12 Realistic And Achievable Goals for Women in Their 20s

Whether you’re in your early or late 20s, you might be worried that you’re not doing enough to make this phase of your life count. It can be especially hard to believe in yourself in your early 20s or trust that you can make things happen.

But over the years you will notice that there really is nothing that can hold you back and that things often aren’t as hard as you think!

Today I want to share some fun and useful goal ideas with you. These are perfect for young adults because they teach you valuable skills and they can help you take your life in the right direction.

Related post: It’s Time to Do This After You Turn 30

1. Set high standards

I think women are taught to be way too accommodating and forgiving, and that needs to stop. You are valuable and you deserve to be treated well. That’s why you need to learn to set high standards when it comes to friendships and romantic relationships.

But that’s not enough. You also need to set standards for yourself and your lifestyle. What are your bare minimums when it comes to skincare, your daily routine, or how you handle your responsibilities?

And of course, you also need to think about your home. While you probably can’t afford exactly the kind of food, clothes, or apartment you want when you’re 23, you still need to know what you are working towards.

2. Become financially smart

Learning to invest and knowing when to save and when to splurge can be the difference between being rich and poor or getting to retire by 40 vs. 65. Make it a goal to become financially smart and learn the basics of investing.

You need to start right away, not when you’re making “enough” money. When I lived in Germany, I was making minimum wage, but still managed to save almost half of my salary.

The difference between me and my colleagues, who made the same amount of money? They felt they couldn’t even reduce their hours for a few weeks, meanwhile I decided to start working half-time and then happily quit my job to travel, knowing that I’d easily be covered for at least a couple of years.

3. Move abroad

If you are someone who has always dreamed of moving abroad, or if it sounds like an interesting experience, now’s the time to do it!

While you can of course move abroad at any age, it’s much easier when you’re young. Depending on your plans and the country in question, you might be able to move abroad as an au pair or on a working holiday visa, or you could get your degree in another country.

If this is something you want to do, don’t wait too long!

4. Learn to speak up

If you happen to be shy or a bit of a people-pleaser, you need to learn to say what you think and stand up for yourself.

I used to be very shy, so this is all very familiar to me, and I can assure you that life is much more enjoyable when you are not afraid to stand your ground and speak up when you have something to say.

This is something that takes years to learn though, so set simple, achievable goals for yourself and focus on making slow, but steady progress. Eventually, you’ll be glad you had the courage to challenge yourself!

5. Stop caring about what other people think

Learning to stop worrying about other people’s opinions about you is one of the most important things to learn as an adult.

If you value other people’s opinions more than your own, you risk pretending to be someone you’re not, building the kind of life you don’t even care about, and missing out on things that you secretly want.

6. Quit negative self-talk

This is unfortunately something a lot of people struggle with. Negative self-talk can have a massive impact on your life and it could very well be the main reason you don’t reach your goals. Not good.

That’s why you really need to consciously fight it and learn to replace it with positive and optimistic thoughts.

Here are some tips to recognize and overcome negative self-talk.

7. Become a solopreneur

This is not for everyone, but if you are someone who has been thinking about starting your own business or making some extra money from a side hustle, it’s better to start sooner rather than later.

If you want to build a successful business, you have a lot to learn and you need time to try different things and learn from your mistakes.

You can start small if you like, but make sure you start.

8. Go solo traveling

If you want to see the world and visit as many countries as possible, you should definitely go solo traveling!

I think traveling in your 20s is especially wonderful because you’re still so open-minded and usually more carefree than you will be when you’re older.

I have solo traveled in the US, Western Europe, and Australia, and not a day goes by without me thinking about all the wonderful experiences I had. If you love to travel, I encourage you to do it, and have the courage to go alone even when you’re a little nervous.

9. Learn to manage your stress

Stress doesn’t need to be a part of your life. I know it sounds crazy if you are someone who tends to stress and worry a lot, but trust me, it’s possible to stop worrying for nothing.

For years, I lived in an extremely stressful situation regarding immigration and while that time was mostly awful, I did learn to manage my stress well. And it makes a big difference.

Once you start noticing that your feelings don’t reflect the real situation and that things tend to work out even when you feel like there are no more options left, it’ll be much easier to simply not feel any worry anymore. It can take quite some time to learn this though!

10. Become productive

The problem with achieving pretty much anything in life is that it tends to take a lot of work and it’s hard to be productive and manage your time well.

That’s why one good goal to set for your 20s is to simply become more productive. This includes learning new productivity techniques, figuring out why you tend to procrastinate, creating a good system for staying organized and so on.

11. Build your dream wardrobe

If you care about how you look and you’re not quite happy with your current wardrobe, it’s a good idea to set a goal to build your dream wardrobe!

A lot of people get in the habit of buying cheap clothes that are in fashion right now, but if you want to look leveled up and well put together, you want to do the opposite.

Figure out what exactly is your own style and then start looking for clothes that are truly good quality. When you invest more in your clothes and focus on buying timeless pieces instead of whatever Zara has to offer right now, in a few years you will have a collection of clothes that make you look good and feel good.

12. Make exercise a habit

We all know that exercise is important and that you should do it regularly. It’s not easy to make it a habit though, especially if you haven’t yet found the kind of exercise that you actually enjoy.

That’s why you should set a goal to first of all figure out what you like to do. Do you prefer to go jogging by yourself, follow a routine at a gym, or play team sports?

After you’ve found some ways to move your body that you like (or at least don’t hate), you can focus more on making sure that you’re getting enough exercise every week and that it’s versatile enough.

You will definitely thank yourself when you’re older!

Dare to set big goals for yourself

I know you are serious about changing your life, but it might still be hard to believe in yourself and your ability to make your wildest dreams come true.

I just want to tell you to not hold yourself back. You can achieve those big dreams of yours. What you need to do is to ditch your doubts and make a detailed plan. Then you just need to take action.

This also applies to goals like exercising more. It’s a seemingly easy goal, but at the same time you might feel that you’re too lazy to make going to the gym a habit.

But you know what? There’s a solution to everything and I assure you, there’s a way for you to make going to the gym an enjoyable experience. You just have to find out what it is.

Dare to set new goals for yourself, and see how your life will change! I don’t want you to just glance through this post and then move on. You really need to choose which goals you are going to set and then think about how you will work on them.

You can find some help here, but I also have many new blog posts coming up about reaching your goals, so stay tuned!

And if you want some more ideas, see my suggestions for new hobbies and even more goals to set!