How up to date on life admin are you?

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

Just general stuff, replying to emails/texts that require info or a detailed answer, sorting post and actioning it, filing, school bits and pieces, small diy jobs around the home, being organised for upcoming events etc.

I’ve had a whole week off work and used it to catch up on everything, it felt amazing. Already I feel behind again though. I also only work 4 days so really should use the 5th to keep on top of things but I don’t. Huge procrastinator!! I just wondered how usual it was to constantly feel like you’re playing catch up?

I don’t really understand what life admin is?
Bills are paid direct debit, I answer texts when I get them & most ‘post’ is via email.
I feel like there is a grown up area of life that I’ve missed.
I am a bit behind with the washing but that’s all I can think of?

I have two things to sort but theyre not done because I am at work. and need info from home.I have no other admin just once a year sorting all insurance out the it's paid by direct debit.
What else is there?

Today our home insurance renewal came through so I need to get some quotes.

We’ve applied for passports, I need to send the old ones off to them.

I need to book a hotel for a concert we’re going to in June.

I want to cancel or negotiate a better deal with AA.

Ds starts a new school in September so all the forms for that need completing.

It just goes on and on. Surprised to hear no one else has this much to be honest.

With 4 dc, the youngest being 3 and 6 months I always feel like I'm behind in most areas. I dread to think how we will cope when I'm back at work. I think the key to dealing with admin is to deal with it as soon as you first open it... I generally fail to do this though as I am generally very easily distracted by something else that needs doing 🙄 I will be following this thread for tips. Good luck op.

It depends on the week / month / year!

Most bills are DD but still have to manually pay the gardener and get cash out for the cleaner, check renewal prices for insurances, reclaim dental / optical costs from insurance company, etc. Try to blitz that down to nothing monthly at least.

This year I've had to deal with my Dad's estate, and that was a lot of work. Didn't even involve selling a property and it was relatively simple on the money side generally, but just faffy and seemingly endless.

DIY is OH's domain generally (as I don't do it perfectly enough for him 🙄) and I'm never on top of the washing.

I recently started to work just 4 days and have a weekly to do list in my notepad for my day "off". Current highlights include booking eye tests, paying in cheques, painting the summer house and moving savings accounts to better rates. Such fun!

Well I got rid of a whole load of "stuff to do in the house" by moving house!

New home and NO WORK to do to it. Nothing. NADA. It's an incredible feeling not to have on my mind decorating/painting/fixing/plumbing/garden/pointing/carpets/tidying etc etc etc. We chucked a load of stuff before the move and this house is bigger, so there's plenty of space for everything.

Hope this doesn't come across as bragging, because only want to share with OP that freedom from house upkeep is A Very Real Thing.

Still got some places to inform of change of address, but it'll get done. Kids no longer in school so no school admin or playdate stuff, just my own social life. Teens also now buy their own clothes/shoes, make their own Dr/Dentist/ hair cut appointments, wash their own clothes (mostly).

I do run my own business from home and have admin to do with that, but very simple stuff.

Daughter's 18th to arrange but know what we're doing, just have to book it. Presents already bought.

Crikey, I'm almost at that stage in life when I can take up a hobby!

Have yet to make a will though.

Just got car insurance renewal out of the way too, and the dog's booster jab. Blimey. I don't think I've been this caught up since we had kids!

I think it depends on how complicated your life is. Things like a house move, new job, side projects/work outside of your normal job, caring for elderly parents, a new baby, anything like that will create lots of life admin.

If you live a straightforward life (ie lived in the same house for years, normal 9-5 job, no/grown up children) then you might only have to deal with one of the above every now and then, which would be manageable. If you have to deal with more at the same time, it’ll pile up. I do think it’s fairly typical to be slightly behind on life admin a lot of the time, but then I think my life is definitely more complicated than some.

