Life admin hacks

THREE WAYS TO LIFT YOUR LIFE ADMIN GAME

Life admin, the homework of adult life, is ceaseless and crazy-making. It starts when you get your first job, it leaps if you buy a property and once you have a child, it bounds to the next level. Birth certificates, Centrelink forms, birthday parties, daycare, kinder and school newsletters, the logistics of extracurricular activities...life admin can very quickly become overwhelming. As a parent juggling paid work and two kids under three, I remember a distinct moment when I was hanging out laundry at 11pm while mentally making a grocery list for tomorrow’s shop, thinking there must be a way out of the chaos. The good news: there is. Getting your life admin under control is not just about being more motivated or organised, it’s mostly about tools, timing your to-dos and templates.

Tech tools

Our lives are more complicated, technology has advanced and yet often the tools we use to manage life admin haven’t evolved. The three tools that offer the biggest bang for buck to reduce and automate your life admin are:

• A password manager, like Keeper or

LastPass, to autofill online forms and apps across all your devices. This will save you time all day every day, offering convenience you have to experience to believe. Identity theft aside, a password manager will change your life by freeing up headspace too, since you no longer have to remember all those versions of your favourite password. • Cloud storage, like Google Drive or oneDrive, so you can go paperless and digitally file your bills, tax records and other important documents. No more paper clutter, environmentally responsible, and easy online access wherever and whenever.

Bonus: shredding all that stuff in your folders is sooo satisfying. • A shared digital calendar, using Google

Calendar or Outlook for example, so there is a single source of truth displaying who needs to be where, when. When everyone in the household has access to a family calendar, it makes it much easier to share drop offs, pick ups, and check your availability and commitments on the fly.

Timely to-dos

You probably already have a to-do list, and it’s possibly very long. It’s likely full of tasks that have been there for months, both big and small, and you’re wondering how you’ll find the time to get them all done. Sound familiar? It’s time to rethink your list.

Productivity experts suggest categorising tasks by how long each one will take: • Two Minutes Too Easy: these are tasks that will take less than two minutes to do, and they don’t actually belong on a list. If one of these tasks comes your way, such as an email requesting you pay a bill or your child handing you a permission slip - do it right there and then. Don’t leave it for later or add it to a pile: it’s most efficient to deal with it now. Once it’s done you don’t have to think about it, procrastinate about it or file it. • Ten Minute Time Killers: these are tasks that take up to ten minutes to do, and can be done during downtime or in the white space between other activities. Examples here might be researching your closest indoor climbing centres for an upcoming playdate, reserving a bunch of books at the library or filling out a quote form to get the carpets cleaned. Next time you find yourself standing in a lengthy queue, killing time between meetings or waiting while your child finishes swimming lessons, knock over one of these tasks.

• Hour of Power: these are chunky admin tasks where you need to concentrate, such as updating your superannuation investment option, shopping around for a better mobile plan or organising a house move.

Add these tasks to a separate list and set aside a time each week that is dedicated to doing them. Schedule a recurring slot in your shared digital calendar, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes when you know you have ample time to deal with each and all of them.

Tailored templates

There is a lot of repetition to life admin tasks: weekly meal plans, grocery lists, forms requiring the same information again and again. Instead of reinventing the wheel each time, use templated tables, checklists and reference lists as shortcuts. Create a document in your cloud storage or password manager that includes all the data you usually need to fill out forms: your family members’ Medicare and Centrelink numbers, doctors contact details, emergency contact details, for example. Build a master shopping list on your phone, on a print out on the fridge or within a supermarket app, and use it as a base. Set up a checklist with the steps you need to plan a birthday party, so you can refer to it several times a year. If it’s a task you’ll do regularly, consider whether a template will help save yourself considerable time.

Upgrade your life admin tools, lists and templates to reduce your mental load and discover more time for the things that matter most.

Mia Northrop is co-host of Life Admin Life Hacks, a podcast that helps you find more time, money, peace of mind and household harmony. If you’d like practical nudges to help you get on top of your life admin and stay on track, subscribe to the Monthly Momentum newsletter at lifeadminlifehacks.com.