It’s the 14th of January, we are already two weeks into 2024, and I am still thinking about the goals I want to pursue for this new year. I’ve had some random goal ideas popping into my mind, but it’s not until I get to write them down that I am clear on what I want.

Last year I missed this step as I was overwhelmed with work, but this year I have no excuses, so here I go with my goals for 2024!

House Goals

Like last year, I plan on spending a good amount of my free time improving the house. It feels like a never-ending journey, but I hope to be able to finish most of what we want to do this year.

This is the list of improvements that I expect to complete:

Start and Finish Bathroom Renovation

This is what’s coming next. We purchased most fixtures and fittings yesterday in B&Q and expect to get it all on the 29th. B&Q are very well-known for messing around with the purchase orders, so work will start a week after to allow for any possible delivery mistakes.

I got a quote for the full bathroom installation from local fitters for £4,275. I try to support local trade, but the price shocked me since our bathroom is small, and we aren’t making any changes to the layout. Then I decided to ask friends for recommendations and also posted for help in a Facebook Group. The result was that I got more people interested and received quotes around the £1,000s, which well… sounds way better! It is a no-brainer, although this means I will have to be more involved in the renovation process, which is fine taking that I can save over £3K!

Start and Finish Toilet Downstairs

We’ve also purchased most of what we need to renew the downstairs toilet. This will be the next step after refurbishing the bathroom. If I feel brave enough I may do it all by myself as I will have hopefully acquired enough knowledge by then.

Start and Finish the Second Bedroom

At this stage, the second bedroom will be empty and hence I will be able to start and finish painting the walls and install the laminate flooring.

Improve Outside Of House and Garden

Once the spring kicks in, we can work on some aspects of the outside of the house. The front wall and door need repainting, as well as the fence and shred in the garden. The goal here is to start improving the outdoor experience of the house. Improve the quality of the grass, get rid of (a lot of) unwanted weeds, and build soil-only areas along the fence to easily lawn mow and grow some plants in the future. It would be nice to install a water feature at the centre of the garden, but that may be for another year.

Financial Systems / Goals

Recently, I listened to Morgan Housel as a guest on the Motley Fool Podcast. He reminded me that defining systems works better than setting up goals. I’ve decided to take a personalized approach and have both, use goals to use a reference but focus on the system or, in James Clear’s words — focus on good habits.

Keep Tracking Income and Expenses Monthly

Despite I no longer blog post monthly, I keep tracking my income and expenses every month. This habit has proved to be essential to me. I worried that posting only once a quarter would impact this habit badly, but it hasn’t happened. This year, it couldn’t be less — dating with my spreadsheets once a month is a must.

As a goal, I expect to save close to 40% of my income.

Keep Investing in S&S ISA and Pension Regularly

As defined in my wealth accumulation plan, investing any savings into ISAs and Pension is another of my must-do systems.

As a goal, and a very important one, is to break even on my investing returns.

Following the latest portfolio update, my current returns are -2.8%. I’ve never been that close to breaking even, will 2024 finally be the year that I turn that into a +?

Simplify Investments

This year, I want to focus on simplifying my investments. Selling bonds and emerging markets funds, exiting any P2P if possible, and selling all my crypto are all on my to-do list.

Non-Financial Systems / Goals

Obtain British Citizenship

This year marks the 10th year since I first came to the UK to study English, so what better way to celebrate than by becoming a proper British Citizen? I had originally planned to do this in my fifth year, but the uncertainty around Brexit and COVID-19 changed my mind. Now I feel like the right time has come.

Read 5 Pages a Day

Reading 5 pages a day may seem like nothing, but if done continuously it is 1825 pages a year, which depending on the book length, can be between 4–7 books a year.

I set to read 5 books as a goal.

Exercise Regularly

This is another critical habit. Regular exercise is mandatory for me. It makes me feel healthier, stronger and better. I normally hit the gym 5 times a week, and in addition, I go for a run some weekends.

Eat Healthier

I will be honest, there’s plenty of room for improvement in my eating habits. I started the year strong, though, as I’m eating no sugar and drinking no alcohol as a January challenge. A fortnight into the month and can already feel the difference. So far it has been relatively easy, but things are quiet at work now, it will be more challenging to avoid the temptation of chocolate and sugar during periods of stress and overload of work.

If I keep exercising regularly as I do and manage to improve my diet, I should see a reduction in my belly fat.

Socialize

One of the reasons why I feel happier than before is because I socialize more. People are more relaxed and friendlier in the northern part of England than where I used to live. I interact and socialize more with others now. Before, I tried to substitute the lack of socializing with the use of social media, which can help to some extent but can’t substitute meeting with people in the physical world.

This is it, these are my systems and goals for 2024. Except for becoming a British Citizen, my goals are nothing too special or out of the ordinary, but are all crucial to maintaining my well-being.

For all the readers who had set 2024 goals — good luck and all the best 🙂