At the moment I need to

reply to DS's tutor about summer tutoring sessions and what dates we can/can't make
apply to pay for DD's college fees over 9 payments
open an investment account for DD in the US, so we can move over her money from the UK
fill in forms for the accountant
book various day trips for when we're on holiday in a few weeks
remember to apply for DD's UK passport on June 2
remember to apply for a national park pass on June 1
look into how much it will cost to move the whole contents of our house to somewhere 8 hours drive away
look into schools for the children in the new location
get DD's immunization record up to date for college
book DS to see the doc
arrange a specialist doc visit for DD
arrange with various family members for my kids to visit them in the UK over the summer including working out who will drop them at whose house and when
book a car rental from the east coast US to Chicago one way

But instead I'm on Mumsnet.

Daughter's 18th to arrange but know what we're doing, just have to book it. Presents already bought.

Oh shit - I knew I'd forgotten something.

I need to book a hotel for a concert we’re going to in June.

Ah feck, another thing I forgot.

There are some times that I have loads to do, and sometimes nothing at all. All my renewals seem to come up at once.

Currently just have my driving licence to renew (I didn’t even know it was due until I got a letter last week)

A new house with no DIY sounds heavenly but sadly we rent!

I don't have that much. What comes in, I deal with: school calendar and updates, I read through it the day I receive it and put any mufti's etc in my calendar.

Ugh life admin. At the moment my to do list is;

• book mot and service
• renew car tax
• pay council tax as my DD disappeared for some reason
• masses of forms for ds starting secondary school
• medical and info forms for dd residential
• renew tax credits
• book plumber to fix my dodgy toilet flush
• forms to change ds swimming lessons
• a couple of school trip consent forms

All in all probably wouldn't actually take long but I procrastinate or suddenly get the inclination to go weed the garden or tidy the shed so seem to leave most things until the deadline! I do reply to emails/texts when I get them though.

I have 3 children, work term time only. Every time I'm off, the kids are off with me so I get distracted doing things with them. Have recently changed my hours so I have an hour free each morning but so far I've spent that hour having a quiet coffee or something else similarly unhelpful

Oh God, a pp reminded me I have to renew car insurance too! It'll just auto renew but certain I could get it cheaper if I actually bothered to look

And a CAMHS appointment! Need to book that too. Think I need to write a list

I am fucking excellent at life admin, I can totally do it and I think it's because I really enjoy it.

But the bloody bastarding HOUSEWORK can fuck the fuck off. I am NEVER up to date with it and it is always pissing me off.

Now that's off my chest, I was gonna say - maybe housework is your forte instead? Cleaning, clothes washing and putting away, tidying etc.

Not to because, but you could gave got some of those things done instead of writing them down on a thread on MN.

If you have stuff on your home to do list for more than a week (depending on what is...bigger DIY stuff does hang around longer) then put it in your calendar to do on a specific date. Allocate time to do it.

And don't go on MN until it is done

I always seem to have a to do list. I have two part time jobs and three committee roles plus two DCs at different schools (one with SENs), the DCs do about 9 extra-curricular activities between them, both are seeing the orthodontist for braces. This all adds up to a lot of emails, calendar appointments, forms to fill in, bills to pay etc. Then there's the usual booking holidays and events, sorting insurances, changing utilities, budgeting and tax return etc. So I never quite catch up, as fast as I tick off one thing another appears.

My housework is ok! There’s always something to do, we have a super busy house and I childmind but I follow The Organised Mum method for that and so I feel on top of it.

My house is a mess, my admin is done! Maybe a PP is right, it's one or the other

currently outstanding here are:

• making falafels for dinner;
• nursery forms for dc2 (due July) - i can fill them in with out a name to reserve the place formally but just cba to do it;
• remind dh re his driving licence renewal - it expires 2 days before my due date and i need him to be able to drive...
• send MIL details of hire cars for her visit after dd is born. she is adamant that we will all fit in our car. we won't. we've tried already.
• i need to make a payment into my pension - again forms to be completed
• need to fill in will paperwork;
• need to follow up re my tax return;
• update calendar with appointments.

i need to make a payment into my pension - again forms to be completed

Going on my list too - this thread is quite handy actually :-)