How to Properly Manage Your Time in Your Early 20s

Until you reach your early 30s, life gives you an incredible energy to explore life and test your limits. You dwell on ideas that can change the world, you have the drive to test new ideas out, and you sample every hobby you find interesting.

However, a common mistake people in their twenties make is assuming they have all the time in the world to be successful. They waste many hours playing video games, delaying their gratification until the time is right, and consuming mindless television.

And by the time they do reach their 30s or 40s, have no given skills that can help them reach their goals. I’m not saying that it’s impossible to succeed when you have no built skills when you reach a later period in your life.

There’s plenty of successful people who became successful after age 40. Henry Ford was 45 when he created the revolutionary Model T car. Stan Lee created his first hit comic, “The Fantastic Four,” just shy of his 39th birthday.

The list goes on, but I think you understand where I’m getting at. Age doesn’t define when you can become successful or not. However, you should treat your time more valuable than any other resource you own.

You can always make more money, create new relationships, and buy new things. But you can never buy back the time you waste by doing meaningless activities. It’s hard to imagine what you learn now will be that important ten years later, but it’s almost like when you learned how to walk as a baby.

When you took your first steps, you weren’t imagining the possibilities that you can later on learn how to run, jump, dance, and spin in a circle. You just wanted to walk so you could reach the other side of the room. But you learn as time continues that your newly acquire skills can take you to the next level to where you want to be at.

Why learn how to walk when you’re in your 30s when you have the opportunity to learn now. This is the advice I want to tell anyone whether you’re in your early teens, 20s, or even older than that.

Ben Franklin once said, “Do ye love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” And he says that for a great reason.

Learn How to be Financially Independent to Save Years of Paying Off Debt

What traps most people in their 20s is the imprisonment of student loans, endless debt, and foolish spending. They overspend their credit cards and never think of the end results to what they buy.

When we’re young, it’s easy to assume that we’ll suddenly become rich one day to pay it all off. And yet very few people have done it. Others suffer in their 30s and 40s just to pay it off entirely.

Know whether your college education is worth the investment. The average college tuition is around $70,000 and it isn’t showing any signs of declining. Every year colleges are raising its tuition and lowering its educational value.

Which is why you should avoid peer pressure on whether you should go or not. It’s true that more doors can open up for someone who’s a college graduate than a high school graduate. But that’s only if two people showed up to a job interview with zero skills in what they want to do.

In today’s world, there’s plenty of free websites that can build your skills on what you generally want to learn. If there’s a trade you want to work in, seriously consider enrolling in a trade school before you sign up for college.

Working on a specific trade you’re interested in directly connects you to a job you might want to do than just sitting in the classroom in wonder of what you should major in. When you work at that trade, you will get payed by the hour than if you were just in college where you had to pay by the textbook and credit.

Yes, I know what you may be thinking. If you want to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or anything else that requires years of intense studying and education, you do need a proper education to set you on the right path.

But if your interest are in coding, writing, drawing, or even philosophy, seriously consider other possible options that may be better suited for you. Don’t listen to what people might say when they mention their’s a variety of careers opened up for someone who major in Art history.

But it’s crucial that you develop a plan for yourself because you don’t want to jump from one trade to the other in short periods of time. See where you want to be at and set clear goals on what you want to achieve.

Don’t Waste your Time With Energy Vampires

Be wary on who you spend your time with. It’s sometimes a tough decision to make, but the people you spend your time with can be the ones slowing down your progress.

Every relationship you have requires an investment of time, and not all could be weighed equally. You’re going to face unhealthy relationships that do nothing more than make you angry, depressed, or anxious. And when you do have such a relationship, either cut them out of your life or extremely limit your time with them.

Energy vampires are good at sucking your energy to be productive, and then provide you with their own negative energy to change your views about your world. They complain often and only see the bad side of things. They try to convince you when you should hate this person, blame the world, and think selfishly.

Learn how to Read more often even if you hate it

Reading requires focus and intense concentration. Unlike watching television, your mind is constantly working itself to process the words you’re reading, your imagination, and how it connects to you emotionally.

Which is why fewer and fewer people are choosing the route to pick up a book and learn something new. I understand that people start to push themselves away from reading when their teachers forces them to read uninteresting textbooks throughout the year.

But there’s a tremendous value that’s given to you when you get the initiative to pick up a book and learn something new. You’re given the chance to read someone else’s mind and see how they viewed the world. You learn new things about yourself and how to avoid certain mistakes that can save you years of trouble.

Even if you can’t concentrate on a book no longer than 5 minutes, work on it anyway. It takes building a habit of anything before your mind finally gets used to it. When you’re reading a book, be fully in the moment so you can hone what you’re soaking into your brain.

Don’t read while listening to music or watching Netflix. Set everything else aside and only concentrate on what you’re studying. Read books about philosophy, politics, and self-development. Cultivate yourself about the world so you always have something to contribute to any conversation.

Take the Time To Remain Healthy

Your body is the one home you should always take care of first. It’s the place you’re going to live in forever while you’re on this planet.

So take care of it by eating less and exercising more. You don’t have to exercise for hours and hours. Just move your body enough to create a sweat. That could be done by walking, jogging, or playing sports.

Move the muscles in your arms, legs, and back to keep yourself flexible. Make sure you eat well because your body is a temple that is only as good as you maintain it. If you put any piece of junk in your body, you’ll find it tearing down day by day.

Whenever you’re about to eat, think of it as properly investing in the right business. You don’t want to invest 100 Pesos invested in your business. You’d rather have $100 because it has more value.

Treat healthy food like dollars and junk food like any other low currency. The sooner you begin taking care of your body, the less problems it’ll give you in the future.

For more like these,

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The Easy Guide To Save Money in Your Early 20s

7 Big Life Mistakes People in Their 20s Make