Have some goals you want to achieve this year? Going back to the basics as the New Year begins can help. Adulting can be challenging no matter how old you are, but it turns out there are a few fairly manageable, adult-y tasks you can do now to set you up for success in everything else you need to do in 2024.
These five simple steps can help you be a better grown-up this year:
- Purge a subscription or two - What’s more adult-ish than knowing where all your money is? One easy thing you can do to figure it out is finding a recurring charge you’re paying but don’t really need to anymore. Maybe it’s a streaming service you don’t watch or an app or membership you no longer use. Canceling it not only gives you back a bit of money, it helps you keep tabs on those little expenses that can add up to big ones.
- Do a friend overview - Maintaining friendships is important, but it’s not effortless. Some of your favorite people may be fading into the background because life is busy, but you don’t have to let it happen. Make a list of everyone you want to give lots of love to in 2024 and be intentional about making time to do it.
- Learn a new household skill - If you’ve already mastered cooking, learn how to clean your dryer ducts or how to fix a taillight or change a tire. There’s no shortage of people on the Internet waiting to share their knowledge with a wide range of household skills and learning more is very adult of you.
- Take time for mental health hygiene - Life can be stressful, but you don’t have to go through it being stressed. One way to avoid that is spending just 15 minutes a day on an activity that brings you a sense of calm, like drinking tea, stretching, or calling a friend. That quarter of an hour is all you need to kick-start a mental health hygiene habit and it makes a big impact.
- Decide what really matters to you - This one may feel harder, but you can make it manageable. Pretend it’s 2025 and that you’re proud of yourself for accomplishing something you really wanted to or worked hard to make a positive change over the last year. What would that look like to you? Then rewind and think about how you’ll get there and what steps you can take going forward from today to get there.
Source: CNN