20 Tips for Men in their Twenties

Hear ye, hear ye, degenerates

Here are things most young men aren’t told but should be.

1. No porn, fornication or drugs.

2. Don’t watch TV. Video games aren’t as bad, but there are better uses of your time. Some men are naturally drawn to them because they involve tracking objects, which the male brain is adapted for because of projectiles in hunting and combat, but sports provide this in a better way.

3. Get into the habit of reading a physical book, with your WiFi and phone switched off, for at least 20 minutes daily.

4. Exceed the minimum weekly physical activity guidelines: 150-300 minutes of moderate cardio or 75-150 minutes vigorous intensity aerobic activity, and moderate-high intensity resistance training involving all the major muscle groups on 2 or more days per week.

5. Establish good sleep habits.

6. Prioritise building muscle. It’s an investment in your future health.

7. Eat enough to fuel progress in the gym while keeping your waist under 37 inches at the maximum - probably more like 35 inches, really (subtract 3 inches if you’re of Asian descent). Moderate your food and alcohol consumption accordingly.

8. Avoid debt. Never buy what you can’t afford to pay for in cash right now, except your first house.

9. Cars are a waste of money. Spend no more than 25% of your gross income. Find one that’s 3 years old with around 30k miles on the clock then run it until it’s done 150,000-200,000k (some cars will do far more) and repeat.

10. Save as much of your income as you can. Live well below your means consistently.

11. Don’t rely on one income stream. It’s a poor rat that only has one hole.

12. Buy nice rather than buy twice. Cheap stuff is usually false economy.

13. Don’t make any long-term investments until you’ve got a cash reserve of 12 months of living expenses.

14. There are five main asset classes: stocks, bonds, cash and cash equivalents, property, and precious metals. Don’t invest in what you don’t understand. Almost everyone will do best by investing in index funds and playing the long game.

15. Build an offline network of ten guys within ten miles of where you live.

16. Be more self-reliant, including growing some of your own food. And being self-employed should at least be an option.

17. Fix deficiencies in any basic skills like simple plumbing (don’t be that guy who has to hire a professional to plug in a dishwasher or fix a leaky tap), changing a flat tyre, jump starting a car, basic self-defence, etc.

18. Start the day by thinking about what you’re grateful for. As far as possible, blame yourself for everything bad that happens to you.

19. People don’t really change. Accept them — warts and all. Honour what is honourable in them, and forgive the rest. As Marcus Aurelius said, ‘be strict with yourself but tolerant with others.’

20. Get married and have kids. Your wife should stay at home with them. The purpose of your work is to make that possible. But your actual job starts when you get home.