Life Admin ;) How can we make it easier?

[Needhelp101]

Yes, this is a TAAT so may be deleted but I love the organisational discussions on here, so I'll kick off...

Don't iron (I haven't ironed anything for years. I still have friends).
Keep a present/card/wrapping box.
Scissors/lipbalm/handcream in every room.
More of an eco one, keep a bucket in the bathroom if you have a bath/shower and use the water as it's heating up to flush the loo/water plants etc.

Any others?

My game changer re life admin is to get to my desk 30 minuites before I need to officially start work (I set a timer) and I do as much as i can. Yesterday for example was - book hotel parents - book cats cattery- fiddle around with bank accounts as I am juggling between various accounts and cards. I have a tendency to procrastinate so a set in stone daily time helps for the admin tasks.

For ironing I also have a game changer. wash Saturday mornings. Iron in front of a film and with a glass or two of wine Sunday afternoons when the Dcs are on their games and the household is winding down. I have turned ironing into a task I really really enjoy.

(The ironing game changer is my personal game changer I mean. ironing is not for everyone!)

This is a ‘so obvious it’s daft’ one, but make sure you’re not taking on everything for everyone. I see people on those ‘life admin’ threads listing out ‘sort teen sports gear’ and (ridiculous) ‘insure DH car.’

My kids from about age 7 organise their own sports/activity gear, it’s their responsibility to do that. I don’t know where DH car insurance details are or when his next doctor checkup is or when he has to go to the dentist, I just don’t see how that’s my responsibility. So basically just don’t make yourself a martyr to the family just because you’re the mum.

Good tip @Kanaloa

I think lowering standards and not creating work that isnt necessary.

Making use of technology - like my opticians, garage etc all text me when things are due so i dint have to remember.

I have an app called Notion, highly recommend looking into it

If you're lucky enough to have a beach holiday use some of that time to make life easier. I sit on the beach with my phone and make and diarise appointments (and add reminders and also renewal dates for next year), order things for delivery upon our return like extra toiletries, household cleaning products, wine, next size up uniform, new school shoes, birthday and christmas presents, heating oil etc.

It is actually a helpful part of my holiday since it massively reduces mental load.

Do everything when you first think of it. You don’t get a mental load cos there’s no bricks.

Phone does the lot except birthday cards (buy in bulk, ditto stamps) and shopping (list reduces stress).

Try it, you’d be amazed how you get away with it.

Don't have a child with SEN.

Everything that can be automated automate. All my bills are DD, I have recurring meetings set up in my calendar to book stuff like opticians and dentists and I book them online.

Card and present cupboard, I pick up kids toys when I see them on sale so when DD gets an invite we just visit the cupboard to pick out a suitable toy.

Throughout the year, if I see something I think someone would like as a present I add it to my 'presents' Amazon wishlist with a comment saying who it's for, you can add links to external sites. One day at the beginning of November I write my list of who I'm buying presents for then sit down for 30 mins and pick something for each person from my list. Over the next couple of weeks all the presents arrive at my door and Xmas shopping is done.

Don't iron. I hang things like shirts up when they're wet and put them on the line on a hanger which vastly reduces the creases and makes the putting away stage easy.

I buy big trays of chicken breasts/pork loin steaks/ drumsticks and break them down into portions. Into a ziplock bag with seasoning or marinade then freeze. It means there's always easy meals in the freezer that just need taking out the night before and putting in the fridge then pouring onto a tray and baking. Cupboard full of microwave rice, Idahoan packet mash, cous cous means there's always a side that can be made in 2 mins.

Absolutely! Your DH should be your partner, not another dependant. They should sort their own family presents/car insurance/medical appointments

Also stop running around after older teens, they need to learn to do stuff for themselves and are more than capable of sorting out their own sports kit, putting washing away etc

Massively Decluttering has been a huge game changer in our lives - everything has a home and a purpose , there are no piles of crap or overflowing cupboards etc.

Robot hoovers upstairs and downstairs that go off when we are all out.

