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Ask HN: How do you invest in yourself?

What investments do you make when it comes to human capital? Health? Well-being? And which ones have the highest returns?

markus_zhang 7y ago
I have the same question. I want to invest in myself, but the uncertainty of future employment and the unknown quality of paid study resources limit my choices.
notomorrow 7y ago
Taking sleeping and walking seriously.
- non-entity 7y ago
  Seriously how do you do the former. It seems damn near impossible to balance work, personal development for my career in the future, social life and health while still getting recommended amounts of sleep?
  - wallflower 7y ago
    First step is to track your sleep with an Oura or Fitbit or other device. These devices are not going to be as accurate as an EEG used in a sleep study, and they are good enough, even if they usually cannot tell the difference between fiddling with your phone in bed and light sleep. Maybe you can survive on less sleep. But the first step is to figure out your baseline.
  - kleer001 7y ago
    Abandon ballast. Usually entertainment can go first. No more TV shows. Minimize to the weekly movie and listen to audio books on the commute.
thedevindevops 7y ago
A commitment to healthy eating, an exercise plan and a complete and ruthless approach to only having relationships that have an objective net benefit to psychological wellbeing
askafriend 7y ago
From a spending money perspective, I don't hesitate to spend on food. Whether it's eating out at nice places or buying high quality food products - I won't really think about it. From a mostly time perspective, going to the gym and staying fit.
quietthrow 7y ago
A good investment is goal driven. Vague (Human capital) goals are no good. In lieu of specific goals or outcomes I assume you are talking about life in general. 1. Health: a)Physical- stay fit by exercising daily,eat healthy(this is a broad topic), lead a active life even if through hobbies. B) mental - meditate and become self aware. Understand what activity and people contribute to positive state and what to negative states. Practice gratitude and honesty with yourself and others. 2) relationships: do hobbies with friends and family. Build bonds by seeking out experiences.
Alex_wikiroutes 7y ago
I invest time in creating the right habits.
lethisaputri 7y ago
i think health is good one
Ruth_K 7y ago
If you`re talking about money: I`m investing in my health (food, yoga and so on) and appearance. Sometimes family. But if we`re speaking about not material stuff: self-development (different courses or reading something like this: https://ivypanda.com/essays/were-the-founding-fathers-blatantly-sexist-and-misogynist-in-the-foundation-period-of-our-republic/ https://ivypanda.com/essays/were-the-founding-fathers-blatan... and so on) and family.
- kratom_sandwich 7y ago
  That's exactly what I'm talking about!
- RemoteIsHeaven 7y ago
  Right on the money! I also suggested building good, strong relationships.
RemoteIsHeaven 7y ago
> which ones have the highest returns Build good, strong relationships. As geeks we dont tend to value human relationships. However, good, strong relationships will pay out dividends and change your life for the better. They will encourage you to improve yourself, improve your health, improve your knowledge. On the other hand it's also important to realize bad actors and act accordingly. Check out my latest ASK HN thread for an idea on handling bad actors.
jackgolding 7y ago
For me this year the best improvements have come from time - these have the highest returns monetary wise too as most are free. - Meditating (Headspace or Waking Up App - try the 30 day trials) - Heavily exercising 3-4 times a week ($15/week gym) - $8 Gratitude Journal app - Eating clean and cooking (cheaper than eating out) In the last 10 years (I'm nearly 30) I've invested a lot in coaching, training, conferences and books - nothing has really helped even close to as much as the above. At the end of the day my increases in salary have been mainly from keeping a critical mind, not further training. A great daily practice also makes every book I read much more meaningful.
openlowcode 7y ago
I would recommend, by order of priority - sleep enough and drink enough - eat well and perform 30 minutes exercise a day - invest in relation with your loved ones (parents, children, significant others). If you are in the phase in your life where you do not live with your family (young adult), have a few valued friends. If you have all this, whatever happens at work will not kill you, and this is a good thing.

What investments do you make when it comes to human capital? Health? Well-being? And which ones have the highest returns?

markus_zhang 7y ago

I have the same question. I want to invest in myself, but the uncertainty of future employment and the unknown quality of paid study resources limit my choices.

notomorrow 7y ago

Taking sleeping and walking seriously.

non-entity 7y ago
Seriously how do you do the former. It seems damn near impossible to balance work, personal development for my career in the future, social life and health while still getting recommended amounts of sleep?
- wallflower 7y ago
  First step is to track your sleep with an Oura or Fitbit or other device. These devices are not going to be as accurate as an EEG used in a sleep study, and they are good enough, even if they usually cannot tell the difference between fiddling with your phone in bed and light sleep. Maybe you can survive on less sleep. But the first step is to figure out your baseline.
- kleer001 7y ago
  Abandon ballast. Usually entertainment can go first. No more TV shows. Minimize to the weekly movie and listen to audio books on the commute.

thedevindevops 7y ago

A commitment to healthy eating, an exercise plan and a complete and ruthless approach to only having relationships that have an objective net benefit to psychological wellbeing

askafriend 7y ago

From a spending money perspective, I don't hesitate to spend on food. Whether it's eating out at nice places or buying high quality food products - I won't really think about it. From a mostly time perspective, going to the gym and staying fit.

quietthrow 7y ago

A good investment is goal driven. Vague (Human capital) goals are no good. In lieu of specific goals or outcomes I assume you are talking about life in general. 1. Health: a)Physical- stay fit by exercising daily,eat healthy(this is a broad topic), lead a active life even if through hobbies. B) mental - meditate and become self aware. Understand what activity and people contribute to positive state and what to negative states. Practice gratitude and honesty with yourself and others. 2) relationships: do hobbies with friends and family. Build bonds by seeking out experiences.

Alex_wikiroutes 7y ago

I invest time in creating the right habits.

lethisaputri 7y ago

i think health is good one

Ruth_K 7y ago

If you`re talking about money: I`m investing in my health (food, yoga and so on) and appearance. Sometimes family. But if we`re speaking about not material stuff: self-development (different courses or reading something like this: https://ivypanda.com/essays/were-the-founding-fathers-blatantly-sexist-and-misogynist-in-the-foundation-period-of-our-republic/ https://ivypanda.com/essays/were-the-founding-fathers-blatan... and so on) and family.

kratom_sandwich 7y ago
That's exactly what I'm talking about!
RemoteIsHeaven 7y ago
Right on the money! I also suggested building good, strong relationships.

RemoteIsHeaven 7y ago

> which ones have the highest returns Build good, strong relationships. As geeks we dont tend to value human relationships. However, good, strong relationships will pay out dividends and change your life for the better. They will encourage you to improve yourself, improve your health, improve your knowledge. On the other hand it's also important to realize bad actors and act accordingly. Check out my latest ASK HN thread for an idea on handling bad actors.

jackgolding 7y ago

For me this year the best improvements have come from time - these have the highest returns monetary wise too as most are free. - Meditating (Headspace or Waking Up App - try the 30 day trials) - Heavily exercising 3-4 times a week ($15/week gym) - $8 Gratitude Journal app - Eating clean and cooking (cheaper than eating out) In the last 10 years (I'm nearly 30) I've invested a lot in coaching, training, conferences and books - nothing has really helped even close to as much as the above. At the end of the day my increases in salary have been mainly from keeping a critical mind, not further training. A great daily practice also makes every book I read much more meaningful.

openlowcode 7y ago

I would recommend, by order of priority - sleep enough and drink enough - eat well and perform 30 minutes exercise a day - invest in relation with your loved ones (parents, children, significant others). If you are in the phase in your life where you do not live with your family (young adult), have a few valued friends. If you have all this, whatever happens at work will not kill you, and this is a good thing.