093: Graduating from a 'life admin day'
Transition from a dedicated life admin day to a more efficient approach for better organisation. Discover how to tackle the mental load of life admin with productivity hacks.
In this episode Mia and Dinah delve into the concept of a Life Admin Day and its effectiveness in managing the overwhelming tasks of adult life. They explore the challenges and benefits of dedicating a specific day to tackle life admin tasks and provide alternative approaches for a more efficient and sustainable life admin routine.
The Concept of a Life Admin Day
Mia and Dinah discuss the approach of setting aside a dedicated day to address various life admin tasks. They highlight the common activities involved, such as
- Email management
- Digital photo organisation
- Decluttering
- Scheduling appointments
- Paying bills
- Comparison shopping
- Dealing with paperwork
- Buying gifts.
Challenges of a Life Admin Day
They discuss the potential drawbacks of relying solely on a life admin day including:
- Inflexibility - waiting to deal with life admin all in one day may lead to stress and frustration if unforeseen circumstances arise.
- Overwhelming - accumulating life admin tasks and addressing them all on a single day can make the workload seem overwhelming.
- Exhausting - spending an entire day dealing with paperwork and errands can be mentally and physically exhausting.
- Neglecting Regular Maintenance -some life admin tasks are best managed through consistent, smaller efforts. Neglecting these tasks until a designated day may result in a mess that requires even more time and effort to address.
- More difficult to share the load - if you have life admin that can be shared with other household members , finding a whole day where everyone is available and willing to contribute to life admin tasks can be challenging
- Inefficient Use of Time - not all life admin tasks require an entire da
Evolving Life Admin Processes
Mia and Dinah advocate for a shift towards incorporating smaller, more frequent life admin sessions into weekly routines. They introduce the concept of:
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Two Minutes Too Easy - fast easy tasks that can be done as soon as they appear on your radar
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Ten Minute Time Killers - life admin tasks that can be done in idle time
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Hour of Power - regular time scheduled to heal with substantial life admin tasks
Family Dynamics and Time Management
They address the impact of family dynamics on dedicating a full day to life admin tasks, particularly for individuals with children. They stress the importance of finding a balance between managing life admin and enjoying quality time with family and friends.
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