Credit scores—bad, good or otherwise—are not sexy. They don’t come up over girl talk at brunch, and no one is thinking of them in the middle of a first date. However, a bad credit score can negatively impact your ability to act as a high-functioning adult and can become a shameful little secret that nags you in the night. To fix the fiscal missteps of your past takes patience, as credit scores are easy to ruin and tough to repair, but there are a few things you can do now that will start you on the road to recovery. Here, 3 steps to lessening your score shame ASAP.

• Pay off all your credit cards and only use 30% of the allowed amount.
• Use one credit card for 6 months an every month pay it off in full.
• Live within your means.