The clever reason why adult women are giving themselves homework.

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There's something deeply unhinged about the fact that as soon as we finish school, society basically says, "Cool, you're done learning forever! Have a good life."

However, the Type As amongst us have other plans. Adult women on TikTok are creating their own monthly "curriculums", complete with themed learning units, reading lists, and structured goals.

This whole movement started with TikToker Elizabeth Jean (@xparmesanprincessx), whose bio reads "Creating a life I'm actually excited to wake up to." (Sign me up).

Elizabeth posts monthly curriculum updates where she outlines what she's learning or reading. We're talking memoir units, handwritten notes and learning strategies that would make my year 10 English teacher weep with joy.

@xparmesanprincessx

i love to learn about random stuff! this is what i will be reading/learning about in july!! 🌸🌞🌟 #reading #learning #library

♬ original sound - Elizabeth Jean

When I first saw TikToks about monthly curriculums, I rolled my eyes. It sounded very main character, pick me, try hard and also made me think that it just made women as a whole feel bad. Women who are mothers, women who are carers, women who work two jobs, women who have literally zero time or energy to do anything but just get by.

It made me realise that this trend is very much a luxury that not everyone could afford.

However, as someone with fewer responsibilities, there was something about this trend that made me watch every single video that came across my feed.

It poses the question: When was the last time you learned something just because you wanted to?

Not for a promotion, not because your boss demanded it, not because you accidentally fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole at 2am (same lol). When did you last structure your learning like it actually mattered to you?

The trend has exploded because it turns out a lot of us are walking around with unhealed relationships with education. We associate learning with stress, deadlines, judgment, and that particular flavour of anxiety that comes with being graded on your worth as a human being.

That's what makes these adult curriculums so appealing. Because you can learn whatever you want to learn.

People are creating units on baking, memoir reading, fashion history, how perfumes are made and literally whatever else sparks joy. And good news for procrastinators like myself, if you don't finish… literally nothing happens. No detention, no disappointed parents, no stress.

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This trend also addresses something I've been struggling with for years: the complete lack of structure in adult life post-education.

One day you're having your entire schedule mapped out for you, and the next you're supposed to somehow magically know how to create meaning and growth in your spare time? Between work, bills, and trying to remember if you've eaten a vegetable this week?

I deal with depression and what I can only describe as "deep procrastination", so the idea of creating a curriculum, something structured like school, actually makes sense. It's accountability without the anxiety and self-growth without the grades.

So, naturally, I'm going to try it, because if there's one thing I love more than complaining about problems, it's finding slightly unconventional solutions to said problems.

I'm starting small because, knowing myself, I'd probably create some impossibly ambitious curriculum and then feel guilty about not becoming fluent in Mandarin by month two. Instead, I'm going with three simple categories: something think-y, something relax-y, something action-y.

Something think-y is my "proper" learning unit and this month it's the history of India. My background is Indian, I'm visiting in February, and there's honestly so much about my own heritage that I don't know. It feels like the kind of learning that actually matters to me, rather than something I'm doing to impress other people.

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Something relax-y is still learning, but chilled out. Passive learning through practical tasks like cooking something new or learning a piece on the piano. As someone who's creative professionally, it's weirdly hard to be creative in my downtime without it feeling like work. This feels like a workaround for that particular modern problem.

Something action-y is just moving my body in new ways. I already walk to work and do Pilates, but whenever life gets chaotic (literally all the time), my physical health is the first thing I ditch. Maybe this structure will help me be more consistent, or at least try hiking without immediately complaining about how much my legs hurt.

Will this revolutionise my life? Probs not. But will it give me something to look forward to beyond the weekend? Maybe. And right now, that feels good enough for me.

If you want more from Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

Feature image: TikTok/@xparmesanprincessx, supplied.