Adulting is hard. Even for those who thrive on their independence or have been managing the details of their life alone for several years, there is always something new to learn, or consider, and there will always be pieces of being a grown up that are just plain annoying. If you feel like you have a solid grasp on your day-to-day life management but know that there are details about specific adulthood related topics that are still foreign to you, below are 3 tips to help you get better at adulting, one day at a time.
Sneak in Learning
Who wants to sit around and read books or listen to lectures about how to do the most mundane parts of life? The answer is, probably nobody. Instead of thinking about these life chores, as well, chores, pick topics that have a hobby vibe and find ways to learn about them that do not feel scholarly. Podcasts are a great example of how to sneak in learning in an enjoyable way. Topics like relationships, health, or personal finance are all good examples of subjects that you can learn about, through the casual medium of a podcast.
Personal finance is never going to go out of style. Thanks in large part to social media and millennials, this once taboo topic is now out in the open and available to anyone who wants to learn more. Homeownership is a topic, and process, that many people feel they know nothing about before they are going through it but wish that they did.
Get ahead of the curve and learn a few things about down payments, mortgagees, and home equity as a hobby so that you are knowledgeable when your time comes. Home equity is layered because not only is it a part of being a homeowner, but it can also provide a fixed amount of money when applicable in lieu of needing to use credit cards or personal loans. You can utilize a podcast or other resource that explains everything there is to know about taking out a home equity loan.
Give Yourself Grace
One of the worst things you can do to sabotage your own personal development is compare yourself to others. While this is a natural thing to do, and in some ways is unavoidable, comparison is the death of growth. As you go through life learn to live in the moment and be kind to yourself. Life requires planning and foresight but do not get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. Often people associate grace with irresponsibility, and it is crucial that you know that these two notions are different. If your job is sucking the life out of you and crippling other areas of your life, seeking out new opportunities where you do not feel trapped or an excess of toxicity is not irresponsible, its graceful.
Track Your Progress
As you set goal and reach goals, track the progress in between. If you have no idea how close or far away from reaching your goals, you are how can you ever feel like you are accomplishing them? Setting huge goals and not including small benchmarks along the road can feel overwhelming fast. Instead of saying to yourself you want to save for retirement say you will contribute $100 per month to your IRA. By setting trackable timeline and dollar amount you are allowing yourself to feel like you are taking strides towards the larger goal, which will motivate you to keep going.
