Do you ever wish that you can go back in time and tell the you from the past to do something differently? Maybe you'd tell the you from the past to stop texting your best friend's boyfriend, or maybe you'd tell yourself to go vegan earlier. Let me blow your mind right now - you're probably in a situation right now that will make you want to go back to this moment and do something differently. Here are four things that you can do right now that will make future you happy.
1. Wash your face before bed.
If you're exhausted (or drunk), I feel like it's nearly impossible to force myself out of bed to wash my face before I go to sleep. However, washing your face is one thing that you can do for your future self that will have almost immediate benefits. If you wear makeup, washing it off before you go to bed can prevent wrinkles and acne. If you have acne-prone skin, washing your face can help prevent new breakouts because skin cell regeneration is faster at night. So stop reading this article, and go wash your face.
2. Study in advance.
This might not be relevant right this second, but if you're still in high school or college, store this one in your arsenal for when September comes around. As someone who is currently trying to cram an entire semester of physics information into her brain, you'll have to trust me when I say that procrastinating doesn't work. And somehow, even though all of us know that feeling of stress when you're desperately trying to write an essay the night before it's due, we all still keep doing it. Next school year, try spending just an hour a day looking over your notes every day from the first day of class. Future you will thank you when you're not staying up until 3 a.m. trying to understand waves and oscillations.
3. Start a new hobby and stick with it.
Let me tell you a secret about doing anything: nothing is fun until you're good at it. Sports, cooking, and any hobby all fall under this category; nobody likes to be bad at things, and it's frustrating when you have a passion for something and you find yourself continuously failing at it. In the beginning stages of learning anything new, it's inevitable to feel angry at yourself for failing over and over again or to feel worthless when you see other people doing what you only dream of. However, the only way to actually start to enjoy a hobby is to constantly keep working at it. Want to start drawing? Do it! Who cares if the only thing you can make is a stick figure and his neighborhood? If you continuously practice, you'll become the master that you wish you were right now - and your future self will thank you for your determination.
4. Make a resume.
Even if you're not yet out of college, having a current resume on hand can be crucial to the search for a job or entry into the world of "adulting." Just like anything else, making a resume takes time and practice, and you don't want to find yourself throwing it together the night before your adviser threatens to drop you if you don't find an internship. You can get tips on where to start from How to Grow Up's guide. Also, don't use those online resume builders, because they end up charging you to actually save and/or print them. Nothing makes you rage harder than spending two hours writing out your work history only to have the site stronghold you for credit card information. Stick with Microsoft Word on this one.
