Let me just say, my life changed drastically in my 30s. I just turned 33, and since I turned 30, I’ve left a 10 year relationship/marriage, met the love of my life, completely made over my home, got out of debt, and so much more.

If you feel like you spent your 20s treading water and want to uplevel your life, here are 10 ways to improve your life in your 30s:

1 | Take notice of what is no longer serving you, and put energy into what is

We don’t want to waste time with things that are no longer serving us. This could be a relationship, a job, habits, hobbies, etc. When you look back at your 20s, do you see things you wish you wouldn’t have given time to? A bad relationship, a friend that doesn’t have your best interests at heart, a side hustle you wish you never started, a dead end job. If something doesn’t feel like it aligns with your life anymore, it might be best to set it aside, or let go of it.

Make sure to nurture the things that ARE serving you. The friendships you can’t live without, your healthy relationship, your passions, etc.

2 | get the good sheets

You’re in your 30s now, it’s time to really come into your own, and upgrade your living space. Get rid of the dollarstore cuttlery that you bought in college, invest in some real window treatments, buy matching dishes, get the GOOD sheets for your bed. You’re a real adult now, and you deserve to live like one.

I understand that not everyone has the money to upgrade items in their home at once, but it can be done slowly over time. Even making over current items you own can make a huge difference. In the last couple of years, I’ve made over a lot of furniture in our home, and they look brand new. Shopping sales is also a great way to accomplish this. This year I decided to upgrade our bedding and get a nice fluffy white duvet and linen duvet cover, and I found a really nice one for sale at The Bay. We also replaced our blinds with nice linen curtains recently that I got on sale, and it made a HUGE difference.

Once you decide what you want to upgrade, you can also search FB Marketplace for items. Last year I found a kitchen table from Structube that I really wanted, but they were on backorder and shipping times were insane. I ended up finding the same one on marketplace in perfect condition, for less money.

You also don’t need to put off buying the good stuff because you have kids and pets. I have 3 pets and an 8 year old boy- and they are MESSY. We are constantly lint rolling cat hair, and vacuuming, and wiping down sticky fingerprints off the walls. We bought 2 new area rugs and a runner this year, which sometimes spells disaster if you have pets and kids- BUT we also invested in a little green machine carpet cleaner, and it works great. You don’t need to buy lower quality items just because you’re a kid or pet mom. There are SO many great cleaning tutorials out there, and ways around this (like buying low pile, washable area rugs so the cats cant ruin it)

3 | get serious about a skincare routine

SPF , double cleansing, eye creams, syrums, toners, moisturizers, retinol, tretinoin, lip masks, skin cycling, etc etc. Research it, buy it, use it. I’m a millennial, and I’m from the generation where my friends used to go into tanning beds with little playboy bunny stickers on their hips to measure how dark they were getting. They regret it now. My dad also had a huge piece of his shoulder cut out a few years ago due to melanoma. I think of all the sunburns I had as a kid and cringe. Take care of your skin.

4 | stop putting off things that you want to do

We all have things that we’ve been putting off because life is busy, or we want to wait until the kids are grown up, or we just don’t make the time for it. You’re just starting the prime of your life- it’s time to check some things off the “someday” list. Take those lessons you’ve been wanting to take, save up for that trip you’ve been dreaming of, burn the good candles. Life is for enjoying.

5 | work on Those finances

Maybe you made some mistakes in your 20s that you’re just now realizing you have to deal with. Those credit cards you maxed out, that expensive item you took out a loan for, that huge car loan you got because 23 year old you NEEDED that luxury car. Your 30s are when those mistakes come back to bite you in the ass. Like when you finally want to purchase a home but realize you can’t because your debt to income ratio is too high, or you’ve got too many items in collections. It’s scary to face the mistakes of your 20s, but it has to be done.

We ALL have years where we tell ourselves that THIS will be the year we finally get our finances under control, and then we do nothing to contribute towards that goal. Now is the time to get serious about saving money. Write down your goals for the next 10-20 years (buying a house, taking a vacation, your children’s schooling, an emergency fund, retirement, etc) and calculate how much you need to be saving or investing to reach those goals.

6 | Work on getting rid of that bad habit

We all have unhealthy coping mechinisms at some point in our lives- maybe you drink too much coffee, smoke, induldge in “mommy wine night” every night, etc. You’re still young enough to turn those bad habits around and make healthier choices.

7 | speak up for yourself more

Ask for the promotion you know you deserve, confront that friend who walks all over you, don’t be afraid to tell people what you want and need. You are important, and your voice deserves to be heard.

8 | slow down

Things can feel kind of GO GO GO in your 20s- you might have been in University, trying to climb up the ladder at work, making time for your friends every week, raising young children, etc. Some of those things probably still apply in your 30s, but you might find yourself being able to slow down more now. This year, I’ve decided to make more time for gardening, making home cooked meals, spending time outdoors, meditation, reading, journaling, etc.

9 | Decide who you want to Be and become Her

New year, new vision board! You can recreate who you are at any time!

Create a Pinterest board and just start pinning photos that represent your ideal self. What does she eat? What does she do for work? What books does she read? What kind of clothes does she wear? What are her hobbies?

There’s nothing I love more than a good rebrand.

10 | Prioritize your health

Fad diets may have been fine when you were younger and didn’t know better, but we’re better than that now. I refuse to go on a diet ever again, because they aren’t long term solutions. Instead, I’ve decided to make slow and small changes that will have long term benefits. Over the last year, I’ve been focusing on increasing my water intake and taking vitamins. Now that I have that down as a routine, I’m beginning to incorporate more walking and time on the treadmill- for the physical benefits, not to lose weight. If weight loss happens as a result, that’s great, but it’s the health benefits I’m after. I’m extremely proud of the small changes I’ve made so far.

My household was sick A LOT this past year, and it’s made me really want to focus on inner health. In keeping with trying to kick my iced cap addiction, I’ve also recently ordered some greens powder to incorporate into my morning routine. To track my progress and keep myself motivated, I picked up a pretty “Well Journal” from Chapters.

My new well journal (the pink one), and other recent purchases

Along with physical health is mental health. Working on my anxiety actually helped fix a lot of physical symptoms I was experiencing last year. It’s insane what anxiety can do to your body. Try and make time for therapy, meditation, doctors appt etc.

Enjoy being thirty, flirty and thriving.

D

10 Ways To Uplevel Your Life In Your 30s