Adulting Is Hard

Did you ever wake up and think to yourself “this is not how I pictured life would be?” Sometimes I’ve been left feeling like I can’t take on one more thing. In a world that demands so much, it’s easy to fill our days with late fees, fast food, and everyone’s priorities but our own. Over the years I’ve discovered ways to help myself stay sane… for the most part. Here are my top three worst Adulting obligations and how I learned to make them manageable.

Adulting problem 1– Bills – Do they ever stop? I mean really, there are soooo many bills! You can pay most online though. That’s simple enough? Wrong! Making a login and password for each one gets overwhelming quick. You need one uppercase letter, one special character, at least 8 long and how about the security questions you most definitely will not remember. So how do I keep it together?

Solution – Create an organized space for all your bills. Even if you use simple ledger paper or something fancy like excel, jot down each and every one of your bills. Put them in chronological order, with the date and time they are due. There are even apps you can use to track them if you prefer. In addition, create a password book. All online bills require passwords and login, along with security questions. Keep this in a safe place to refer to when you’re making payments. This helps avoid changing your login every time you have to pay a bill, hypothetically speaking…

Adulting problem 2 – Breakfast lunch and dinner – Every time I try to focus, my stomachs growling or someones complaining their hungry again. It literally feels like I work to pay for food most days! On top of this, I enjoy eating real food. I also don’t want to spend every waking hour preparing it. So what do I do?

Solution – Food prep two days of the week. For me Sundays and Wednesdays are my days. This doesn’t mean I cook 10 lbs of chicken and veggies and put them in cute little containers marked each day of the week. This may work for some, but I do not enjoy eating the same meal over and over. What this means is, I shop and plan meals for three days at a time. I don’t plan what meals I make each day either. Honestly I might not feel like eating what I planned so I know I have a couple choices. I also take the time to wash and cut veggies and fruit. I then fill containers with easy ready to go snacks like the fruit and veggies along with cut up block cheese and granola bars so they are quick and easy to grab. If you have kids, get them in on the prep time too. Label a container just for them so they know what snacks to pick from. This way its time spent together and they feel part of the process. Kids LOVE to help in the kitchen!

Adulting problem 3 – Everyone & everything else rules your schedule except physical activity – In all my conversations not enough time is ALWAYS the biggest excuse for not being active. For parents the most common reason is always their kid’s schedule filled with sports, band, youth groups etc. And those who are kidless, no time is also the biggest issue typically because social obligations or work tend to rule your schedule.

Solution – There are a ton of fitness centers who schedule sports for adults. You can often find yoga in the park, basketball and baseball leagues; if you can’t, start one! You can also keep a basketball, football and/or Frisbee in the car so you can play anytime. If you tend to drink in your social time, try planning a game of Frisbee golf or kickball to replace happy hour sometime. You’d be surprised at how many adults jump at the opportunity to shoot hoops or throw around a football. Whatever you do, get back into the game and back in your own schedule with some fun physical activity.