Sometimes adulting is the last thing you feel like doing. You aren’t the only one, though. No matter your age, everyone needs a day off from being responsible, grown up, and in-charge.

The key to adulting is to be proactive, as much as possible, instead of reactive. That way you can set things up, so you can take the odd day off and do whatever the heck you want (the ultimate adulting move!).

15 Ways to Make Adulting Seem Like a Snap

1. Open a Second Bank Account – Saving for a rainy day (or when the roof starts leaking) is key to being a responsible adult. Make saving easier for yourself by setting up automatic deposits in a separate long-term savings account.

2. Learn How to Make Cocktails – While there’s nothing wrong with wine out of a box, discover how to mix up cocktails for your next special get-together.

3. Perfect Several Recipes – By the same token, you don’t have to cook every night, but do learn how to perfect a handful of recipes that you can whip out to impress.

4. Be Like MacGyver – The motto of anyone who is crushing, is always be prepared. While you can’t plan for everything, planning makes most things go more smoothly.

5. Invest in and Take Care of Your Cast Iron – Not only is cast iron better than other types of cooking vessels, but it’s durable and will last you a lifetime.

6. Buy in Bulk – Buying in bulk can be a more economical, efficient, and environmentally-friendly choice. But don’t go crazy and end up with rancid grains or so much Beef-a-reeno you’ve got a farting horse.

7. Expand Personal Growth with a Journal – Journaling can be a fantastic tool to help you grow and learn how to be a healthier, happier, and more mature you.

8. Stop Wasting Money on Stuff You Don’t Need – Make a commitment to create and follow a budget to curb wasteful spending. Not only can it help you save money, but having less stuff to manage can save you time and energy.

9. Learn to Sew/Visit the Tailor – Life is too short to live in clothes that don’t fit well. Take your clothing items to the tailor, or learn to sew and DIY.

10. Invest in Good Quality Items – Choose to buy less, but don’t sacrifice quality. Those who adult well know that spending a little bit more can often be the better choice.

11. Listen/Read at Least One Book a Month – We get it, you are busy. We all are, but being a well-rounded and knowledgeable person is important. It also makes you more interesting to talk to at parties and can leave you feeling less stressed.

12. Visit a Financial Advisor – Don’t know how to save or what do once you have saved some money? Don’t worry, most of us don’t.

13. Learn How to Deal with Conflict – One of the best things you can do for yourself and others is learn how to deal confidently with conflict.

14. Start Your Day with Purpose – Realize the power and clarity of starting each day with purpose and intention. Don’t live your life as someone who is reactive, but instead be proactive.

15. Spontaneity – Recognize that adulting does not mean you must sacrifice spontaneity. Sometimes life calls for being spontaneous. Lean into it.

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How to start using your inner critic to your advantage.

We’ve all experienced the wrath of our inner mean girl—that bitchy voice inside our heads that feels the need to chime in every time we’ve made a mistake, are having a bad day, or feel like a run down piece of… well, you know. We listen, not because we think she’s right, but because we think the whole “tough love” thing will push us to work harder and be a better person—and when it doesn’t, we think there must be something wrong with us.

If your inner critic has trapped you in a spiral of perfectionism and self-loathing, here are six ways you can put the kibosh on your thoughts of mass destruction:

1. Put yourself first

You know the drill: Your inner critic goes on a tangent every time you let work get in the way of things like working out, eating healthier, and resting—yet when you finally do take the time to decompress, you’re suddenly criticized for letting people down or being irresponsible with how you’re spending your time. Just because your inner critic is trying to drag you into a lose-lose situation doesn’t mean you have to act on it.

2. Accept yourself

There are just as many things you like about yourself as things you don’t, but your inner critic forces you to overanalyze your flaws and obsess over every mistake you’ve ever made. Start treating yourself like you would a friend: You’d never torture your BFF about bad decisions she’s made, and you definitely wouldn’t allow her to talk badly of herself. You accept her for exactly who she is, so why not offer yourself the same empathy and understanding?

3. Ditch the guilt

Mistakes happen, but torturing yourself about them doesn’t have to. Thinking you’re an awful person who doesn’t deserve to be spit on is self-indulgent. Ditch the wallowing and take action: Is it a mistake than can be fixed or apologized for? If so, take the steps to do so. If not, apply what you’ve learned to your life in some way, and use your experiences to help other people do the same.

4. Nurture yourself

It’s impossible to go full steam ahead in every area of your life simultaneously. There will be days when you’re exhausted, unmotivated, can’t focus, or all three—and this is when your inner critic loves to strike most. When you’re feeling off, go easy on yourself. If you’re in the middle of a late-night work session, don’t begrudge yourself the extra piece of cheesecake. If you have an unexpected family thing, don’t feel bad about rescheduling your appointments. Make one area the priority for that day, and let the rest of your chips fall where they may.

5. Take a mental vacay

Working long hours and constantly checking your phone are tough habits to break. And when you try to, your inner critic makes you feel as if your life will crumble if you do, like you’re less of a person if you’re not keeping up. But what good are you to the world if you’re an exhausted shell of your former self? Book tech-free time into your schedule as often as you can, and reconnect with the parts of yourself your inner critic has been pressuring you to neglect.

6. Balance the scales

For every crappy thing your inner critic has to say, counter it with a compliment to yourself, or celebrate the things that did go right that day. Eventually, you’ll start to notice that your daily victories heavily outweigh your shortcomings, and soon your inner mean girl will become nothing more than that bitch who annoyed you once.

How do you deal with your inner critic?

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Lonely woman image via Shutterstock

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What have you always dreamed of doing? What’s on your bucket list? What life-changing experiences must you check off before you die? We all want to live a fulfilling life–to be happy and carefree. Here’s my list of life-changing experiences that should be on your bucket list:

41 Life-Changing Experiences

1. Live at an ashram.

2. Learn to sail.

3. Trek to Everest Base Camp.

4. Learn to play an instrument.

5. Sky dive (just once because I’m scared of heights).

6. Do a backbend in front of the Taj Mahal.

7. Take a dip in an Icelandic hotspring.

8. Visit the Monastery (Al Dier) in Jordan.

9. Live like a writer in Tangiers.

10. Drive a convertable down California’s Route 1.

11. Go skinny dipping.

12. Climb Table Mountain in South Africa.

13. Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

14. Learn to surf.

15. Travel the Trans Siberian Railway

16. Break it down at Mardi Gras.

17. Write a book.

18. Watch the World Cup in person.

19. Camp in the desert.

20. Go on a silent retreat.

21. See a mountain gorilla in its habtitat.

22. Learn to Tango.

23. Hike the Applachian Trail

24. Learn to cook traditional Indian cuisine.

25. Checkout Oktoberfest.

26. Zipline through a Costa Rican rainforest.

27. Learn a new language.

28. Run a marathon.

29. Go scuba-diving.

30. Go rock-climbing.

31. Go on a volunteer vacation.

32. Fly in a hot air balloon.

33. See the Northern Lights.

34. Grow your own food.

35. Live in a foreign country for at least 6 months (or more).

36. Drive from coast to coast.

37. Take a sabbatical and travel the globe.

38. Sell or give away everything that you don’t need.

39. Check out the array of African wildlife at Kruger National Park.

40. Look over the edge of Victoria Falls.

41. Save up and splurge on a ridiculously expensive tasting menu.

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