10 Things You Should Be Doing to Feel Like a Real Adult

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How is adulting coming along? Few people ask this question. However, life doesn’t come with a blueprint, and it’s common to bumble through your 20s. 

Please don’t feel bad if you don’t have a freezer full of neatly labeled meals in crockpot-ready portions or know what to do when the fridge goes on the fritz just yet. However, sit back, ask yourself how you’re doing in the categories below and take action toward improvement. You’ll quickly find that tackling the following 10 things will make you feel like a real adult at last.

1. Planning Meals

Eating nutritious foods is one of the best ways to safeguard your health. However, many people rely on ultraprocessed convenience meals because they think “fresh and nourishing” costs too much. Unfortunately, such a diet contributes to multiple chronic diseases at worst and low energy levels and weight gain at best. 

Guess what — it’s possible to eat cheaply, deliciously, and nutritiously through meal planning. The right approach need not take much extra time or bore you to tears with night after night of the same meal. Here’s what to do: 

• Play prep cook by investing in stay-fresh produce containers and chopping various veggies for use upon bringing them home. They’re now a snap to toss into stir-fries, soups and salads.

• Double your recipe when you cook, saving half in freezer bags labeled with the meal and date to start building a stash of easy-to-reheat dishes for busy days. 

• Make cooking communal by meal prepping with a pal or two when you both have a day off to hit the farmers market and kitchen and swap creations.

2. Getting Into a Self-Care Routine 

Your mom may not bug you about brushing your teeth any longer, but Mother Nature will. Poor oral health contributes to various health conditions like dementia and heart disease. Get into a self-care routine where you look forward to brushing, flossing, rinsing and then pampering yourself in the mirror as you recite affirmations while applying face cream. 

Furthermore, waiting until you get a toothache to find a dentist can result in a bad provider match. The best time to find a physician is when you aren’t sick, so schedule your annual checkups with a general practitioner, dentist and optometrist. That way, you’ll know who to call when you need glasses, lose a filling or develop a nagging ache. 

3. Maintaining Your Home 

You may have noticed that your house doesn’t clean itself. Letting that pile of laundry grow out of control taxes your quarter stash at the laundromat and living in a filthy environment poses health risks. 

Write a weekly chore chart and post that puppy prominently on your fridge, dating each task as you complete it. This method works especially well if you have kids or roommates, letting you divvy up the load and hold each other accountable. 

4. Understanding Your Emotions 

You might be a genius. However, your career could stall if frequent outbursts make others loathe working with you. 

Ultimately, you are responsible for managing your feelings — otherwise, they can control your behavior with disastrous results. Build emotional resilience by establishing a regular meditation practice, identifying your triggers and mastering techniques such as PAUSE and HALT. 

5. Performing Minor Repairs 

What do you do when you get a flat? If your response is “panic,” it’s time to master some basic mechanical skills. This process includes acknowledging your limitations — there’s no shame in replacing your standard jack with an electric model that eliminates the need for muscle. What matters most is learning how to differentiate your battery from your radiator.

Fortunately, technology is your friend. There are internet articles galore complemented by YouTube videos on nearly any repair imaginable. Each time you complete a fix, you’ll increase your sense of agency and feel more like a real adult. 

6. Rounding Out Your Rolodex 

Success often hinges on who, not what, you know. Career experts estimate that 85% of jobs are filled through networking, not want ads. Although cellphones replaced the Rolodex in the 1990s, one thing remains constant — the more professional contacts you have, the better your chances in a challenging economy. 

Attend trade shows and career events. Design a digital business card so you can easily swap contact info with the ease of sending a text and follow up when you promise to do so.

7. Lining up Your Financial Ducks 

It’s understandable to overlook financial planning if you don’t have many assets. However, life can turn on a dime, leaving those you love in a tough spot if something happens to you. Would your family members know where to find your financial documents or how to log into your accounts if you ended up in the hospital? 

Create a secure file for all your financial information — a safe deposit box is excellent for storing such details. Include copies of insurance policies, user IDs and logins for financial accounts, and anything else your loved ones may need to manage your affairs if incapacitated. 

8. Securing Your Homestead

Homeownership has long been the traditional route to financial stability in the American economic system. Unfortunately, today’s economy makes it nearly impossible for first-time buyers to break into the market. What can you do if you don’t want to spend the rest of your life dancing to your landlord’s beat, working longer and harder each time they raise the rent? 

Consider nontraditional routes to building capital. You might invest in rural land, join forces with your roommates or live mobile for a while to save for a down payment. 

9. Making 5- and 10-Year Plans 

There’s a dark side to graduating from college, landing your dream job and marrying the perfect mate. It’s easy to fall into complacency — which can lead to depression as you wonder what you have left to look forward to. 

Life is a continual growth process. Each year, evaluate your five- and 10-year plans, whether they entail climbing the corporate ladder or helping your kids get into the best schools. 

10. Enjoying Each Day as a Gift 

Adulting can be exhausting, and burnout can lead to despair. Fortunately, there’s an easy antidote — gratitude. Focusing on what’s right in your life keeps the positivity real while lifting your spirits. Get out that big boy or girl planner and pencil in five to 10 minutes per day to simply breathe and focus on the good. Your mood and mindset will thank you. 

Do These Things to Feel Like a Real Adult 

Do you still feel like a kid playing dress-up on days when you report to the office? It takes a while to get the knack of adulting, as schools rarely teach basic life skills. 

Mastering these things can make you feel like a real adult at last. Set a goal of tackling one item each month, and in less than a year, you’ll earn your official “grown-up” stripes.