A different colour for each family member to use on a calendar on the fridge - if it's not on the calendar it's not happening, everyone responsible for updating their own plans.

Do chores as needed- don't leave it until it's overwhelming.

Write cards for birthdays at the start of each month and post as necessary.

Weekly food delivery at same time every week

Lots of gin

I think companies could make it easier by making themselves easier to contact, doing things properly the first time, not fobbing people off because they don't know something, and not putting up premiums randomly on renewal so you have to shop around.

From a personal perspective, don't have kids, don't have pets (I have one chid, no pets), work part-time and don't make yourself a martyr. Things do not have to be perfect - the 80-20 rule is a very good one - 20% of the effort gets you to 80% of the result and is good enough. Get as much as you can on direct debit so you don't have to pay bills when you come in.

Have a useful husband who irons his own shirts and writes his own Christmas cards.

Oh, to avoid hours researching what item to buy. Either ask MN, or have a Which? subscription. They have their best buys and I just choose one of them if I need to buy something. Takes 5 minutes to look up the report for the item concerned.

I take it you work alone? If I was visible at my desk I'd have to put headphones on and a big sign saying "Not here till 8.30", otherwise I'd immediately be approached by a colleague needing something. Can't do most life admin stuff as you need office hours if you need the phone. Then when I'm on my lunch break, and CAN do it, then so are tradesmen etc and they don't answer.

wfh except wednesdays! I am usually the first in the office otherwise anyway. We have a funny sort of presenteeism where no-one notices if you arrive before 9 (so people arrive about 5 to 9) but they sure as heck notice if you leave right on time.

Good tips. I often put something in my Amazon basket and then 'save it for later'. Like a great present for DS1 which otherwise I will no doubt forget about.

Both dc changed school this term (to middle school and high school). I filled in their paperwork and made DH primary contact. He is horrified about how much he needs to consent/pay for/plan for. He asked why he was suddenly getting all this correspondence. I told him because I'd been doing it for the last 10 years.

Box of assorted birthday cards, other cards and stamps. Lots of phone reminders for birthdays, and a week before birthdays that need presents.

Deal with letters, appointments, birthday invitations etc as soon as they come in. More phone reminders.

Next account with free delivery for a year for £20 - for all the "my uniform is too small"/"lost my pe shorts" type moments. Not cheap, but convenient.

I very much like this idea.

Christ, a lot of these tips are for people with money. Not regular people who need to shop around for the cheapest deals/gifts and whatnot.

Go you Ibiza!

Admittedly this won't work if you're watching every penny, but if I'm doing the online shop and see we need e.g. mouthwash I'll buy 4 - I think don't need to think about mouthwash again for ages. I do the same with most toiletries.

We have a fuckload of lunch boxes, drinks bottles etc, no more scrabbling about if one gets mislaid.

I value my time at £20 an hour as that's what I get paid. So if I'll save £3 by traipsing yo another supermarket or the other side of town for something it's not happening.

I've drastically reduced what I iron, and now do it listening to a podcast, it doesn't feel like such a chore.

Swap out summer and winter clothes. It may take a while but you can go through everything, does anything want mending, sending to charity, altering etc? If you can see what's in your wardrobe you can put yourself together quicker in the morning. Same with dc clothes, but most of it being passed on as they've grown too much over the season. Have a neighbour with dc a few years behind yours if possible to get stuff out of the house straight away 😀

One that we do (since we have little money) is make a shopping list. Sounds over simple I know but we had got into a habit of going shopping and just getting what we saw type of thing. We used to be throwing things away from the freezer saying ‘I forgot we had that.’

Now we look at what we need for meals. So we’ll have have pasta and veg on Monday and sausage and mash on Tuesday, so the veg is used twice if you know what I mean? Then we plan things out so the sausages are used again in breakfast, the potatoes for mash is baked potato later etc. Basically meal planning so that nothing bought in the shopping is wasted. And then we repeat the same shop once it works, so we basically buy the same thing weekly without having to think about it very much.

So do I. Never done any differently. Also have a 4 week rolling rota for meals.