Hands up are you a millennial?
Okay, so a few of you. I was born in ’86 and that is near the start of the millennial generation. Yes, that generation that is obsessed with selfies, likes and followers.
Here’s the thing, we are supposed to be all grown up now and going out into the world bringing up the next generations and secretly hating them. Because they will never know the struggles we had. Dial-up anyone? A phone attached to the wall
My generation is supposed to be grown up and adult now. However, I bet like me, you still feel that you don’t have your shit together half of the time. I can have moment’s where I will be in total control of the world around me and other times I am like that Dog in the fire. “This is fine”
There are a few things that I have learned while not only living with my husband but also living on my own when he is away at a conference. Which is a lot of the time, but he is getting better.
So what are my secrets to adulthood? Well, some of these I have got hands down no problem what so ever. Others,
1. Eat and drink more healthy food
I have found that I am much happier and feel better about myself, you know feeling less fat when I plan my meals ahead of time.
Like I said I spend a lot of time on my own which means I can get to a point where I will go “Fuck it! I’m having a crisp sandwich”. And that serves no one any good.
However, If I have a clear and defined meal plan that serves one person, I can get more vegetables in my diet and less sugar. I love cooking and having a few key vegetables in the cupboard means that I can do things ahead of time and make sure I have something healthy to eat by the time it come to dinner.
Now, winter! This is where I really can just set and forget and make up to 4 days worth of food! Getting some meat and a load of vegetables in a slow cooker for a few hours can lead to a tasty meal and leftovers for the next couple of days. Super easy and removes the stress of having to cook for one!
One thing that I would suggest and I have found super helpful in the past but I haven’t followed it to the letter is Whole 30. Check is out!
So much veg and fruit! I have never followed verbatim but I have taken the basic principles and applied that and I always feel better when I use this method of meal plan.
2. Exercise regularly
I hate exercise!
Okay, well hate is probably a strong word. Dislike is better way to put it. I think this is because I have not yet figured out a way to get this into my daily routine.
However, I love my bike and I try to get out on it as often as I can even if it is just for a quick ride around the local Pokéstops. Yes I need to have a distraction in order to get out there.
But I have bought myself a exercise bike and I have a bunch of podcasts and Ted talks to listen to and I am just going to listen to one while I am on the bike and then call it a day.
I am also thinking of putting this in my living room to remove another barrier as it current lives in my garage and it is cold in there! That is the nub of this particularly thing is to remove friction and make it as easy as possible to do.
I do also want to start
3. Save, spend, and earn wisely
I got the earning part of this down.
I have a day job, working from home on my own business, and I also have this blog.
Saving is something that I have learn to do. Unlike my sister who is amazing at saving I had to learn it and to be honest, it could do with being a bit better.
What I do at the moment is at the end of the day I round up the balance on our joint account to the nearest £10 and transfer the rest to my ISA (which I should change really). But this is an easy way to transfer little and often and see it build up. Give it a try, super easy!
Debt is one thing that I have never really been comfortable with and I was brought up with the
Pay your bills and your commitments, anything left over is yours. If you can buy it do it but if you can’t afford it wait and save.
My Mum
This is something that has stayed with me growing up however a wedding happened and we got to dependant on the credit cards so I have paid off two and one is hanging around. Using the David Ramsey Snowball trick I will have it paid off in no time.
One of my goals for next year is to set up a budget and stick to it! This is something that I need to look into and get set up properly.
4. Rest, relax, and enjoy
These are a few things that I have learnt this year about myself that I need to rest and relax and enjoy the time that I have. One habit that I have managed to get stick, is to stop having my phone near my bed.
I bought myself a wireless charger that lives on my desk. When I start my evening routine the phone goes straight to the wireless charger and then is not picked up again until the following morning.
Now this was hard but I had that moment where I was scrolling through social media, like you do, and realised that I had been on there for an hour and not moved.
I also started to notice my twitch, you know that feeling that twitch that you feel each time you reach for your phone. THAT is a hard habit to kick and this is something that I am still working on.
But in creating this extra time that I have I have been able to read more and learn more and relax more. I enjoy my free time now upgrading the house and upcycling things around the house.
Also with this extra time, I have been in the garden more and listening to more podcasts. Just taking that extra time to relax, rest and enjoy my time and my house.
5. Accomplish more, stop procrastinating
So this is something that I struggle with still. I have gotten better at this but I still struggle some days.
Some of the easiest
Changing your environment is another great way to change shake up your routine and provide a fresh perspective. Look at your work desk and your room, if this doesn’t inspire you then change it up and freshen up your space.
One of the best ways I have found to help you stop procrastinating and accomplish more is to re-clarify your goals and stop over-complicating things.
Keep things simple and have a define route to what you are wanting to achieve whether it be practice an instrument, learn a language or maintain a blog.
6. Simplify, clear, clean, and organize
This is something that I have really started to take to heart in the form of the #minsgame. There are some really easy ways for you clear out your space and reduce the stress in your environment.
Making your bed every morning can improve your start of the say and get you ready for the day. This is something that I do everything morning and signals to me that it’s the start of the days and time to get shit done.
Some thing that a lot of people forget to do is to take an hour to unsubscribe to all the junk mail in your email. I did this recently and OMG I must have unsubscribed to at least 30 mailing list of people trying to sell me stuff. I would much prefer my inbox to be filled with useful information.
One thing that you should also do is learn to let go and to move on. I have recently gotten rid of some creative writing that I did over 10 years ago and I put it all in the bin. I know, I know but hear me out. That was Past Sam and it is no longer the person I am. It served a purpose and brought me joy at the time but it no longer serves these purposes. Acknowledge, learn and move on.
So, I would like to call myself an adult but I still have a lot to learn and improve. But I am working on it! And I think that is the nub of it is exactly that work on it. Make improvements where you can and notice those habit that you want to change and make a plan on how to change them.
That’s all from me today! You can follow me on Instagram @samalderson_. Or alternatively, you can sign up to get notifications everytime I post. Just fill in that box on the left.
Stay Happy!
