Brad Inman’s 100 tougher, smarter must-dos for 2024

Close the curtain on 2023. As we enter 2024, we are tougher, smarter and better equipped to handle stress, challenge volatility and stare down chaos.

What next?

Here is my list of some things you may consider doing in 2024. Enjoy.

1. Write 2023 on a piece of paper and light it on fire.
2. Stop dating fixer-uppers.
3. Trade in your chariot from 2021.
4. Get some inspiration from the Kelce brothers.
5. Think big, act bigger, sleep longer, work harder.
6. Adopt this mantra: “Roar in 24.”
7. Never regret an old tattoo.
8. Never again look at a picture of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
9. Make the first three words of the new year “I love you.”
10. Practice saying “no” with a southern drawl.
11. Build a tiny house in your backyard. 
12. Remember that beating yourself up is corporal punishment.
13. Fix the icky shower drain in your upstairs guest bedroom.
14. Stop bragging about your steps; no one wants to hear about it.
15. Lofty goals are for the gods. We mortals just need to get going.
16. Listen to your leaders, if they don’t lie to you.
17. Pull the plug on the business lines that lose money.
18. Down a shot of fresh lemon juice every morning.
19. Find a niche, and serve it better than anyone else.
20. Move your 33-year-old kid out of the house, once and for all.
21. Boil water, add a cup of cranberries, a handful of walnuts, a few dates, some nutmeg and orange slices, let it simmer for two hours, top with a rosemary sprig and put it in the fridge. 
22. Watch TikTok before preparing your 2024 business plan.
23. Throw away your aviator sunglasses.
24. Don’t let Elon Musk upset you so much.
25. Worry less about getting a good night’s sleep.
26. Take a morning walk — with someone preferably.
27. Eat the cranberry sauce, it should be cold by now.
28. Bring a small gift whenever you meet with someone.
29. If you insist on being a control freak, take aim at the universe.
30. Install a pop-up blocker for the U.S. presidential election.
31. Be prepared for the next housing boom.
32. You don’t have to be smart but learn to be clever.
33. Recognize that self-help books and podcasts benefit their creators more than you.
34. If you have allergies, don’t overshare.
35. Add some cheap rum to the cranberry sauce.
36. Remember that helping people own a home is a spectacular profession.
37. Have a hot toddy on a cold day (hot water,  lemon juice, honey and a shot of Angel’s Envy whisky).
38. Cancel 10 useless subscriptions.
39. Take your right hand, put it over your left shoulder, and pat yourself on the back.
40. Sell your Apple Watch.
41. Become a certified Swiftie.
42. Feeling lonely? Invite the 33-year-old back home.
43. Rob a bank if you must, but pick one that we all hate.
44. Bet on Michigan in the college football playoffs.
45. Exercise outdoors.
46. Complain less; cheerlead more.
47. Get rid of the old trampoline in your backyard.
48. Cast a spell on your worst enemies, then let them go.
49. Don’t be delusional about your dreams.
50. Take a trip to Paris by yourself, and stay in my guest bedroom.
51. If you need to borrow money, double the amount that you ask for.
52. When friends and family invite you to do something,  the word “sure” should be your default response.
53. Play music while you drink your morning coffee.
54. Get to know what is going on inside your body.
55. Sunshine is essential; skin cancer is bad. Figure it out.
56. Talk to someone if you are depressed.
57. Read the New York Review of Books to feel smarter. 
58. Don’t commit fraud.
59. Dance to “Rock Your Baby” by George McCrae.
60. Find a small animal that can perch on your shoulder.
61. Be chillicious for a day.
62. Don’t wear your hat tilted backward.
63. Buy your underwear at Target and your dress from Armani.
64. Work more on your smile, and less on your abs.
65. Let someone smarter than you and me worry about blockbuster lawsuits.
66. Get rid of the animal perched on your shoulder.
67. You can rant, but not at another human being.
68. Time is precious: swap out Facebook for true social networking like coffee, lunch or drinks with friends.
69. Add a little THC oil to the cranberry sauce.
70. Lighten up. Candles won’t burn down your house.
71. Next party, hire a bartender.
72. Understand that despair is normal.
73. In the face of that, recognize that optimism is necessary.
74. Walk along a creekbed.
75. Trust your gut when you vote.
76. Know that if he is competing with you, he’s not your best friend.
77. Get a full-body scan.
78. Put Apple AirTags on your keychain and in all of your bags.
79. Fill up your home with indoor plants.
80. Subscribe to Clear, the airport fast-tracking service.
81. Read the Financial Times.
82. Thank your Uber driver, your waiter, your housekeeper and anyone else who does the work that you don’t care to do.
83. Don’t buy expensive sunglasses, suitcases or wineglasses.
84. Avoid experts who peddle storytelling, authenticity and originality.
85. Tell your stories, and be yourself.
86. Clean the inside of your suitcases.
87. Act out occasionally.
88. Apologize less.
89. Love more.
90. Take no digital devices to bed (at least try).
91. Throw out the cranberry sauce.
92. Remember, you won’t meet new people unless you make the effort.
93. Fix your garbage disposal yourself.
94. At the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2024, sip a whiskey, smoke a single cigarette and yell at the top of your lungs, “F*** it.”
95. Challenge popular wisdom, but don’t ignore good advice.
96. If you see a bathroom, use it.
97. With low expectations, help a friend get off drugs.
98. Plan an epic spring break.
99. Make a new batch of cranberry sauce.
100. Don’t hold back next year; none of us are getting out of here alive.

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