adulting
Managing life's obligations
Adulting is the practice of handling responsibilities associated with adulthood—paying bills, doing laundry, scheduling appointments, cooking meals.
The term emerged from younger generations and carries self-aware humor about finding basic adult tasks challenging or tedious: I spent all Saturday adulting—groceries, cleaning, taxes.
It often implies that maturity is something performed rather than achieved.
Allocating funds systematically
- laundryItems needing cleaning
- groceriesFood bought at stores
- cleaningRemoving dirt and mess
- taxesMandatory government payments
bills · insurance · scheduling · appointments · commuting · repairs · rent · utilities
Defeated by sheer volume
- deadlinesSubmission cutoff times
- burnoutChronic occupational depletion
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- procrastinationHabitual task avoidance
loneliness · uncertainty · exhaustion · comparison · perfectionism · FOMO
Obligation for one's actions
- commitmentsPromises requiring follow-through
- employmentPaid occupation status
- savingsAccumulated money kept
- retirementLeaving the workforce permanently
mortgage · parenthood · dependability · obligations · reliability · consequences · ownership · duty
Process of becoming complete
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
- developmentProgress toward maturity
experience · competence · confidence · resilience · adaptation · perspective · patience · self-awareness
Independence from outside aid
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
- agencyPower to act
budgeting
Allocating funds systematically
bills · taxes · insurance · scheduling · appointments · commuting · repairs · rent · utilities · errands
overwhelmed
Defeated by sheer volume
- deadlinesSubmission cutoff times
- burnoutChronic occupational depletion
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
procrastination · loneliness · uncertainty · exhaustion · comparison · perfectionism · FOMO
accountability
Obligation for one's actions
- commitmentsPromises requiring follow-through
- employmentPaid occupation status
- savingsAccumulated money kept
retirement · mortgage · parenthood · dependability · obligations · reliability · consequences · ownership · duty · self-discipline
maturation
Process of becoming complete
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
development · experience · competence · confidence · resilience · adaptation · perspective · patience · self-awareness · boundaries
self-sufficiency
Independence from outside aid
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- self-relianceDepending on oneself alone
voting
Formally registering a choice
- everyday lifedaily routine, routines, errands, chores, bills
- adolescencepuberty, teenager, coming-of-age, growing up, teen
- adulthoodmaturity, responsibilities, responsibility, milestones, obligations
- lifestyle buzzwordsself-care, wellness, good vibes, goals, hustle
- Neologismsselfie, blog, vlog, podcast, hashtag
- stressorsemergency, financial stress, work stress, deadlines, job interview
adultingchildhood
Life's earliest phase
childishness · irresponsibility · immaturity · dependence · Peter Pan syndrome
adultinggoofing off
Idling instead of working
playing · slacking · having fun · recreation · play time