If you’re going to read any books in your 20s, then I suggest reading books on adulting that will be sure to set you up for success!
Raise your hand if you fit this profile: Recent college graduate with a degree you thought would give you some sort of key to understanding the rest of your life but instead, you’re left in the dark wondering what steps to take next.
They don’t teach you this stuff in college, am I right? From taxes to living on your own, to owning your own things…it’s all a bit daunting!
Even if you didn’t go to college, you probably still feel a little lost on what steps to take next in your life.
I have found some of the best life advice in these books on adulting so far and am excited to see what each of the others offers.
Let’s check them out…
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1. Welcome to Adulting: Navigating Faith, Friendship, Finances, and the Future by Jonathan Pokluda
Out of all the books on adulting, this is my number one choice. It lays everything out straightforwardly, making it easy to read and then implement!
At first, it may feel like the book lacks practical and tangible steps to take, but that’s because everyone’s adulting journey is going to look different. It points you in the right direction to go and then basically sends you on your way with the right perspective you need in this new stage of life.
After reading this book I came away feeling less stressed and relieved to know that I don’t have to have it all together right now. Jonathan gave me hope and peace in the midst of the anxious feelings that every 20-something experiences.
This book addresses the subjects of friendships and dating; career and money management; interpersonal conflict; controlling anxiety; recovering from addiction; and discovering your purpose on this earth.
He boils it all down to finding true fulfillment and satisfaction in Christ alone, especially in this season of life that is overlooked by so many. As a Christian, this was so encouraging to me. But, even if you’re not a Christian, still give this book a shot and come to it with an open perspective.
See it on Amazon here!
2. Body Love: Live in Balance, Weigh What You Want, and Free Yourself from Food Drama Forever by Kelly LeVeque
If you’ve never cared about what you’ve been eating or how you’ve been treating your body, then now is the time to start caring. This is one of the books on adulting that gave me the guidance I needed to start eating more balanced and nutritious meals.
Initially the title “Body Love” turned me off to this book because I don’t want to idolize my body or focus on loving myself. As a Christian, my focus and attention are centered on Christ and others, not myself!
However, with the proper perspective, I still learned a great deal from this book. Whether it’s this book or another on healthy eating, find something that will get you on the right track to healthy eating!
Body Love specifically taught me how to create a balanced meal with the FAB 4 ingredients and how implementing certain habits now can change how I feel for the rest of my day, and then the rest of my life. This book has several fantastic recipes too to get you started today!
Now is the time to begin implementing better habits and Kelly walks you through the steps super simply. I am not a science person at all and while I was still kind of lost doing the science information spots in this book, I was still able to fully grasp the concepts she was sharing.
Related Post: 21 Quick Ways To Be Healthy In Your 20’s
See it on Amazon here!
3. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Let’s be honest, most of us don’t know how to save or invest in our twenties. You may not even know how to correctly handle your credit card. Well, you’re in luck because this book is the ultimate toolkit.
This book covers everything you can think of regarding money, especially when you are just establishing your foundation, and you can dive deeper into this blog post as well.
Ramit walks you through a six-week program of getting all your finances in order. To say it was helpful would be an understatement.
After graduating from college, I thought I could easily handle my first paycheck, but I was wrong. I was getting more money than I ever had before but without a spending plan, saving strategy, and knowledge about investing, I was basically tossing my money around to fly in the wind.
Like I keep saying, your twenties are the time to set up the right habits in your life so that the rest of your life can be successful. Money is a huge part of that. It’s best to get your finances nailed down today or you’ll be regretting some financial decisions you make in the future.
Read it on Amazon here!
4. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
This book is more of a business book, and being a business major myself, I quite enjoyed it. However, don’t let that steer you away. It was very easy to apply the aspects of this book to my everyday life, not just my business ventures.
What made this book an instant New York Times bestseller? The fact that the purpose of this book is to turn you into an essentialist.
An essentialist is someone who uses their time to maximize their outcome. It’s the discipline of working hard at what is essential and eliminating what is not essential. The book empowers you to take control of what really matters in life and to completely change your mindset.
Leadership is a skill I work very hard at in my twenties because what better time to fail than when you have so much time left in life? I mean we’re all at the bottom of the food chain now, might as well go for it.
Read it on Amazon here!
5. The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson
Right now in life, being a 20-something, I have so many dreams. There are so many ideas buzzing through my head that I want to go fully into. This is one of the books on adulting that took my dreams and gave them life.
While this is a book about prayer, it is not your typical book about prayer. It does not give you strategies on how to pray more but instead teaches you how to pray for your dreams.
Mark is a pastor at a well-known church in Washington D.C. and through his various stories and personal testimonies of how prayer has shaped his dreams, his goals, and ultimately his life, he is able to help us draw prayer circles around our lives.
