity is our common problem. According to reports, Malaysia is the most obese country in Southeast Asia. We love food but not exercise. Most of us never develop the habit of exercise since childhood, and it’s only harder to pick up the habit during adulthood.
Most people have a misconception that only fat people need to exercise. However, physical inactivity can cause a lot of health problems. Nowadays, there are a lot of YouTubers teaching you ways to keep fit at home. Stop giving yourself excuses for not being active. Start exercise now and make it part of your daily routine!
#3 Get Better Sleep
Sleep plays an irreplaceable role in our life. It is the natural healing solution for most of our physical problems. Getting enough of sleep is important. However, it is not only about the amount of sleep you get, the quality of your sleep counts too.
First of all, getting in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, the circadian rhythm, is one of the most important strategies for a better sleep. Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule helps you to feel more refreshed and energized. Besides, a relaxing yoga or gentle stretching in the evening can also promote a good sleep. If you need more help on getting a better sleep, kindly head to this article.
#4 Learn a New Skill
Leaving school doesn’t mean that you can stop learning. The world is changing rapidly, if you stop keeping yourself relevant to the world, you might be eliminated one day.
Trending skills like Digital Marketing, SEO, Big Data, Ethical Hacking, and etc. can actually enhance your resumé. You can sign up online classes from trusted sites like coursera to pick up these skills. Besides these, you can also consider picking up skills like plumbing, gardening, cooking, and sewing.
#5 Create a Better Financial Plan
A better financial plan includes the settling of debts, a proper saving plan and a realistic spending budget. To achieve financial freedom or even a wealthy life, you must have a good financial plan from the beginning. Saving money doesn’t mean that you need to give up a comfortable lifestyle, you just have to spend wisely.
Open an individual saving account to keep your saving regularly. For instance, if you just started work, you can start by RM300 per month, then RM500 and slowly increase as your salary increases. When you have enough saving, you can start investing your money starting from open a fixed deposit (FD) account. Although it’s a slow investment, it’s safe and stable. Anyway, sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit! So, start early!
Set some goals for your 2018. We TopNotch wishes you have a very happy new year.
Let’s become top-notch together with TopNotch!
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