I recently watched a Youtube video (not a surprise, I spend waaaay more time on Youtube than I should) that was about being a bad adult.

It made me laugh, mainly because it was pretty close to how I am. It then prompted a discussion between myself and my other half about other ways in which we are pretty bad at being adults.

Often, I feel like a kid playing dress-up and doing a pretty poor job of it too!

So, enjoy the list of things that probably make me pretty bad at being an adult. Hope this is enlightening and that maybe some of you will nod along going “yup, I do that too!”

Psst… there is even a part 2, link at the end 🙂

Not Measuring

I am very much a seat-of-her-pants kind of person when it comes to ordering things.

If I decide I want a bookcase or a piano or whatever, I almost never measure to see if it can fit into the allotted place I’ve already picked out.

This has led to my house looking like a second-hand store of random pieces of furniture in weird places.

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Robot Vacuum Gadget

A few years ago, during one of my “seat-of-her-pants” moments, again (this is a pretty frequent thing) I bought a robot vacuum.

Most normal adults would look disdainfully at such a purchase, considering it frivolous.

Which, year, it kinda was… after all, the strongest freaking Dyson hasn’t been able to truly cope with the level cat hair in our house and so a little robot vacuum wasn’t going to succeed anytime soon.

But it’s a frigging robot, which is awesome!

We called him Mo (after the cleaning robot in Wall-E) and let him have run of the house… though we still needed to get a vacuum for the stairs… and he gets stuck a lot… so not the best use of my money but he’s a frigging robot so he stays!

EDIT 2026: Please note I will NEVER buy a robot vacuum or Smart appliance again. Back at the time I bought this, there were not the crazy security issues there are now.

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Eating Food From The Packet

I’m not really into serving, so if I buy something like cheesecake or an apple pie, I won’t cut it into segments, placing a piece on a little plate to eat like an actual grown-up.

I just hack at it while it’s in the foil dish (after all, why make more washing up to do!?).

The (few) times people have been in my house for food (I’m not usually that hospitable), I do still have the habit of kinda, scooping lumps of pie onto a plate.

I am not much of serving it in some elegant visually pleasing way.

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Doing Chores

Okay, so I DO chores in a grudging kind of way.

However, there are some chores, like ironing and stitching up tears/re-attaching buttons, that I just find so unbelievably boring.

So, they usually end up in a laundry basket marked “To Do”….until the basket becomes too full to close.

Then I MIGHT sort them and do what needs to be done… or I will find somewhere else to hide put them.

Ironing is the most tedious job I have ever had to do.

I tend to just hang my clothes in the hopes they will lose at least some of their wrinkles. If not… I have worn wrinkly clothes before… to work. 😀

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Not Emptying Bins

Another chore really, I hate emptying bins.

I will usually cram them so full that when it comes time to emptying them, you can barely get the stuff out.

I also balance rubbish on top to make it as full as possible. I do this until my partner takes the hint and empties it.

It was probably due to the fact the outside bins were always in such an awkward place.

FYI, I don’t always force my partner to empty them – we probably each empty it 50% of the time. He also balances rubbish and packs it in. So I’m not along in not emptying bins.

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Obsession With Coloured Pens

I get overly excited over coloured pens and use them all the time.

They have to be in rainbow order and I get really stressed if I lose one.

My entire daily planner is written in coloured pen.

I also have about twenty different types of rainbow pens with different thicknesses and shades.

Looking at a to-do list, calendar or diary full of colour makes me so happy. It’s just a shame that cheques are not accept written in green felt pen. Stupid banks!

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Cookie Overload

As of writing this, I’m in my 30s and I STILL don’t know how many cookies will make me sick.

Yet when in the mood, I will totally eat too many then moan about it, while curled up on the couch in a fetal position clutching my stomach… or suffering from heart burn.

Two hours later… I will continue munching on cookies. Seriously, I have ZERO self-control.

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Free Plates

I have a habit of keeping people’s plates and dishes. Whenever my partner (who does all the cooking) goes back to see his family, my parents seem to think I might just die from starvation (they don’t realise how many cookies I eat!).

Because they know I hate cooking  my mother will turn up with some food on her nice matching plates/dishes.

I eat the food (because yay, free food) and then wash the plate/dish and just put it in my cupboard. Now, I do have every intention to return it.

But you see, I hate visiting people so the plate sits around while I contemplate visiting… then I get bored of seeing it on the side and put it in the cupboard out of the way and huzzah it is now mine (yay, free shit).

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Refusing To Take Off My PJs

If I am in my comfy PJs I hate having to take them off.

Soooo, if I have to go out to get food or some shit, I will put my jeans on OVER my PJs which then makes my normally baggy jeans tight and uncomfortable.

However, this does make me get shit done quicker and get home so I can go back just wearing PJs.

I know people now call it “lounge wear” but let’s be honest, it’s almost always PJs

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Answering The Door… or Telephone

Now, I blame this one of my social anxiety that makes talking to people and having engaging moments extremely stressful.

So, I hate answering the door and the telephone (even my mobile phone).

It’s like ‘Why are you ringing me!? Just text!’

If I do have to answer the door I usually open it a crack and try not to have a conversation with the person who rudely interrupted my day because they wanted to deliver a parcel or read the meter!

Damn you, people!

More often than not, I will usually remain upstairs and pretend I can’t hear them. And yes, even if it’s family at the door.

I prefer to know when people are visiting. I don’t like surprises or things that change my schedule. Though, I am getting better with this.

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Cooking In Any Form

That’s just a big fat nope!

Cooking is boring and I just don’t want to learn how to cook, it’s just not my thing.

Now, I can ACTUALLY cook a few things – I did get taught in high school.

But, to be fair, I am not really to be trusted in the kitchen and can’t even boil an egg. (I have a special machine that does it for me)

When my partner is away, I just eat toast… all the time….. just toast.

Hmmm maybe this is why my parents bring me food. *thinks*

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Looking After My Car

I am well versed in oil & tyre changing, fluid checking, etc but I tend to just ignore most of this. Not purposefully, it’s like, out of sight, out of mind!

Which means I often get caught out on the road without windscreen fluid or oil.

Yes, I have been caught without petrol before now. It was my birthday and we were going to Cirque du Soleil and my car died.

The RAC man (breakdown recovery) found it highly amusing that I’d run out of petrol… I’d like to say it was the only time… *cough*

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Losing Everything

I constantly lose things… like my keys, hairbrush, mobile phone, headphones, chargers, a million pens… though, keys seem to be the biggest culprit.

I have a weird habit of carrying things around, usually in the middle of doing somethingh else, then I’ll put the item(s) down in random places and I do mean RANDOM places.

Like in the airing cupboard or on top of the fridge. Honestly, it feels like my life is a one big freaking scavenger hunt!

And I’m LOSING that hunt.

Edit: It has been suggested that I *may* have ADHD and that would explain a lot.

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You can now read Part 2 of Why I’m Bad at being an Adult. 

Am I alone in being a bad adult or did any of this strike a cord?

Happy living

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Source: Images from Pixabay

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