When asked for his advice to 24-year-olds, Naval Ravikant replied that he would ask them to spend time on making these three decisions:

1. Where you live

2. What you work on

3. Who you are with

His reasoning is simple. If you’re going to live in a city for a decade, work a job for 5 years, and be in a relationship for a couple of years (a lifetime if you’re in India), you should spend at least a year or two deciding on these aspects of life. As obvious as it sounds, I do not know a single person who has actively made all three decisions.

Most people never leave their hometown. Some move to bigger cities for work. Most people take the first job they get and switch companies for pay hikes. Rarely do they care about the actual work itself. Most people either jump from relationship to relationship or settle on the first person they meet.

For someone my age, making these decisions is both important and difficult. It’s the perfect time to think them through because the whole life is ahead of us and these decisions will shape its trajectory. But without much experience, it is hard to form a good judgement. We’re unsure of what’s right for us and what we really want.

I’m right there with you. But let me share a few things that I consider when thinking about these decisions:

Where should I live?

Your city determines the opportunities you attract, the people you meet, the activities you engage in, and your day-to-day quality of life. So it’s ideal to move to the city that aligns with your field of work. For example, move to Bangalore if you’re into tech, to Mumbai if you work in media, Paris for fashion, and New York for finance.

But work opportunities is just one criteria to decide your ideal city. You may want to consider the activities you’ll be able to do. Move to a beach town like Bali and you’ll be able to surf on the weekends. Or live near mountains, say in Uttarakhand, for serene trekking experiences. Or move to an ever-growing, ultramodern city like Dubai to witness the feats of humankind.

As exciting as these activities sound, they are only the high points of your experience. Your lifestyle is rather defined by what’s happening in your life day-to-day. Say if you’re in Amsterdam, you’ll be cycling to work. If you’re in New Delhi, you’ll have an incredible amount of eating options. If you’re in Singapore, Tokyo or New York, you’ll find yourself living in a matchbox. But if you can do with a slower life, a small town can offer a much bigger living space.

There are numerous other variables in this equation — education and healthcare, proximity to home town, comfort levels with food, people and language, etc. Ultimately, you need to decide what’s important to you and optimize accordingly. You can try living in a few places for a short period as well. Like I’ve lived in Bangkok and Dubai, so I know what to expect if I move there.

What should I work on?

What you work on not only determines how much money you make, but also what you’ll be doing with the majority of your day. So, it must be aligned to your needs. Ask yourself what matters the most to you and optimize your work accordingly.

Is money your highest priority? Or do you want to make an impact? Comfort or fulfillment? Do you get bored easily and want a job that’s interesting? Do you want to be left alone in your bedroom or do you want a field job? Do you care about time flexibility and location independence? Do you care about respect?

Even if you don’t get exactly what you want, your answers to these questions can help you find the kind of work that’s most suited for you. For me, freedom is a non-negotiable. Then the work should be interesting enough and fulfilling. Money is also important but more like an added bonus.

Who should I be with?

More than anything, your relationship determines your happiness levels. On day-to-day basis, and in the long term. So investing time in finding a suitable partner is a no-brainer. But what does an ideal match look like? How do you judge if the relationship is right for you?

I am too young and inexperienced to comment on this. But I think one heuristic that may help in judging a relationship is to what extent can you be yourself around the other person. If you are comfortable presenting yourself just as you are, and are able to accept your partner just as they are, then the relationship should work.

Have you been able to decide on any of these? If yes, share them with me! Any other thoughts or feedback are welcome as well. Reply to this email or comment on the website.

Until next weekend :)
Aachman