Welcome to the ‘SOS! I-suck-at-adulting-club,’ if the word adulting in the title prompted you to click on the link, let me tell you a fact. You already know that ‘adulting is not easy.’ No matter how well prepared you are, adulthood is always hard. I am as confused as you are but I believe that I am wise enough to learn from the mistakes of others. That’s what helped me draw on the wisdom of others. Now, you cannot reach out to every single adult to ask their two cents on adulting, can you? That is when books come to our rescue.
True, experience is the best teacher. But learning from the experienced offers no less value. So, here is a list of 10 books on adulting that can help you
Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown
This was probably the first book I picked up in my process of unlearning the adulting stereotypes and starting over again. Brown discusses the most basic, yet crucial things that an adult must learn and comprehend. From how to write a thank you note to how to ask for a pay raise, she uses some interesting illustration techniques like graphs and doodling to explain some of the terrifying yet hilarious incidents that she faced during adulting. Her book covers a wide range of issues, including domesticity, financial planning, dealing with friends and neighbors, cuisine, and professional life, and offers advice on a variety of topics. It is worth the read for beginners.
Adulting Made Easy: Things Someone Should Have Told You About Getting Your Grown-Up Act Together by Amanda Morin
This book is a hilarious read not only for adults but for introverts as well. From pondering over potential job questions to preparing a script for a phone call, Amanda Morin comes to your rescue through her own experiences. Being in charge of your own life appears exhilarating until you learn that the so-called real world is a jumble of difficult decisions and boring details. Why does the laundry need to be separated and done frequently? Who knew that health insurance could play an eminent role in deciding to take or leave your dream job? And what do you actually say when you call your doctor’s clinic for an appointment? This book tackles all the questions that most people do not even think they should ask while adulting. This book is like learning everything about adulting.
Launch: A Guide to Adulting by Amy S Montanez, Rhea A Merck
This book takes a rather pragmatic approach to adulting. Doctors Rhea Merck and Amy Montanez felt the need to provide practical life skills for this generation after witnessing an increase in the number of people in their early adulthood coming to their therapy clinics. They are the creators of the already popular life-skills blog messymarvelous.com. These two well-renowned mental-health specialists have published a book to motivate readers to focus on aspects of adult life most required for success and happiness. Some of the themes and questions discussed include: How comfortable are you asking for help? Do you have the necessary grit to hang in there when adult life doesn’t go as you planned? How well do you socialize? This book covers eleven basic skills, and these are just three of them. The most interesting take away from this book is that every chapter has a question for the reader for better reflection and introspection. Talk about learning and implementing! That is some cool stuff when it comes to adulting.
Almost Adulting by Arden Rose
This social media influencer and lifestyle blogger literally made me ROFL with her hilarious take on adulting. Arden explains how to sail through tumultuous times of adulting in this book, Almost Adulting, which is excellent for confused teenagers, people in their early adulthood, and microwave mug brownie eaters. Reading her book is like sitting down and talking to her for real. Her humor is what makes the book a worthy read. It is quirky, relatable, and engaging. It’s difficult to classify this book as a definitive guide into the frightening adult world since it isn’t. Arden is still finding things out, so she doesn’t always tell you what to do. Also, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to adulting. You find things out as you go along. But this book offers some indepth insights on adulting through Rose’s experience with a pinch of humor.
Being an Adult by Lucy Tobin and Kat Poole.
Adult life comes with a lot of new responsibilities, big and small. What should you consider before renting a flat? Should you dry clean all your outfits? Why is everyone on toes to figure out adulting before they hit 20? This book helps you find all the answers! Being an adult is a practical and quite engaging guide that tells you facts about adulting that you probably missed in your school. From when to ask for a discount or send a condolence card and how to save your money to taking care of your finances on your own and what to expect on the first day of your job, you can find answers to all your questions.
Not Ready to Adult Yet: A Totally Ill-informed Guide to Life by Iain Stirling
Stand-Up Comedian Iain Stirling is best known for his role as the fantastically humorous voice of the BAFTA-nominated hit Love Island. In this book, Ian explores why millennials are the way they are- and if it makes them egomaniacs, workaholics, mollycoddled, or simply a misunderstood generation with a crippling fear of failure. Millennials have been taught that they ought to be perfect in everything that no one warns them about adulting. Iain says it is ok to mess up sometimes. Not ready to be an adult yet is Iain’s guide to what life is really like for millennials and how they may navigate it better without having to comply with conventional notions. It’s funny, mind-blowing, and full of his typical razor-sharp humor.
How to Be an Adult in Love; Letting Love in Safely and Showing It Recklessly By David Richo
“You are as prone to love as the sun is to shine; it is the soul’s most wonderful and natural occupation.” David Richo’s amazing book about love begins with this lovely remark by Thomas Traherne. This author takes a very wholesome and spiritual approach to adulting. In a series of short and thought-provoking reflections, Richo describes love as a capacity, a quality, an exhilarating experience and a grateful phenomenon. This is one of those books that grows with you. I have reread it a number of times and keep coming back to it when I feel lost while adulting.
The Twentysomething Handbook: Everything You Actually Need to Know About Real Life by Nora Bradbury-Haehl
Bradbury-Haehl finds a method to make adulting manageable for an age group inundated with knowledge. Nora explains the missteps and mistakes that people often unintentionally adopt while adulting. Be it financial failures, or personal life mishaps; this book decodes all the aspects. The interesting part is that each chapter contains practical and concrete suggestions for dealing with a wide range of life’s issues including how to be comfortable in a new city, land a job that you like and thrive on, and also replacing various destructive habits with the ones that really help in building a more productive life while auditing.
150 Things You Need to Know Now That You’re a Grownup by Shawn Cornelius
Viola! You made it to adulthood and moved on from your academics! But wait, did you really learn anything about adulting? Probably not. What do you really know about leading a financially independent life as an adult? No worries, this book makes it easy peasy for everyone dealing with midlife crises while adulting. This book answers these burning practical questions revolving around adulting. There are 150 things you must know as an adult that are penned in this book. Pick this book in case you do not have time to beat around the bush and straightway rock the world like a legit adult.
Do let me know in the comment section if I’ve overlooked an interesting book on adulting. I’d want to have a look at it.
And don’t forget… we’ll make it through adulthood!
