How to Get on Top of Life Admin

Life admin. It is one of those things that we all know has to be done, and we can’t avoid it. But, does anyone enjoy it? After all, who likes sorting out and paying bills, chasing up those repairs, and making those appointments?

The silly thing about a lot of life admin is that it is relatively simple to manage. It’s generally not all that difficult to make that appointment or follow up on that refund. But, as with everything else in life, getting energized to do small, simple things is strangely more difficult than dealing with the bigger and more important things.

Life administration needs to be done at some point, but it’s not always pressing, so it’s easy to put off.  It’s neither fun nor rewarding. It is tedious and, at times, incredibly boring.Working on these kinds of tasks requires time and energy, leaving you with less time and energy to engage in the things that you truly enjoy.

Given that there are expenses to both not doing life admin and doing it, you want to get it done effectively and efficiently so that you can do the things that you actually want to do. Here are some pointers to help you achieve both objectives:

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Find an Accountability Partner

If you need to complete a task but are lacking in motivation, have one of your friends set a deadline for you. Making a commitment to a deadline and sharing that promise with others can help you overcome procrastination. Formulate a plan, then contact a reliable coworker or friend. Be as precise as possible about the task and the time frame.

Plan the Time to Work on Life Admin Tasks

Instead of waiting for a day when you feel like doing life admin – which, let’s face it, is unlikely to ever come, schedule it into your planner or journal. Perhaps set aside one morning a week – the earlier the better – to deal with any admin tasks like calling up plumbers and booking one in.

Move to a Different Room 

If you work from home, it’s a good idea to move any life admin tasks elsewhere in the house. This may be difficult if you don’t have a desk and are working at the kitchen table or on the couch. It may appear impossible to make a distinction between roles, but one remedy is to sit in a different location so that your view of the room changes. Another option is to listen to music while dealing with personal administration tasks, or watch TV, but turn it off while working.

Have a Weekly Brain Dump Session

The brain dump is psychologically beneficial, in addition to assisting you in determining what life admin needs to be done. It feels wonderful to have all of those incomplete life admin tasks that keep popping up in your head permanently documented in an action-ready to-do list.

This post was contributed, and it was made possible by the support of our readers.