Related Post: Re-Learn How To Study The Bible As A Young Adult
A prayer circle is our way of giving our deepest desires, hopes, and dreams to God and praying for them in ways we have never prayed before. You will come to the reality that God is greater than anything you could ever hope for and imagine after reading this book.
I left this book in tears, feeling so encouraged in the season of adulting that I am in.
See it on Amazon here!
6. Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
Have you gone through a season of anxiety or depression recently in your twenties? It’s likely you have. Adulting is hard, and it’s especially hard to know what steps to take next in life.
John Piper is an amazing pastor that I have always admired. His heart is truly for the expansive work of the gospel and sharing the good news with the world. I remember the first time I heard him speak where he told all of us in the midst of adulting to go out and do something extraordinary for the Lord with our lives.
This book is similar to the message I heard that day. John encourages us to live our lives to the fullest. Our goal is not our own success, but putting others before ourselves and the success of the kingdom of God.
If you need some purpose in your life, some motivation in your step, and some direction to what to do next, then read this book.
See it on Amazon here!
7. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung
Do you feel that you are adulting without any purpose?
Sometimes we need a call to action. We need someone to come over and tell us to get off the couch, turn off Netflix, and make a real impact in this world. Because guess what, you won’t make an impact without hard work. You won’t make a difference in this world without taking action, and usually, that’s just simply doing the next right thing.
Kevin’s book gives us this motivation but it also tells us to do it now. We can wait and wait for clear answers written in the sky, or we can jump all in and go for it.
Starting a blog was not an easy thing for me. I had to overcome hurdles and sacrifice a lot of things; however, I would never have this amazing thing I have created if I didn’t just do it.
See it on Amazon here!
8. Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps
This book could be titled “The Things They Don’t Teach You In College” because this book covers it all when it comes to adulting. There was even an expanded edition to add more than information on everything adulting.
Kelly helps us embrace the fun in adulting. She points to helpful tips and breaks the real world down in super practical ways, but never loses sight of having a good time.
Adulting isn’t just going to work and paying the bills. It is also overcoming stupid little things, like where to buy toilet paper or find the best dry cleaning.
The theme of her book: simple answers that get you the results you need. I wrote a more detailed review of the book here:
Related Post: My Honest Review of Adulting by Kelly Williams Brown
See it on Amazon here!
9. The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter–And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay
Just read the title of her book again: The Defining Decade. Wow, I could not come up with a more appropriate title.
You see, I am all about setting your life up for success, and that begins in your twenties. You can’t ignore this season of life, as culture seems to ignore it really well.
What habits you form now and the steps you take to set up your life for success now matter.
Related Post: My Honest Review of “The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay
In this book, Meg gives us insight into how to use tools around us to make our twenties the best years of our lives and set the rest of our life up for success. She also demolishes bad advice, something I greatly appreciate.
If you’re looking for proactive tools and tangible steps to take on using your twenties to your advantage then this is the book for you.
This book was a wonderful read and was another motivator for the mission behind this blog: to use our 20s to set up the right habits and create a successful life.
See it on Amazon here!
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10. Your Favorite Childhood Book
What was your favorite childhood book growing up? Which book hooked you in and still brings back emotions when you think of it? Go find that book and read it again!
You may be confused by this last suggestion for the best books on adulting. And at first, I wasn’t going to include this “book” on the list. But, after rereading some of my favorite childhood books I discovered that I was coming to them from a completely new perspective!
Rereading your favorite childhood book will remind you of important themes in our lives that we can so easily forget about once we leave childhood. Love, friendship, leadership, heroism, sacrifice, and more – are all vital parts of our purpose here on earth.
Rereading childhood books made me a kid again. It made me remember that all the hard parts of adulting were things we never thought about on the school playground.
When we enter adulthood we quickly become serious and practical and forget to be childlike again. So, indulge in that childhood book and now as you read it as an adult, ask yourself what you can take with you on this adulting journey! It may become your favorite out of all the books on adulting!
There you have it, all ten of the most influential books on adulting. So which of these books on adulting are you picking up next in your journey through your twenties? Let me know in the comments below and happy reading!
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Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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I have heard such great things about Essentialism! I need to read it.
Yes, you won’t regret it!
I’m definitely interested in that Body Love book! I want to be healthy but not obsess over weight – it can be a struggle sometimes for sure. And I 1000% agree with Harry Potter! It has lots of great lessons and themes.
Agreed. We need to find the healthy balance! Ahhh love it (:
Harry Potter fits in with pretty much anything! Awesome list.
Thanks Alix!
The best books I’ve read about personal development in general are:
– The Big Leap
– Rich Dad, Poor Dad
– Forget Your Worries, Start Living
Maybe you’ll give them a go.
Oh, those are some good ones!!
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