As I have gotten older I realized something. Nothing magical happens that changes you from being a kid to being an adult. Just one day you realize “oh wait, I’m an adult.”
I know this sounds odd but it is true. Yes, maturity does change and physically you change but unless you are intentional to “acting like an adult” you really won’t. I realize this with friends in my stage of life, some are adults, some are not…even if they are the same age.
Regardless, for those who are learning how to be an adult (like me) I have some ideas that may be helpful.
Organization is key (there is not one way to be organized)…organized does not mean boring. It can even be outside the box and creative. Its more knowing where your stuff is, knowing the condition of your money, if you get an important piece of mail you know where to put it so it doesn’t get lost, etc.
I have included a few things that have helped me:
- Wall Calender - I love this thing. People ask me what century am I from…but it works for me and I can see everything coming up. Try it if it sparked interest.
- Make Lists - I am list maker (not everyone is). I make a new list EVERYDAY with what I have to do and what I have going on. I need to write them down so that I can push it out of my head and not try to strain to keep them in. If I did not write them down I would still make lists but they would be crammed in my head and I would involuntarily be using energy to constantly remember it.
- Cross of things that you decided to NOT do – With my lists, every couple weeks, I will re-evaluate what is on them and find some things that I thought would be a good idea at the time but in actuality wasn’t really pertinent or necessary. Crossing stuff off lists is a catalyst to getting more done.
- Keep e-mails to 5 sentences or less – Sometimes, it takes me absolutely for-ever to write an e-mail. People in general do not like long e-mails. Give the people what they want. Write shorter e-mails, and make what you are saying more concise.
- When you are in a slump, free write – This sounds dumb but it isn’t. When your brain is in a rut and your brain doesn’t compute things that it normally would take 10 minutes and STOP. Take a piece of paper and a pen, go to a quiet place, and free write for 10 minutes. Make lists. Mind map. Free ideas. Rant. Write down whatever comes to mind to get your juices flowing. This is a healthy exercise to just get what is in your head out, and put it on paper.
Hopefully those are some helpful things to make you a productive healthy adult today.
