There's more to life than this.

I have two questions for you. First: are you trying to get something done? Maybe it'll take weeks or months to finish, or maybe it's a particularly demanding or frustrating task. It could be a phone call, an art piece, a blog post, or anything else that takes your time & effort. Second question: when are you going to work on it? Let's keep the question simple: if it's a long task, you don't have to finish it in one sitting. If it's annoying, you don't have to enjoy the process. All you have to do is work on it, and all I want to know is when.

Legally, I've been an "adult" for over a decade. I file my taxes each year, respond to important emails, and own a vacuum machine and paper shredder. Even if it took some time to adjust, by the age of 24 I thought that I had finally reached the level of emotional maturity adulthood demanded of me. It felt like my aunts and uncles and grandparents were right – I will, as they say, figure it out as I get older.

This is a name I made up for a pattern I noticed in my life: allowing minor inconveniences with obvious solutions to persist. The root cause is small enough to be disregarded, but the consequences can range anywhere from equally small to lifestyle-altering. These problems only take a brief moment of thought to identify, but I've learned it's surprisingly easy to let them pile up for no reason!

You've heard of Dunbar's number, right? It's 150, and it's the number of social links you can maintain in your head (Dunbar said so). This has a wide array of important consequences – for example, any attempt to befriend every 1st-gen Pokémon is mathematically doomed – but not all hope is lost! First, simply acknowledge the limitations of your monkey brain. Next, use said brain to think about ways you can operate within those limitations while still pursuing a fulfilling social life. Finally, gradually adapt your behavior to align with those principles. That's it! Three easy steps and you're well on your way to living a Dunbar-approved life.

It's true: you're free to do anything you want. Spend your time as you see fit; wear what you want to wear; participate in whatever communities feel like home to you. If what you're doing doesn't make you happy, try doing something else!