Adulting 101

Adulting 101: I 'broke up' with my best friend 10 years ago, so why does it still bother me today?

SINGAPORE – Slumped on my couch at the end of another hectic workday, I reached for my mobile phone to watch TikTok videos. One was of a woman sharing candidly about how she felt after ending a friendship with someone close.

By Amanda Yeap

07/04/2024

The writer examines the trend of job-hopping among her peers and weighs the pros and cons of frequently changing jobs and industries.

Adulting 101: People around me are job-hopping. Am I missing out by not doing the same?

By Amanda Yeap

09/03/2024

The writer examines the financial tension between practising self-care by treating themselves and setting aside money for some of life's main objectives such as buying a home.

Adulting 101: How do I balance the need to save money for life’s key goals with the urge to ‘treat myself’?

By Renald Loh

03/02/2024

Adulting 101: As I transition from full-time study to work, how can I better manage my health and fitness?

By Tan Ming Chuan

03/12/2023

The writer was retrenched 3 months into her first job after graduating. In this column, she reflects on the anxieties she has felt over her work performance even after landing a new job, and talks to experts about ways to deal with these feelings.

Adulting 101: Laid off 3 months into my first job, I felt self-doubt even after landing another. I'm learning to cope

By Shynn Ong

04/11/2023

Adulting 101: Living with eczema has been a challenge, but I'm learning how to accept and manage the condition

By Renald Loh

05/08/2023

Adulting 101: It's frustrating seeing my friends travel as I work to earn my holidays, but I'm learning to adjust

By Gladys Wee

10/06/2023

Adulting 101: Confronting my 'bad' texting habits while striving to be a better friend in the digital age

By Deborah Lau

06/05/2023

Adulting 101: Saying goodbye to my pet dog of 15 years has taught me how to live with grief

By Jasmine Ong

15/04/2023

The writer Nabilah Awang was struck by grief at losing five friends at a young age to cardiac arrest. It also led her to a wider existential crisis as she questioned many aspects of her life.

Adulting 101: How losing 5 friends to sudden deaths from cardiac arrest led me to an existential crisis

By Nabilah Awang

18/03/2023

Adulting 101: Dealing with the fear of messing up, finding work-life balance during my internship

By Lou Si Yuan

05/02/2023

Adulting 101: Why is it so difficult to find the 'perfect' present?

By Loraine Lee

04/12/2022

Since TODAY senior journalist Low Youjin moved out of his parents' home recently, he has begun to wonder about how to find the time to prepare healthy home-cooked meals.

Adulting 101: How can busy adults find time to prepare a home-cooked meal without involving their mothers?

By Low Youjin

08/10/2022

This TODAY reporter said that he finds it difficult to express his honest opinions so vulnerably due to a fear of offending people, which stems from having to cater to temperamental people close to him since early childhood.

Adulting 101: I am unlearning and relearning how to express my feelings after a lifetime of anxiety

By Janarthanan Krishnasamy

10/09/2022

TODAY journalist Kimberly Lim recalls a time that she felt constantly fatigued from trying to achieve a range of goals, and wondered if she was just tired, or if it was something more.

Adulting 101: How to avoid burn-out in a hyper-competitive environment

By Kimberly Lim

06/08/2022

TODAY journalist Charlene Goh finds herself sleeping later after work so that she can squeeze in more activities before bed, such as playing video games, scrolling through TikTok or watching YouTube videos of cute dogs.

Illustration: Anam Musta'ein

Adulting 101: I take revenge on my lack of free time by delaying sleep at night, but I know it's time to stop

SINGAPORE — It’s 12am, I’m in bed watching the latest season of Stranger Things and I have arrived yet again at the same dilemma I face every night: Do I hit the "next episode" button (this last one ended on another cliffhanger…) or do I pick the sensible option of switching off my lights and going to bed?

By Charlene Goh

02/07/2022

Adulting 101: What being a ‘pawrent’ has taught me about parenting

By Louisa Tang

04/06/2022

Adulting 101: How to avoid conflicts with your parents-in-law

By Loraine Lee

07/05/2022

Adulting 101: Interest rates, fees and credit reports — what to look out for when taking a personal loan from a bank

By Charlene Goh

03/04/2022

Adulting 101: My wife and I have no siblings, so my worries as our parents' caregivers are compounded

By Taufiq Zalizan

05/03/2022

Adulting 101: My friends have made thousands overnight trading NFTs, but is the hype too good to be true?

By Justin Ong

05/02/2022

Adulting 101: Starting my first job remotely during the pandemic

By Daryl Choo

04/12/2021

Adulting 101: How to have a hobby beyond mindless Netflixing

By Navene Elangovan

13/11/2021

Journalist Nabilah Awang examines juggling motherhood and her career as she navigates her return to work from maternity leave.

Adulting 101: What I have learnt returning to work from maternity leave

By Nabilah Awang

06/11/2021

As she prepared to leave TODAY, senior journalist Wong Pei Ting reflected on the lessons she has learnt by staying with one employer for nearly seven years.

Adulting 101: Lessons I have learnt as I move on after 7 years in the same job

By Wong Pei Ting

23/10/2021

Some younger Singaporeans find it hard to imagine themselves at the age of 65 or 70, which makes the task of retirement planning seem rather abstract.

