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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Life Admin, what is it?

588 replies

OneSugarOneSpoon · 13/10/2022 21:37

Have seen the phrase a few times now, where people have little free time as they're doing this " life admin" most days
What exactly is it? My bills go by direct debit, shopping on line, kids stuff from school doesn't take that long...so am I missing something?

OP posts:
ThreeRingCircus · 14/10/2022 16:30

Everyone has stuff they need to do. Some people have more stuff that needs doing than others. Some people like to call this "life admin" others just call it "living."

I think procrastinating/things taking up headspace can make jobs seem like a much bigger deal than they are. Many jobs listed here take two minutes but if you think "I'll do that tomorrow/I'll add that to the list/Oh I really must do XYZ" instead of just doing it when you think about it then it does turn it into a much bigger job than it needs to be.

celestialsphere · 14/10/2022 16:33

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:28

Totally agree that’s it’s pathetic. I think there are “people” on here - for reasons known only to themselves - perpetually pursuing a misogynistic agenda.

You see it on all the hundreds of threads supposedly about life admin, housework, hobbies, finances which boil down to, in essence, an anti-sahp narrative.

Show quote history

What has life admin got to do with being a SAHP. Do they have more to do than everyone else?

ZeroFuchsGiven · 14/10/2022 16:34

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:28

Totally agree that’s it’s pathetic. I think there are “people” on here - for reasons known only to themselves - perpetually pursuing a misogynistic agenda.

You see it on all the hundreds of threads supposedly about life admin, housework, hobbies, finances which boil down to, in essence, an anti-sahp narrative.

Show quote history

What on earth are you talking about?

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:45

celestialsphere · 14/10/2022 16:33

What has life admin got to do with being a SAHP. Do they have more to do than everyone else?

Show quote history

And here comes the faux bewilderment.

You know very well how the subject of life admin is immediately aligned with the sahp v sahp debate on Mumsnet. If you don’t, you haven’t been here very long.

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:45

sahp v wohp debate

InCheesusWeTrust · 14/10/2022 16:49

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:45

And here comes the faux bewilderment.

You know very well how the subject of life admin is immediately aligned with the sahp v sahp debate on Mumsnet. If you don’t, you haven’t been here very long.

Show quote history

At this point I don't think anyone even knowss what it is aligned to. Or what it is. Or when....

celestialsphere · 14/10/2022 16:52

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:45

And here comes the faux bewilderment.

You know very well how the subject of life admin is immediately aligned with the sahp v sahp debate on Mumsnet. If you don’t, you haven’t been here very long.

Show quote history

It is not "faux bewilderment". I have been here for many years and was a SAHP at one point (when my DC were preschool" . I was busy looking after DC but "life admin" was not harder then than it is now.

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:57

At this point I don't think anyone even knowss what it is aligned to. Or what it is. Or when....

Well I do know what it is, as I appear to have a gently relentless supply of it, I work pt, and I am not ashamed to say that I find it challenging.

Dont appreciate all the posts that imply I am a half wit for finding it time consuming and occasionally stressful.

OneTC · 14/10/2022 17:01

I don't know what it is but I'm glad I don't have to add it to the stuff I have to do every day

ZeroFuchsGiven · 14/10/2022 17:02

OneTC · 14/10/2022 17:01

I don't know what it is but I'm glad I don't have to add it to the stuff I have to do every day

😂😂😂

ZeroFuchsGiven · 14/10/2022 17:04

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:57

At this point I don't think anyone even knowss what it is aligned to. Or what it is. Or when....

Well I do know what it is, as I appear to have a gently relentless supply of it, I work pt, and I am not ashamed to say that I find it challenging.

Dont appreciate all the posts that imply I am a half wit for finding it time consuming and occasionally stressful.

I dont think anyone has called you a half wit anywhere on this thread. Not that I can see anyway. If You have an issue with someone on another thread that has said that then take it up with them there, dont come here making this thread about something it was not.

powershowerforanhour · 14/10/2022 17:06

It's all the stuff that, when I win Euromillions, I will hire a PA to do and then flap my hand languidly at her , saying "That's all", Miranda Priestly- style.

Smellywellyhoo · 14/10/2022 17:08

Surely this is just life? I understand having something such as a chronic illness or a disabled child will make life much harder but most of the things listed here are just part of being a functional adult.

dementedma · 14/10/2022 17:09

Its all the stuff women usually get lumbered with

XjustagirlX · 14/10/2022 17:12

celestialsphere · 14/10/2022 16:23

You are mostly just describing things that you are choosing to do though and it's mostly not admin anyway. Cooking Christmas dinner is not admin. Shopping is not admin.

