“Time Nahi hai yaar!” is a type of negative affirmation that has become our go-to excuse for not taking any effort. We believe that there is so much we would have done if we had the luxury of time.
But is it about the ‘luxury of time’ or ‘unwillingness’ to strive for anything? Would you have changed anything one bit even if you had an ample amount of time? Perhaps, some of you would. But I am talking about the majority who associate procrastination with ‘coolness.’ You know who y’all are!
Deep within us, this instinct knows what we should do. We are all gold medalists in ignoring those instincts that exist for our good. But, we cannot afford to dodge them for long. There are certain habits and lifestyle changes we must inculcate in our 20s before it’s too late.
Table of Contents
Make at least one physical activity a part of your daily routine
Seriously, walk, exercise, do anything. You don’t even need to go to the gym. One physical activity is paramount for our physical as well as mental health. We owe it to ourselves and our bodies.
Form a healthy sleep cycle
I am not dictating when to sleep. But you know that compromising on your sleep today means you are compromising on your task list for the next day. And this vicious pattern won’t stop. This doesn’t mean you don’t talk to your partners at night or dodge your weekend plans. But, just be wise about it. Sleeping at 5 when you have to wake up at 8 won’t do you any good, especially, if you do this every day.
Learn cooking
Knowing how to cook is so important. You must know how to make survival meals, to say the least. That is very basic if you are thinking about leading an independent life. Parents won’t be around forever to make meals for us, we should know that ourselves.
Spend time with your parents
The fact that you’re able to read and understand my article on a smartphone or a laptop is because of your parents who took pains to offer you the best education. The least we can do for them is spend good quality time with them. It will make their day.
Just read
Read anything – fiction, nonfiction, news pieces, short stories, insightful articles. However, please be wise about the source of information. There is nothing that you’re facing that some other person before you hasn’t gone through. We are all mirroring each other’s problems in unique contexts. Just read and get to know the world. Our generation doesn’t realize how reading is important for our personal and intellectual growth. I’m speaking with experience. I have seen people who don’t have the patience to sit through even a 100-page novella. But, it is essential. And it would be great if we start working on this habit in our 20s.
Ask questions. About anything and everything
Curiosity is essential regardless of the job we are doing. We must look at the world and wonder why so and so happens. Our thirst for answers can boost our intellect and give us a sense of unshakeable self-confidence. There is nothing in this world that cannot be learned.
Learn to be silent, to spend time with yourself
The truth is adulthood is not as happening as we imagined in our 20s. It is overwhelming a lot of times. The Internet has made us slaves to our smartphones. We have access to constant stimulation behind the screens that most of us do not know how to meditate or just be silent. We don’t give our brains a breather. It is constantly processing different flavours of information that will exhaust us at one point in time. Hence, we need to know how to be with ourselves. We need to know how to do nothing and be patient about it.
Prioritize mental health
Mental health is as important as physical health. Prioritize it at all costs. We need to learn to say ‘no’ and avoid populating our task list to exhaust ourselves every day. This is for both personal as well as professional commitments. We need to be kinder to ourselves and it’s better we start as early as possible.