Adulting 101: Retiring by 40 is a fantasy for most but proper planning can ensure comfortable retirement in silver years

By Navene Elangovan

16/10/2021

Renovation and house-moving can be a frustrating process even after one has sorted out the details, says TODAY correspondent Ng Jun Sen, who stepped into his family’s barren new flat recently.

Adulting 101: Navigating the ups and downs of home renovation in a pandemic

By Ng Jun Sen

09/10/2021

TODAY senior journalist Low Youjin thought that living sustainably may be a hassle and his peers suggested that it was too expensive.

Adulting 101: How does one live sustainably and does it hurt your wallet if you do?

By Low Youjin

02/10/2021

When he spoke to counsellors for this column, TODAY journalist Daryl Choo learnt that his understanding of self-care was somewhat off.

Adulting 101: How I learnt that self-care is not just about Netflix, bubble baths and scented candles

By Daryl Choo

25/09/2021

People with toxic traits can make life dificult and unpleasant, especially if they are close relatives, writes TODAY senior journalist Janice Lim.

Adulting 101: Learning to identify toxic traits in people and how to manage them

By Janice Lim

18/09/2021

Tensions can arise when an adult child returns to the family home after a period of studying abroad.

Adulting 101: How to manage clashes when parents and adult children share a roof

By Tessa Oh

11/09/2021

TODAY journalist Natasha Meah looks at how to take her first steps into the world of insurance as a young adult.

Adulting 101: Getting started on buying insurance policies

By Natasha Meah

04/09/2021

TODAY senior journalist Navene Elangovan examines the causes of her persistent feelings of tiredness, especially after extended periods of working in front of a screen.

Adulting 101: Now that I am a working adult, will I ever stop feeling tired?

By Navene Elangovan

28/08/2021

TODAY senior journalist Low Youjin explores the idea of making a mid-career switch. He talked to someone who was in journalism and then became a veterinary surgeon.

Adulting 101: How feasible is a mid-career switch? It takes sacrifice and courage, say those who've done it

By Low Youjin

21/08/2021

Adulting 101: Having a public-facing job made me less active on social media, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing

By Justin Ong

14/08/2021

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Adulting 101

Adulting 101: I 'broke up' with my best friend 10 years ago, so why does it still bother me today?

Adulting 101: People around me are job-hopping. Am I missing out by not doing the same?

Adulting 101: How do I balance the need to save money for life’s key goals with the urge to ‘treat myself’?

Adulting 101: As I transition from full-time study to work, how can I better manage my health and fitness?

Adulting 101: Laid off 3 months into my first job, I felt self-doubt even after landing another. I'm learning to cope

Adulting 101: Living with eczema has been a challenge, but I'm learning how to accept and manage the condition

Adulting 101: It's frustrating seeing my friends travel as I work to earn my holidays, but I'm learning to adjust

Adulting 101: Confronting my 'bad' texting habits while striving to be a better friend in the digital age

Adulting 101: Saying goodbye to my pet dog of 15 years has taught me how to live with grief

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Adulting 101: How losing 5 friends to sudden deaths from cardiac arrest led me to an existential crisis

Adulting 101: Dealing with the fear of messing up, finding work-life balance during my internship

Adulting 101: Why is it so difficult to find the 'perfect' present?

Adulting 101: How can busy adults find time to prepare a home-cooked meal without involving their mothers?

Adulting 101: I am unlearning and relearning how to express my feelings after a lifetime of anxiety

Adulting 101: How to avoid burn-out in a hyper-competitive environment

Advertisement

Adulting 101: I take revenge on my lack of free time by delaying sleep at night, but I know it's time to stop

Adulting 101: What being a ‘pawrent’ has taught me about parenting

Adulting 101: How to avoid conflicts with your parents-in-law

Adulting 101: Interest rates, fees and credit reports — what to look out for when taking a personal loan from a bank

Adulting 101: My wife and I have no siblings, so my worries as our parents' caregivers are compounded

Adulting 101: My friends have made thousands overnight trading NFTs, but is the hype too good to be true?

Adulting 101: Starting my first job remotely during the pandemic

Adulting 101: How to have a hobby beyond mindless Netflixing

Advertisement

Adulting 101: What I have learnt returning to work from maternity leave

Adulting 101: Lessons I have learnt as I move on after 7 years in the same job

Adulting 101: Retiring by 40 is a fantasy for most but proper planning can ensure comfortable retirement in silver years

Adulting 101: Navigating the ups and downs of home renovation in a pandemic

Adulting 101: How does one live sustainably and does it hurt your wallet if you do?

Adulting 101: How I learnt that self-care is not just about Netflix, bubble baths and scented candles

Adulting 101: Learning to identify toxic traits in people and how to manage them

Adulting 101: How to manage clashes when parents and adult children share a roof

Adulting 101: Getting started on buying insurance policies

Adulting 101: Now that I am a working adult, will I ever stop feeling tired?

Adulting 101: How feasible is a mid-career switch? It takes sacrifice and courage, say those who've done it

Adulting 101: Having a public-facing job made me less active on social media, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing

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Adulting 101

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