Life Skills for Adults

When I consider the most essential life skills for adults to lead an independent life, I refer to Masolow’s hierarchy of needs. At the base level, a person should be able to manage their finances and time to ensure they can access food, water, shelter, rest, and raiment. At the next level, a person considers their safety and security which covers social ability, health, employment, and property. The next needs are belonging, and finally self-actualization (Mcleod, 2023). 

Personal Finance

Financial management is key to self-sufficiency. Being able to direct your money to meet your everyday needs is a skill of survival but also can help you journey to self-actualization. Do you have that friend who will buy a designer bag or high-end video camera over paying their rent? How about the friend that could actually save up for that trip they’ve been dreaming of taking, only if they stopped online shopping? While every situation and circumstance deserves nuance and deeper consideration, at the surface financial decisions like this can be detrimental to your wellbeing. After college, I started my financial journey by following Minority Mindset on YouTube. This channel introduced me to financial concepts and skills that not only allowed me to make healthier financial decisions but also to begin to build wealth.

Start your financial journey by identifying a source of education to build your literacy and capacity. The next step is to find a way to close the gap between what you spend and what you earn. To learn to build a budget, check out the Budget activity book!

Career Aptitude

In order to manage your finances, you must first have finances. Charting your course to make a healthy living is no easy feat. Many people in our society have found non-traditional avenues to generate income for themselves, while many others choose a more traditional career path. Regardless of your choice, marketing your knowledge, skills, or services in the economy is crucial to your self-sufficiency. Whether you focus on gaining professional skills in your chosen industry, networking with the who’s who, or developing the next Telsa these avenues should lead to you money.    

Did you know that 37.9 million people in the US live in poverty and 30% of people who do not work live in poverty, the highest index of all work experience categories (Shrider et al., 2023)? While I do not contest the systems of oppression that stifle economic mobility in innocent people’s lives. I share this to illustrate the connection between joblessness and poverty. 

As much as within your power, think about ways that you can generate income to sustain yourself. A great way to pressure test your ability to make a living wage is to assess your experience, education, and skills. Then research careers that suit the background you have.

Personal Administration

As an adult person, there are several administrative tasks that you should engage in to ensure your most basic needs are met. Food shopping, paying bills, making doctor’s appointments, managing your personal and work schedules, and filing taxes. These administrative tasks have a way of sneaking up on you. They are often intimidating and mundane. Being able to complete these tasks will allow you to navigate your adult life with fewer hiccups.

I recommend taking 90 minutes each week to review your bills, health appointments, tasks, and anything that needs your attention. Checking in with yourself every week will allow you to stay on course and know what is coming ahead. 

To learn more about personal administration check out the Time Management activity book!

Cooking

Food preparation is a must for any adult looking to be self-sufficient.  Learning basic cooking skills can help you save money, maintain your health, and even develop a skill that allows you to feel filled. I remember working in Boston and a woman told me that she grocery-shopped at Walgreens and ate cereal. While she was technically able to sustain

herself, I can only imagine the long-term impact this will have on her health. At a basic level, adults should acquire basic knife skills, learn how to work a stove and develop a menu of meal options that includes a few simple dishes.

Also, consider your food shopping habits. What are the basics that will keep your household running in the event that you are unable to order out? Do you have what you need to make a sandwich, breakfast cereal, or a quick stir fry to satiate your hunger?

Basic Cleaning

Whether you are a homeowner, an apartment dweller, or a roommate of six there are some things you need to clean and manage to ensure your environment is safe and livable. Your living space can be threatened by bacteria, mold, spillages, pests, and even air pollution. Knowing how to clean your home is essential to eliminating potential hazards. Learn how to:

• Clean bathroom fixtures
• Change air filters
• Disinfect commonly used surfaces
• Dispose of broken glass
• Rid fabrics of dirt build-up
• Wipe up spillages
• Sweep floors
• Wash dishes
• Do Laundry

References

Mcleod, S. 2023 November 24. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.

Shrider E. A., & Creamer J. U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). Poverty in the United States: 2022. U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-280.pdf

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