7 Small And Annoying Habits To Break Before You Turn 30

There's plenty of advice on the internet about the major things you need to do in your 20s to prepare for your 30s (which, by the way, will be the greatest decade of your life).

But what about those little, tiny, annoying habits that actually have a much larger impact?

Paying attention to these details could actually affect your life in your 30s in a profound way.

So from personal experience, these are the small things you're probably doing in your 20s that you'll want to change before you turn the big Three-Oh.

Not Drinking Water

While youth is on your side in your 20s and you might feel like invincible, you should drop the habit of drinking caffeine all day and not drinking any water. Your skin will thank you later, and so will your body.

The older you get, the harder it can be to start a new habit. So start drinking water now, even if you hate that it tastes like nothing.

Ignoring Your Parents' Voicemails

Call your parents back. I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure they're going to die someday. Not to mention, your parents have been there for you through the major transitions of your life, and letting go of you is the single greatest transition of theirs.

Return the favor.

They gave you your life, and although they probably aren't perfect, neither are you. Your 20s is when you can begin to lay a foundation for a healthier relationship with your parents.

Ordering Out Every Night

Ordering out every single night sets you up for absolute failure in your 30s because you will not learn how to cook, and everything is too tiring when you're 30.

In your 30s, even clicking on a YouTube link is exhausting — I'm not gonna learn a new craft. Trust me, if you want to save money and learn self-sufficiency, stop ordering Seamless every night and sign up for Blue Apron.

Using Your Credit Card When You're Out Of Money

This seems like a no-brainer until you're stuck with no money and your credit card is staring you in the face. Debt is the single greatest challenge to go into your 30s with, since this is the age you're gonna want to do things that take good credit, like buying a house or investing in your own business.

If there's one thing you don't want to add to the list of debts you owe in your 20s, it's credit card debt.

Crash Dieting

So many of my friends and I have agreed that hitting 30 was when we reached our physical, mental, and spiritual peaks, because of one thing: we all started listening to our bodies. We started accepting ourselves for who we are.

Aside from the damage crash dieting can cause you physically, it's even worse for your mental health. It creates a punishing relationship with food, which nourishes you and gives you life.

The sooner you heal your relationship with food and your own body, the sooner you'll reach your own personal health peak. If you feel it could be helpful, get a nutritionist.

I did, and it was immensely beneficial. I learned to write down what I was eating and become more mindful of what I was using to fuel my body.

Delivering Half-Apologies

I definitely did this in my 20s, and I've noticed my sisters in their 20s now doing the same thing. When I was wrong in my 20s, I had a difficult time fully admitting and taking responsibility for my actions. Nobody enjoys the feeling of being wrong. It's difficult to swallow your pride, but the truth is every single human being has been wrong.

When you take responsibility for something and you apologize for it, do not try to justify your actions by saying "I'm sorry I did XYZ, but... " or to say, "It wasn't my intention to do XYZ, but I'm sorry I did." These are both built-in ways to cop-out of taking full responsibility.

When you f*ck up, own it fully, without excuses. Say what you did wrong, say there was no excuse for your actions, and assure the person you will do everything in your power to make sure it doesn't happen again. That is how you apologize like a 30-year-old. Learn it now.

Texting And Driving

Most of these habits you'll want to break before you turn 30, but the fact is you're not gonna make it to 30 if you don't stop doing this sh*t immediately.

As millennials, we're all very attached to our phones, and it's legitimately hard to not reach for them when we hear that text message notification (like Pavlov's dog). But if you want to live to see 30, turn off your ringer before you get on the road.

Phones can get you out of a lot of awkward situations, except, you know... death.