Despite being a sophomore in college, I still feel like a child trapped in a 19-year-old's body, which seems to be a pretty common feeling among students like me. Sometimes it's hard to believe I am an adult, but since I graduated high school, I've been compiling a list of things that help me step into the shoes of an experienced, responsible person. Some of these suggestions are common but seem to work, and others have taken years of trial and error to perfect. I wish I had read a list like this when I turned 18, so I hope it can improve your adulthood like it has mine.
1. Keep my phone clean
My ideal adult version of myself is clean and organized. So not only do I like to periodically clean out my contacts, photos, apps, notes, tabs, and bookmarks, I like to run a Clorox wipe over my phone whenever I use them.
2. Answering texts and emails immediately
I hate texting. I despise talking on the phone. I loathe emailing. But sadly, these are necessities in adult life. This doesn't mean I need to like them, it just means I need to do them, and if I don't respond to them the minute I see them, they can sit in my inbox for months.
3. Cleaning out my online subscriptions
Over the years I've managed to sign up for many websites without ever visiting them: adults seem more organized than that. Deseat me is a website that looks up all accounts registered to your email and allows you to easily delete the ones you no longer want.4. Changing all of my passwords (and recording them in a safe place)
Not only is this simply a smart practice, it also gives you the feeling of starting anew.
5. Cleaning out my Google Doc files
After high school, deleting hundreds of google docs that were no longer important felt like a new start. I look forward to this feeling at the beginning of every semester.
6. Cleaning out my computer
Is this getting redundant?
7. Taking proper care of my devices...
I make sure to take the utmost care of laptop and any other electronics I own (my phone sure can take a beating though).
8. Which includes my glasses
I try my best to take off my glasses with both hands whenever possible to avoid damaging the hinges (because everyone knows glasses are expensive af). It's also very refreshing for me to give them a good thorough clean from time to time. Who doesn't like to see the world through spotless lenses?
9. Drinking water only when I’m thirsty
Even though drinking eight cups of water a day used to make me feel healthy and smart, once I realized it was a myth, I feel even healthier and smarter when I just drink when I'm thirsty. After all, it's not my job to tell my body when it's thirsty: it's my body's job to tell me when I'm thirsty.
10. Occasionally having a cup of tea
The thing that really helps nail the "responsible adult" aesthetic is a cup of tea while I'm sitting at my desk.
11. Eating a breakfast of fruits and veggies
This might be more tailored to me, but whenever I start the day with a big bowl of various fruits and vegetables, it puts me in a healthier mindset and helps me feel like I can make good food choices the rest of the day. Y'know, like an adult.
12. Obeying serving size recommendations
I'm not saying it isn't fun to eat an entire pizza or finish a big box of pasta on your own. Because it is. I'm just saying that it feels good to acknowledge how much of a food item I should eat, and then practice self-restraint (and not eat four servings in one sitting).
13. Showering ONLY when I need to
Showering is one of those ideas that makes its way onto every list, and I don't think it should. Showering doesn't particularly make me feel better, instead I only do it when I need to. Our bodies didn't evolve to be washed every day, and I feel better when I'm not wasting water.
14. Getting a good night’s sleep
I like to imagine that I'm powering down my body piece by piece, and I always give myself enough time to get AT LEAST eight hours of sleep a night.
15. Getting out of bed first thing in the morning
My grandparents spend their mornings reading the paper over breakfast. Considering that I spend an hour "waking up" on my phone in bed, I don't consider my morning routine particularly adult-ly. (And yes, that is what my alarm looks like.)
16. NOT making my bed in the morning
While a made bed is nice to look at during the day, your sweaty sheets are a haven for mites and other bacteria. I believe the only thing more adult-ly than a pretty bed is a sanitary bed.
17. Cleaning my pillows and pillow cases every time I wash my sheets
Both a sanitary practice, and also very refreshing.
18. Deep cleaning the house (or dorm)
The only thing I enjoy doing more than deep cleaning every inch of my house is living in a house that I've recently deep cleaned.
20. Stripping my room of everything unnecessary
[rebelmouse-image 18318129 is_animated_gif="false" link_title="My "minimalist" dorm" image_crop="1060x555" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/origin.jpg%22%2C%20%22thumbnails%22%3A%20%7B%22origin%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/origin.jpg%22%2C%20%22210x168%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/210x168.jpg%22%2C%20%2235x35%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/35x35.jpg%22%2C%20%22980x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/980x.jpg%22%2C%20%22600x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/600x.jpg%22%2C%20%224032x3024%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/4032x3024.jpg%22%2C%20%22728x380%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/728x380.jpg%22%2C%20%22210x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/210x.jpg%22%2C%20%22476x250%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/476x250.jpg%22%2C%20%221060x555%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/1060x555.jpg%22%2C%20%22300x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/18318129/300x.jpg%22%7D%2C%20%22manual_image_crops%22%3A%20%7B%22728x380%22%3A%20%7B%22width%22%3A%204032%2C%20%22top%22%3A%20459%2C%20%22height%22%3A%202105%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%2C%20%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22728x380%22%5D%7D%2C%20%221060x555%22%3A%20%7B%22width%22%3A%204032%2C%20%22top%22%3A%20243%2C%20%22height%22%3A%202112%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%2C%20%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221060x555%22%5D%7D%2C%20%22custom%22%3A%20%7B%22width%22%3A%204032%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%203024%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%2C%20%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%224032x3024%22%5D%7D%2C%20%22476x250%22%3A%20%7B%22width%22%3A%204032%2C%20%22top%22%3A%20453%2C%20%22height%22%3A%202118%2C%20%22left%22%3A%200%2C%20%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22476x250%22%5D%7D%2C%20%22210x168%22%3A%20%7B%22width%22%3A%203780%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%203024%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20126%2C%20%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22210x168%22%5D%7D%7D%7D" link_url="http://Personal photo- Mel Strong-Duncan " original_size="4032x3024" expand=1]My ideal adult self loves utilitarian living.
21. Giving away or selling unnecessary items
You can either make a little money, or give to people in need: both adult-ly activities.
22. Buying (second-hand) school supplies
The only thing that feels better than buying things to help boost my productivity is getting a screaming deal.
23. Preparing for upcoming semesters ahead of time
Getting notebooks, binders, and the like ready before necessary keeps me from scrambling at the start of the school year (like how I spent all of high school when I was but a dumb child).
24. Keeping tabs on my grades
Remember the feeling of dread that builds and builds the longer you go without checking your grades? Adults don't let that happen.
