Habits You’ll Regret Not Starting Sooner (TIER LIST)

Summary

The video ranks 25 habits by how much your future self may appreciate them. Its main point is that small, easy-to-postpone actions can prevent bigger problems or preserve opportunities and memories later. The narrator also cautions against sacrificing health, relationships, and enjoyment for work or savings.

Habits and suggested actions

1. Get the full retirement match — Check your workplace benefits and contribute enough to receive the full employer match. If there is no match, consider opening a retirement account and automating small contributions. Tier unclear in the subtitles.
2. Floss nightly — Keep floss where you’ll see it and clean between your teeth daily. B tier.
3. Back up important files — Set up automatic cloud backups for your phone and computer, then check that a recent file is actually there. A tier.
4. Wear sunscreen daily — Make sunscreen part of your everyday routine. A tier.
5. Record family stories — Record a short conversation with a parent, grandparent, or other relative while you can. S tier.
6. Complete a useful certification — If a credential could open career opportunities, book the exam rather than waiting until you feel ready. B tier.
7. Build an opportunity fund — Keep savings separate from your emergency fund and automate contributions for worthwhile opportunities, such as a course or trip. A tier.
8. Send a thoughtful thank-you note — Write to someone who helped you, naming what they did and why it mattered. The tier sounds like S, though the subtitle is unclear.
9. Warm up before strenuous activity — Prepare your body before running, lifting, or playing sports to help protect your knees. Tier unclear in the subtitles.
10. Learn to change a tire — Practice on your own car and keep the necessary equipment in the trunk. Tier unclear in the subtitles.
11. Keep a decision journal — Before a major choice, write down your reasoning and expectations; revisit them later to learn from your decisions. B tier.
12. Schedule preventive screenings — Arrange exams appropriate to your age and family history instead of waiting for symptoms. S tier.
13. Keep small promises — Promise only what you can deliver, then follow through consistently. A tier.
14. Maintain mobility — Do stretching or mobility work for about 10 minutes a few times a week. B tier.
15. Save without denying yourself everything — Balance future financial security with enjoyable experiences in the present. D tier.
16. Write a letter to your future self — Record what you’re hoping for, facing, and fearing, then set a reminder to read it in a year. C tier.
17. Build credit carefully — Use a basic credit card for a small, predictable expense and pay the balance in full each month. A tier.
18. Review insurance annually — Check your auto, renters’, home, and health policies, and ask whether your coverage and rates still fit your needs. B tier.
19. Document ordinary days — Write one sentence each day about something routine, such as what you ate, discussed, or noticed about the weather. A tier.
20. Learn a skill just because you enjoy it — Choose something like an instrument, language, or trade without requiring it to benefit your career. C tier.
21. Make an emergency information list — Record trusted contacts, medications, insurance details, and where important documents are kept. Tell someone you trust where to find it. C tier.
22. Set up your workspace for good posture — Position your screen at eye level, keep your feet flat, and arrange things so you don’t have to hunch or reach. B tier.
23. Put important verbal agreements in writing — After agreements about money or housing, send a message or email confirming what was agreed. A tier.
24. Build career depth over time — Before changing jobs, consider the experience, trust, and relationships you’d be leaving behind, and whether the next role builds on them. S tier.
25. Don’t work nonstop in your 20s — Keep ambition, but don’t treat lost health, relationships, and everyday life as the unavoidable price of career success. D tier.

Notable locations, products, and speakers

• Location and context: The video refers to U.S. retirement accounts and mentions a U.S. government resource.
• Products and services mentioned: Employer retirement matching, retirement accounts, dental floss, sunscreen, cloud backup, a credit card, and various insurance policies.
• Speakers: No individual speakers are identified; the video is narrated by the channel.