The thing about being an adult is that there is no manual for it. You turn 18, and you’re suddenly expected to know how to fend for yourself in any and every way possible. For most of us, that simply just doesn’t happen – we have teething problems- and we don’t exactly all hit the ground running.

 

Being an adult can be tricky, but if you master the following basic life skills, you will find it a whole lot easier than those of your peers who don’t:

 

Time Management

 

This one is a biggie – when you’re young you can get away with being a little bit late or cramming stuff in at the last minute a lot more easily than you can when you’re an adult, and you have real responsibilities.

 

It would take too long to go into all of the ins and outs of time management here, but one pearl of wisdom you’d do well to pay attention to and cultivate in your life is that of single-tasking. If you give yourself enough time to do each task on your list individually, not only will you be more productive, but you’ll do things better.

 

Writing a CV

 

There are services like PurpleCV.co.uk that will write a CV for you, but as an adult, it’s always good to at least know how to write a CV, so that you can ensure it’s done pretty much right and increase your chances of getting that all-important job interview.  Also, if you know how to write a good CV, you’ll know how to spot one, so should you become an entrepreneur and set up your own business, it’ll be easier for you to recruit the right people. CVs are important people!

 

Managing Your Money

 

There was a time when managing your money meant deciding between that cute little dress in Topshop or topping up the credit on your phone. Now, managing your money means ensuring you can pay the bills on time, save for the future and invest wisely. The sooner you learn how to do this stuff, the sooner you’ll be able to live comfortably, and the sooner you’ll be able to retire in the future.

 

How to Say No the Right Way

 

If you want to have a good work-life balance, you need to be able to let people down with a firm no, but you also need to know how to do this in a way that doesn’t rub them up the wrong way. You can find some good techniques for doing this at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisabeth. Read, learn and implement and you will have a much happier life now and in the future.

 

Public Speaking

 

Speaking in front of your friends at school, college or university might have seemed daunting, but the first time you have to get up in front of managers and CEOs and give a presentation, you’ll realise just how easy it was. However, being able to speak publically will help your career, so it is something you should learn. Practice makes perfect!

 

Acquire these life skills, and adulting will become a bit easier!