Recently, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which life hacks and "adulting" advice has actually been a game-changer for them. Here's some of the great tips:
1. "Set your alarm for when you need to wake up, not for a snooze alarm circus of pressing the snooze button 9 times first. Not being rushed in the morning is priceless. Get enough sleep!"
2. "MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO EDUCATE YOURSELF — on your health plan, retirement plan, mortgage, and every other financial product you're involved with. This is the only way to protect yourself, and your future, and make sure you're not taken advantage of."
"Also don't invest in anything high-risk (crypto, trendy stocks on IPO day, etc) until you've built up a decent rainy-day fund and retirement account."
3. "Don't put yourself on a timeline. Don't settle for the wrong person because you don't want to start over again. Take your time alone to truly work on yourself. I finally did meet the right person at 33 (which is not actually old, despite what society tells us), after getting out of a toxic relationship and spending a year alone to heal, and it was worth all the heartbreak to find him."
4. "Use a variety of stores for your groceries. Things are cheaper at different places. Buy paper goods, meat, baby stuff, and produce wherever it's on sale. Most places deliver so it does not take up as much time as it used to shop at multiple stores. It will save you money."
5. "Remember: there is more proof of your success than your failures."
6. "Use your phone calendar! If I have an appointment Wednesday, I'll set a reminder on Tuesday "appointment tomorrow at 4", then the day of another a couple of hours before. It only takes a little bit of effort and has helped me to stay on top of everything in my life."
7. "Going to bed early is how grown-ups sleep in. It sounds depressing but everything is easier if you've had enough sleep. Working, studying, exercising, dealing with your aggravating housemate, sticking to your budget — everything becomes significantly easier."
8. "A lot of things in adult life, like figuring out home ownership or retirement planning, seem harder and more daunting than they actually are before you start them. Sometimes it’s important to force yourself to work through the mental discomfort of those experiences because the longer you put them off, the more worry you’ll have to deal with later on when you’re older and less financially secure."
9. "If you can, go to therapy. Most people can benefit from developing their self-awareness, identifying areas they struggle with and processing any trauma they may have. Therapy is helping me find my peace."
10. "Take social media breaks. What everyone’s doing and thinking isn’t always healthy to see. I now go on once a week and it’s been a mental game changer."
11. "If it's only going to take a few minutes, just do it. You're not going to feel more like paying that bill, washing those dishes, or putting that bit of clothing in the laundry later on, and even less if a bunch of stuff piles up."
"Try to get the small, stressful things (like stressful emails, and difficult parts of projects) done early in the day; you can feel less stressed, and accomplished, and will be able to focus better if you're not worrying about it all day."
12. "Don’t take criticism from those you wouldn’t go to for advice. But also some housekeeping advice: Change the dryer lint every time, even if you think it doesn’t need it. Put essential oil on your vacuum bag, and in your rinse cycle. And dryer sheets are great for a lot of things; to deodorize, to keep dust off of baseboards and to dust in general."
13. "Saying no is such an important skill! 'No' is a complete sentence."
14. "Assume most media has been manipulated in some way."
15. "Make sure you have hobbies. It's really easy to get caught up on the 'adulting' tasks of cleaning, cooking, laundry, doctor's appointments, work, etc. and feel like you don't have time for hobbies but that's what makes them so important. Even if cooking is a hobby, make sure you're having fun with it, we need hobbies to feel fulfilled."
16. "Learn the value of a sincere apology. If you make a mistake or hurt someone, you gain a lot more respect for owning it and learning from the experience instead of pretending it's not your fault."
17. "Make time for yourself. It doesn't have to be much, just 30 minutes or so a day where you prioritize yourself, especially if you tend to prioritize others for various reasons. It gives you a chance to check in with yourself physically and mentally, and it can give you a break from being "on" all the time."
18. "'Why put it down when you could put it away?' has saved me from so much mess, especially with clothes and dirty dishes."
19. "You can only do one thing at a time. If you have a whole bunch of tasks, whether it be at home or at work and you feel overwhelmed, just take them one at a time. You’re only human."
20. "For work and life, remember that no one knows what they're doing, half the time people are winging it. The only difference between kids and adults is that adults do a better job at hiding that they have no idea what they're doing. Don't worry if you feel like you don't know how to do anything. You're in the majority and you're doing great."
21. "Just because you have the money to spend, doesn't mean you should always spend it. When you have extra cash, instead of being like 'I'm going to celebrate and buy people drinks!' or 'I'm going to eat out more!' each time, try to instead put it in a savings account."
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.