Today I’m sharing my list of 10 things to do in your twenties. Being a 20 something woman can feel a little messy and overwhelming sometimes. Some days you feel like an unstoppable girlboss. Other days you get lipstick on your teeth, eat an entire sharing bag of Doritos and scroll through Instagram, wondering how those other women make life look so easy and glamorous. I get it. I’m no stranger to the quarter life crisis.
The good news is, being in your twenties doesn’t have to be so stressful. You don’t have to worry about comparing yourself to friends, family members and (let’s face it) complete strangers on social media. You don’t have to hold yourself up to some kind of imaginary standard of what being a 20 something woman should look like. The key is to make the most out of your twenties and I believe these 10 things do in your twenties will definitely help.
1. Take a scary risk
Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back. Even if things don’t work out the way you’d hoped, it’s still better than being weighed down by ‘what-ifs’ for the rest of your life. If nothing else, you’ll learn from the experience and move on, content in the knowledge that you gave it your best shot. So apply to that dream job, move to a new country, take that trip to a far-off destination or ask that guy out. The time is now!
2. Put things in place for the future
People love to say that 20 is the new 30 and, for millennials, that definitely seems to be true. We’re getting married later, travelling longer and putting in the time and effort to find out what makes us happy before we make any big, scary commitments. But if you put off all your responsibilities until the next decade, your 30s are going to be hard work. Start building the foundation for your ‘grown up’ life now. Get into budgeting, think seriously about your career and quit the dead-end relationships. That way, by the time you hit 30 you’ll have everything you need in place for a kick-butt life.
3. Travel alone
You never really appreciate how capable you are until you travel somewhere alone. It doesn’t have to be a six month trip through the Amazon. It could be something as simple as visiting a nearby town you’ve never been to before. Enjoy the time in your own company and marvel at how independent you’re capable of being.
4. Learn to ditch toxic people
There’s enough negativity out there in the world without you inviting it into your home for tea and biscuits on a Saturday afternoon. Learn to identify people in your life who are a drain on your energy levels and happiness reserves and swiftly put an end to those relationships.
5. Learn to cook
Some of us are not natural chefs, but unfortunately, we do kind of need to be able to feed ourselves in order to survive. Start by learning to make three easy, but nutritious (yes, that means vegetables are involved) meals and go from there.
6. Declutter
By the time you get into your twenties, you’ve probably accumulated a lot of stuff. Decluttering can help you take control of your life, understand what’s truly important to you and suck some of the stress out of day to day living. You really don’t need that Justin Timberlake t-shirt from 1998 anyway.
7. Make a dream come true…right now
How many things do you have on your ‘to do before I die’ list? How many of them could you realistically achieve within the next six months? Stop putting off what really matters to you so you can lay in bed on Saturday afternoons and binge-watch Netflix. Stop waiting around and make your dreams come true right now.
8. Start saving
Financial matters can seem boring…and dull…and kind of terrifying. But money is a big deal and your can’t hide under the blankets and expect your financial problems to fix themselves. Start a monthly budget, watch your pennies and start setting aside money for the future. You’ll look back and thank yourself.
9. Take care of your skin
You won’t always be 20 something, but, if you start putting in the ground work now, you can at least slow down the appearance of ageing. If you’re lazy and broke, that’s fine. Stick to the three essentials – moisturise daily, always take your makeup off before bed and wear an SPF every single day.
10. Learn to be selfish
You want to be a good employee, good friend, good daughter, good girlfriend, good mother…good everything every day. That’s commendable. You want to do everything for everyone. But sometimes you have to do things for yourself too. Learn to say no. Learn to put yourself first sometimes. Learn to not let people take advantage of you. Being a little selfish sometimes is not only ok, it’s necessary.
There are so many boxes 20 something women are expected to tick, so many standards they feel they have to live up to. My best advice is to ignore it all, stop comparing yourself to others and do what you have to to make a life you truly love for yourself. Hopefully these tips can help you on that journey.
Take a second to share this post with a 20 something friend who needs a pick-me-up!
Especially the selfish part, girl people expect a lot from us young girls next yr I’ll be 21. I’ll top on the self consideration cuz I have a lovely habit of putting other persons needs first but oh no I’m not no more. Me time so yh thanks for the reassurance. Also hope you get more followers. Keep going you’ll definitely succeed my girl 🙂.