Show quote history

@celestialsphere not sure if you read my post on income and capital jobs. But normal shopping is an income job for me so not life admin. Also the actual cooking is not life admin but as it’s Christmas then it’s the extra prep and thought which I consider life admin.

InCheesusWeTrust · 14/10/2022 17:15

OneTC · 14/10/2022 17:01

I don't know what it is but I'm glad I don't have to add it to the stuff I have to do every day

5*

Kanaloa · 14/10/2022 17:17

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:57

At this point I don't think anyone even knowss what it is aligned to. Or what it is. Or when....

Well I do know what it is, as I appear to have a gently relentless supply of it, I work pt, and I am not ashamed to say that I find it challenging.

Dont appreciate all the posts that imply I am a half wit for finding it time consuming and occasionally stressful.

I mean I’m sure lots of people don’t appreciate the implication that just because you don’t list ‘buying Christmas dinner’ as a 12 step programme you ‘just don’t bother making life nice.’

It’s martyr behaviour.

PoundOfNesh · 14/10/2022 17:17

arethereanyleftatall · 14/10/2022 15:20

'stuff that genuinely takes minutes, paying for a school trip for example.'

My goodness me, is this really that difficult to grasp?...
The opening post was to please list what you count as life admin.
People duly listed stuff.
Idiots then came and pulled the lists apart honing in on one thing each time.
Yes, many of the things on the lists take mere minutes, but here's the thing, and listen very carefully now, if your particular household has 30 things a day that take 2 minutes; well then you multiply 30 by 2 and that equals 60 minutes.
Call it what you will, it needs doing.

So an hour.

still not seeing the issue here, except people with piss poor time management

There are a handful of posters who have actually listed genuine ‘admin’ tasks

Kanaloa · 14/10/2022 17:19

I will say I’m not SAHM bashing though - I was actually a SAHM while my kids were small for financial reasons. I do think sometimes sahp feel the need to ‘justify’ not working by listing out these tasks, which I think is a shame.

CatchYouOnTheFlippetyFlop · 14/10/2022 17:20

People like to make a 2 minute job like a 10 minute job. Instead of saying 'I feed the dog' they will say 'I have to open the drawer, find the tin opener, open the tin, bend over to pick the dog bowl up, put the dog bowl on a tray, pick up tin then empty it into the bowl, lift the bowl and place back on the floor'

It's called being a martyr.

PoundOfNesh · 14/10/2022 17:22

XjustagirlX · 14/10/2022 15:34

Having now read through the whole thread I think people who hate the term life admin, still have a lot of the same shit to do they just don’t like calling it life admin.

obviously they do have less shit to do compared to people with multiple children, older parents, disabilities or in a crucial life stage such as getting married, having a baby or moving house.

the shit to do still exists though but maybe they are either more efficient at getting it done or don’t get it done to the same standard (maybe they pay more for eg or pick the first option they find). Good on them if that’s how they want to live.

It’s not a case of not liking to call it admin, it’s a case of genuinely not seeing it as admin, just part of life that everyone has to do.

The issue is on here is many posters try and dramatise their list of admin to make themselves look or feel busier. It’s also seen a lot in SAHP and PT worker threads on this site, people say they couldn’t possibly go back FT when their kids go to secondary because of allllll the life admin they have to do.

Making mundane tasks sound like actual jobs is weird, and something only those with not much else in their lives tend to do. There are a small handful of posters on this post that I’d actually say do have a lot of life admin, above the norm that everyone just gets on with.

PoundOfNesh · 14/10/2022 17:26

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 16:57

At this point I don't think anyone even knowss what it is aligned to. Or what it is. Or when....

Well I do know what it is, as I appear to have a gently relentless supply of it, I work pt, and I am not ashamed to say that I find it challenging.

Dont appreciate all the posts that imply I am a half wit for finding it time consuming and occasionally stressful.

At least we now know why you’re being so sensitive on this thread.

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 17:33

,dont come here making this thread about something it was not

I have the right to comment as I see fit thanks. Same as you!

Ashadeofgreen55 · 14/10/2022 17:35

At least we now know why you’re being so sensitive on this thread

Eh? Because I work pt?

If you are out to sneer at someone please own it and do it unambiguously!

wordler · 14/10/2022 17:37

It's just a word to describe stuff you have to do. Why does this particular work get everyone so worked up? Call it admin or chores, or stuff or tasks or to-do list.
Everyone has a different amount based on their priorities.