085: Life admin categories
In this episode, Mia and Dinah discuss the different categories of life admin. They also provide insights and tools to help listeners tackle their life admin more efficiently. They emphasise defining life admin and putting up boundaries around it to approach it in a methodical and sustainable way. The episode covers the two types of life admin: everyday life admin, and life events triggering life admin.
How to organise life admin into categories
- Streamlined Household - Tasks related to the smooth running of the household, such as meal planning, grocery shopping, decluttering, and outsourcing. The payoff for streamlining household life admin is saving time.
- Organised Personal Affairs - Tasks related to personal financial management, health, and legal matters, such as tax, superannuation, health check-ups, and creating a will. The payoff for organising personal affairs is peace of mind.
- Competitive Products and Plans - Tasks related to comparison shopping for loans, insurances, energy providers, internet, mobile phones, and credit cards. The payoff for getting competitive products and plans under control is saving money.
- Sustaining Your Social Life - Tasks related to planning social events, holidays, gift-giving, and managing major holidays like Christmas. The payoff for sustaining your social life is saving time, saving money, and nurturing household harmony.
Time management for life admin tasks
- Categorise tasks into three sizes: Two Minutes Too Easy tasks; Ten Minute Time Killers; and Hour of Power tasks.
- Two Minutes Too Easy tasks should be done immediately. Ten Minute Time Killers should be done when you have white space. Hour of Power should be scheduled in dedicated time slots.
Foundational tools for life admin
- Digital Calendar - Use one digital calendar as a source of truth for all household commitments and share it with your partner. Include recurring activities and aspirational activities to keep your household running smoothly.
- Password Manager - Use a paid password manager to securely store and share passwords, as well as important documents and form-filling data. This tool helps streamline access to accounts and reduces the mental load of remembering multiple passwords.
- Dedicated Cloud Storage and Life Admin Email Address - Use cloud storage to organise and access life admin documents. In addition, create a dedicated life Admin email address to separate personal and work emails. This helps reduce paper clutter, makes documents easily accessible, and allows for efficient communication with service providers.
- Lists - Divide lists into three types: to-do lists, checklists, and reference lists. Use digital tools to create and manage lists This will ensure that tasks, recurring items, and ideas are organised and easily accessible.
- Budgeting - Understand your financial situation and use tools like online banking, money management apps, or budgeting spreadsheets to track expenses and savings. This helps prioritise spending, identify areas for cost-cutting, and make informed decisions about life admin tasks.
By implementing these categories and tools, listeners can gain control over their life admin, save time and money, reduce stress, and improve household harmony.
It's important to remember that life admin is a skill that can be learned, and with the right tools and mindset, anyone can become more efficient and organised in managing their daily tasks.
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