I Said "No" To Friday Night Plans To Do Chores Instead & It Was The Best Decision Ever

I don't know about you, but no one ever told me that my 20s would be a balancing act between work, friends, fun, and doing day-to-day chores. When I say the struggle is real, I mean it's all too real. Out of everything I'm juggling, of course, my chores always seem to sink to the bottom of the list. That's why I said "no" to Friday night plans to do chores instead, and it was actually one of the best decisions I ever made.

Of course, I would have much rather spent time with my friends, but I also knew that I had a pile — or shall I say mountain — of laundry that had been forming in my room. I was also exhausted at the end of the week from work that I had zero energy to put on makeup, and zero patience to navigate my way through a crowded bar.

I usually just say "yes" to Friday plans, because I'm afraid of missing out on a fun night with my friends — aka, the FOMO is real — but I knew there wasn't a debate anymore. The laundry could not wait for my return, and I couldn't afford for the pile to get any bigger. I needed to just put my foot down and be a responsible adult.

First, I had to overcome the FOMO.

After sending my regrets to my besties in our group chat, I turned off my phone. I knew Instagram was my weakness, and the ultimate culprit in causing my FOMO. I also knew that as soon as I started checking those Instagram stories, I would get distracted and wish I was with them instead. So, out of sight, out of mind.

I decided to distract myself by streaming episodes of The Masked Singer and The Bachelor as I gathered up my laundry. In between loads, I caught up on TV shows, ate my favorite snacks, and enjoyed some quality "me time."

I appreciated the alone time that I made for myself.

Don't get me wrong: I love spending time with my friends, but everyone needs to carve out some "me time" every once in a while. As an introvert, after an exhausting work week, I especially need that time to recharge. Having my chores there forced me to finally take that time. I wore my favorite PJs and made myself hot chocolate while waiting for my clothes to dry, and that really showed me how important it is to make time once a week to chill, catch up on chores, and have some time to myself.

Setting little adulting goals felt great.

Reaching adulthood, you're thrown many responsibilities all at once. It can be overwhelming. Instead of calculus, I wish there had been a class in school on how to deal with renting apartments, doing my taxes, and even the best way to wash my dishes.

That's why being able to check off laundry from my to-do list made me feel so proud of myself — it reminded me that I need to set little adulting goals once a week to achieve. As I ended the night with folded laundry, everything put away, and looking at a clean room, I realized how great that felt. I may have said "no" to plans with my friends, but my Friday night was filled with fun, recharging, and accomplishing goals — aka, the best night ever.