Your 20s are a time for learning, growing and planning. In her book, “The Defining Decade,” psychologist and author Dr. Meg Jay tells readers how to make the most of the decade that many consider to be a second adolescence. Instead, she details how this time allows a person to set the tone for the rest of his or her life.
Many young adults make and must learn from mistakes during this crucial time. However, there are plenty of strategies you can use to avoid pitfalls and create great lifelong outcomes in positive and affirming ways.
Here are four pro tips to getting your life in order in your 20s.
1. Set Life Goals
You don’t have to wait until you finish college to set short- and long-term goals. You don’t even have to wait until you reach your 20s. It is never too soon to start recording the vision you have for your life and how you plan to achieve each of your goals.
The act of sitting down with pen and paper can help jog your memory, solidify ideas, iron out problems, and formulate plans of action. For tech-focused 20-somethings, consider using a journal app to add related inspirational images and more. Penzu, for example, offers premier security features and is fully customizable. The only downside to apps is that you often need to eventually upgrade and pay a monthly fee to avoid frequent ads.
2. Read Everything You Can
Expand on your high school and college reading lists by reading everything you come across that interests you. Even if you have lukewarm feelings about a topic, if you sense it could help you to read more on the topic, do it. You may end up discovering a new passion by taking the risk. In today’s fast moving world, you need to keep up with information as much as possible to stay competitive in the work world and achieve your personal and professional goals. Additional reasons reading is fundamental include its power for stress reduction, mental acuity improvement, memory sharpening, stronger analytical and critical thinking skills, and better focus.
3. Think About Every Stage
Emergencies can happen at any age or stage in life. Most people don’t relish the thought of purchasing life insurance at any age, much less just out of high school or college, but it is an advantageous and beneficial time to do it. It is often substantially less expensive for younger people to buy life insurance policies. A few reasons to explore a life insurance policy in your 20s include flexible coverage to carry you now and into your 60s and older, the choice between term and life insurance, debt pay-off opportunities, and burial expense coverage. Whether you plan to travel, start a family, or start your own business, a life insurance policy offers you and your family peace of mind in case of any unforeseen accidents.
4. Forgive Yourself, Learn and Move On
Everyone makes mistakes, especially at such a young age. The important thing to do is take a little time to review the situation, understand why you made a mistake, forgive yourself, and move on, having learned a valuable lesson. Whether you are beating yourself up for something have done or have not done, let it go and embrace the future without regrets.
Getting your life in order in your 20s may sound like a huge task, given all you need to accomplish in school and figuring out how the adult world works, but by taking these tips and doing additional exploration, you can handle it. Just remember to keep planning, learning and stretching to achieve and surpass your life goals.
