 A man doesn't fundamentally change when the clock strikes 30. Who you are at 30 is much more a product of your experiences and development throughout your formative 20s. In this video, I will share with you 19 things every man should do before turning 30. 1. Start saving for retirement. It may seem like it's too early to start saving up, but it's never too early to plan for retirement. No matter how little the amount is, it doesn't matter because every penny counts. To make saving easy, you can adapt the wisdom of the Asian Babylonians by keeping one-tenth of each of thy earnings. If you start in your 20s, you will be surprised what those little amounts will sum up to later in the future. 2. Break bad habits. Research has shown that after your 30s it is difficult to change a particular character. Hence the time to stop those bad habits, such as a poor sleep or food cycle, take an excessive alcohol, lying, pass and blame, and other bad habits are before you turn 30. If you do not quit these bad habits now, the struggle to change might get tough in the days ahead. 3. Move out of your parent's house. Not to worry. You don't have to get into heated arguments and fights with your family before you move out. You could simply get a job and a place far from home. When you stay alone, you'll have to think and plan for everything, starting from your morning tea to dinner, which may seem like a small task until you start doing it. The chances are that after a while you might be forced to move back with your parents, but by then, you would have learnt vital life lessons. 4. Learn to make a decent meal. You thought cooking was a woman's job and a man who knows how to cook as a mamma's boy? Well, you're wrong. It is not out of place for a man to prepare meals. In fact, it is a bonus to you because quite a lot of ladies like men that cook. Wondering how you could learn? Call up your mom, friends, or any female in your life whenever you want to prepare a meal. Or better still, go on YouTube and watch cooking videos. 5. Find a buddy. No doubt, you have lots of acquaintances. You have thousands of friends on Facebook and who are so committed to liking your every post and your phone list is filled with contacts. But do you have a friend? At night, when you are in dire need of something, do you have anyone among your contact list whose number you can dial? As you approach 30, indeed you may not and should not keep lots of friends, but you ought to have a buddy who you can trust and who trusts you. 6. Visit a different city even once. Traveling to a different city may look like a massive deal, especially if you've lived all your life in a particular state, but at least once you should experience life differently. You were young and without a family to cater for, there is no better time to see the world than now. Rachel Wolchin once said, if we were meant to stay in one place, we would have roots and not feet. 7. Learn basic household maintenance. This doesn't mean you have to study to become a repairer or carry out huge tasks, but you should be able to carry out minor household fixes and to guess the car's fault when it breaks down accurately. You do not need to call a handyman for a task as small as replacing a lightbulb. 8. Learn to say no. Saying yes to every proposal is an attitude of a man who does not know what he wants. Before you turn 30, you must have disciplined yourself enough to distinguish between offers that are positive impacts and ones that will be a total waste of time and resources and reject the latter ones. 9. Take responsibility for a younger person. There is a sense of responsibility that comes to you when there is someone who looks up to you. Never mind if you are a last or only child, you can always find a younger person around whom you can be responsible for. Taking responsibility is not only limited to providing material care, but it can also be through words of advice or even wear your lifestyle. This act will prepare you for when you get married and eventually begin to father your kids. 10. Do your laundry. Not all your washing is supposed to be done by a laundry man. It is reasonable to take your corporate clothes out to laundry, but your indoor and casual clothing you should wash by yourself. A young man approaching his 30s should be able to handle his laundry. If not manually, then at the very least he ought to learn how to use the machine. 11. Do something you dread. Are you scared of heights? Then you should probably go skydiving. If you have a phobia for water, then go swimming. Well, not without assistance though. The main point is that before you turn 30, get outside, put yourself in the hands of trained professionals and experience that terrifying feeling of being this close to staring death in the face. 12. Date someone with an opposite personality type. There are two things involved. You'll either have a great time or a terrible time. If the former is the case, then you probably found yourself a spouse, whereas if the latter is the case, then the relationship will end and you have to move on. In all, you will learn to adapt and persevere. 13. Volunteer for a cause. Don't just go through life searching for high paying jobs. Find a matter that you are passionate about and make efforts to help others. Whether it is mental health, gender equality or safe sex, just seek to give back to society by rendering free services through that cause. 14. Learn to live with other people. So maybe your life was confined while growing up as a kid. Here is the time to change it. Before you turn 30, you ought to learn to live with people. You could stay in the college room or moving with a group of friends for a while. Staying with others will help you build an essential career skill. Full skill, as you would have learned to adapt to different characters and personality types. 15. Learn to apologize. An old unknown quote says, the first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest and the first to forget is the happiest. Apologizing takes nothing from you, yet gives you so much. The word sorry may not be able to fix the damages done, but it sure helps to mend broken hearts. 16. Get through a crisis on your own. Having someone you can turn to for help is great. However, there are times when you need to get through certain situations by yourself. Before you turn 30, be sure to get through a crisis on your own, but don't forget to call out when it seems like death is very close. 17. Find a side gig. You are getting to 30, man. You cannot rely on your regular day job. If you have a car, then you should get registered on Uber or Lyft. Do you know how to make household repairs? Be the neighborhood handyman. Realize that whatever knowledge or skill you possess can be of help to someone. Render a service and get extra bucks. 18. Stop living for social media. Are you still of the habit of posting your every move and action on social media? Well, it's time to stop. You've been addicted to Facebook and Instagram all through your teenage and 20-something years. Now you're approaching 30 and it's time to detach yourself. Stick to only social media networks that align with your goals. You don't need to be on all platforms. 19. Love yourself. As you approach 30, learn to love yourself. Stop comparing yourself with others and start being self-sufficient. Accept the reality of who you are and work towards being a better you. Most importantly, learn to enjoy your own company. American author Napoleon Hill once said, To not wait, the time will never be just right. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.