30 Adulting Things
Why didn't anyone prepare me for adulting?
Random Observation/Comment #886: You can get older, but you don’t need to grow up. I guess having some adulting common sense is good for survival.
//AI generated with inspiration from that famous dog comic meme, but in ultra-realistic
Why this list?
Adulting is hard. When I was growing up, I remembered how I thought all older people were smart and had so much more clarity in judgment and self control than kids and teenagers. Now I just realize those teachers and professionals in their 30s were also drinking on weekdays and generally dealing with adult things. This list came about with some of the common adult things I didn't know I was going to deal with because no one really talked about getting older.
Pile of Returns - My wife can't be the only one that likes to online shop and then wind up returning 70% of the items.
Understanding deductibles - Why can’t I just stay on my parents insurance forever and then when my parents retire they can jump on mine? That would make life so much easier. Anyway, so you’re telling me I need to spend up to a certain amount before the actual insurance company pays me money? And if I pay less money on the monthly subscription plan for this insurance then I will have a larger threshold before any money is paid out?
Creating calendar blocks for everything - I’m guessing all adults just have things to do. In reality, a lot of adulting goes to a point where life is long and boring and now I need to balance my hobbies and do a lot less.
Endless laundry folding and never quite folding it right - Why do I need to even fold this fitted sheet!? What is happening?
Love of a cat choosing to sit on your lap - Sometimes it’s the little things that make your day. For example, Meeko cuddling by my feet instead of my wife’s. Wars have broken out.
Recurring bills - Why does it cost so much money just to live? I laugh at my younger self that thought $2,000 per month spending was a lot.
Having favorite purchases - I love buying something related to a hobby or gadget. It brings endless joy to use it for its purpose.
Making friends can be hard - When the mandatory schooling goes away, you’re left with either finding friends through work, hobbies, or just hanging out with your kid’s friends parents (and hoping they’re cool).
Filling a Misc. drawer with tools, screws, and random rubber bands - This has also started happening with physical mail. It all just goes straight to the trash.
Panic searching WebMD for random symptoms - I found out what I have. It’s a kid. I have a kid and this is my life now.
Unsure if pain is a temporary one or permanent one - I’m nimble and I can bounce back (hopefully).
Odd obsession with being informed about current events and having an opinion that combines some stuff you heard on a podcast - There’s also the worry that someone may have listened to the same podcast and share a similar opinion. Do I just need my Clembot to tell me how to be social now?
Controlling your spending habits and being responsible for savings - I remember when I thought that toys were so expensive because I went over $10 at a store. Nowadays, the numbers around spending are so skewed and tend to escalate so quickly. It’s actually not the expensive coffee routine that prevents savings, but instead the bigger over $500 purchases that need to be controlled.
Getting interested in low impact sports or community hang outs - I’m afraid of starting jogging/running because I don’t want my knees to hurt. Cycling, table tennis, and disc golf are the current obsessions.
Thread count for sheets - Listen, life is too short to sleep on a crappy bed with crap thread count. Get that Egyptian stuff. Live a little.
Inbox zero or something similar with reading slack messages - Am I being neurotic or does 75% of my job have to do with staying up-to-date on random tech things and what’s happening around me?
Sometimes you feel like you do a lot less with a lot more time, but you're just slow now - This can apply to both the educational side, but also the physical things. I do feel like I need to devote more time to working out than what I did before (which was doing a few push-ups and crunches and ready to take on a gladiator).
Random meetings can drain your day - Why is this even a meeting? What’s happening right now. I do think meetings have a useful way of keeping people motivated to deliver on time.
Managing fridge supply and demand - The health of my fridge is always on the back of my mind because I want to make sure I have quick meals I can make and also feel motivated to clean out the fridge and eat all the fun things I’ve cooked.
Home improvement projects are so expensive - Is a $50k renovation worth it? How much time do I have to spend here to make this worth it?
Considering to pay for flight and travel insurance because it's hard to know if we'll be in a recession - Also, why are planes like falling out of the sky? What the heck is happening?
Finding receipts in your pockets - Can we stop with the physical receipts? I do like the process of cleaning out my pockets every once in a while.
A love for blankets - I wondered why we had like 10 blankets in the house. Now I know that coziness needs soft blanks of all shapes and sizes. Adult blanket forts are great.
Feeling satisfied when you hang up a picture frame on your wall and now you can stop being useful for the day - I think any type of home improvement is a good use of time.
Replacing water and air filters - I get that some of these “adulting things” are now just becoming house maintenance chores, but I guess it’s what I connected with most about turning into an adult. I’m very fortunate to actually own instead of rent.
Need for coffee and morning stability - Don’t talk to me until I’ve slayed a dragon.
Why are there so many charging cables, but I still can't find one - My new goal is to just have charging cables in every room so I can always find one in a random drawer. Just kidding, that’s psychotic. I do have one for upstairs and downstairs charging cable usual suspect places.
Managing photos - I wholeheartedly believe that my obsession with taking photos will be super useful when I get to see a memory of random events throughout my life. I would rather AI not replace the need to photograph (even if it takes away feeling the need to post about it).
Ignoring phone calls - Don’t bother calling me.
Drinking water - I don’t remember drinking water when I was a kid. It’s so weird that I drink probably way too much or not enough water right now.
~See Lemons pretend to be an Adult
40 under 40 Action Plan
Random Observation/Comment #879: Do with intention. I feel like AI will give us the ability to create and build anything. Now we just need to decide for ourselves what the focus will be.
