Life Admin, what is it?

[OneSugarOneSpoon]

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?

Really?

So when I was first an adult, pre internet, car insurance for example - I had to go into town to see the broker, wait ages for the quotes, then work out together the different offerings. Now I can use one of several comparison sites, from my sofa, details saved from last year, results in seconds, easy comparison tables.

My gas bill? It’s just a direct debit. I never think about it. I don’t even send readings any more. How is that not less time than receiving my old paper bill, getting my cheque book, queuing up with the payment slip at the post office…

Thanks for the replies. No "sneering here", and with all respect my circumstances do include caring responsibilities and ft work. I have a MH condition too , which makes me forgetful and sometimes I don't " see" what needs to be done. So no judgement ,smugness or whatever else ive been accused of here ( shame I can't say the same about some of the PP). But some good reminders on here, thanks to those who listed theirs! I've simply not heard that phrase, I'd probably call it doing paperwork or something.

Life admin.

Just a run down of the all encompassing daily toil

Working a 35 hour week
all cooking
all cleaning
all washing
all ironing
bed changing
Hanging up washing
all food shopping
all food top ups
meal planning
hospital appts
drs apts
dentist apts
school admin
parents evenings
buying and sorting uniform
sorting birthday parties
sorting birthday presents
arranging christmas presents
arranging days out
make beds
loading and emptying dishwasher
making packed lunches
sorting school dinners
paying school dinners
sorting lunches most days
Homework
School clubs
planning holiday childcare
booking holidays

This is not an exhaustive list.

My hubby works a 70 plus hour week with work and his teaching as a karate instructor, so the list is predominantly down to me.

My gas bill? It’s just a direct debit. I never think about it. I don’t even send readings any more. How is that not less time than receiving my old paper bill, getting my cheque book, queuing up with the payment slip at the post office…

I wish mine was that easy, I have problems with my electric smart meter, can't have a smart gas meter as not near enough to electric meter, years ago it was just a direct debit from bank after meter read, I can't recall going out to pay it.

I think if someone has less to do generally, they are more inclined to make themselves sound busier by listing the most basic tasks out and breaking them down.

Saying things like shopping and making dinner - what is the alternative? Starving? Paying bills - having the power cut off?

The things people are listing actually make life easier not harder overall.

Okay just looked up the definition..I thought it was the paperwork stuff like it says here, but obviously anything you do to make things run smoothly is kind of life admin...

"Life Admin..
Refers to one's personal day-to-day chores that are of an administrative nature. This includes tasks such as personal banking, making appointments, paying your bills, responding to personal emails."

I was coming on to say similar, how it seems depends on how I'm generally feeling. Sometimes I can just do it, others it seems overwhelming. I realise from other's lists how much my DH does.

Someone mentioned putting petrol in the car. I do a 20+ mile commute, plus travel during work, so I just fit in the petrol station when it needs doing. For DH who is at home and doesn't drive everyday, he needs to consciously plan it in. Same task, but a totally different approach to it dependent on circumstances.

But that stuff is just stuff you have to do, that any parent has to do. Its not special that it needs a special name

Just a run down of the all encompassing daily toil And daily? I think not.

Im enjoying this idea that a task doesnt count if it is annual, quick or can be done whilst doing something else.

Its made me see my work differently. My paid job is basically a series of tasks i can just get in with whilst sitting down in a omfy chair and drinking tea. So basically I have a long tea break i am paid for.

Life admin could absolutely be used by carers. There is a lot of admin! And very little choice! I think that's where the term fits purely because the amount of work caring for someone ill or elderly brings. It is essentially job.

For non carers, people just add stupid things on it to make it sound like work and sorry but it seems to go with the bigger the martyr the more comprehensive list and trying to make it sound like a job.

It is all those things that are not 'work' and are not 'leisure'. For example, paying bills, informal caring, household chores, caring for pets, attending meetings at school, helping family members with applications, supervising homework, vehicle maintenance, routine medical appointments and arrangements and so on.

@ZeroFuchsGiven Most of its daily. You have no idea how busy someone else life is so don't judge. Like I said, the list is just an example, not exhaustive. If your life isn't as busy then good for you..

I find for me it's a mixture of things which take up space in my brain (but aren't actually terribly difficult) and things that are actually a pain in the neck.

Examples vary from middle class problems (struggling to keep on top of the garden, need to find a gardener, the sinking feeling every time I look at the garden til I have done it, and all the sub jobs - how much does a gardener cost, how much can I afford, how do you find a "good" gardener, calling the sample of "good gardeners" I find, get them to come round, show them the garden, agree a plan. I reckon that has taken 45 mins or an hour in the last week)

to things that are inexorably exhausting - in the last few weeks I have had to arrange COVID jabs for two different grandparents - one was easy, just needed to know what the timings etc were so she could get it before her cruise - the other can get out the house (so not eligible for a housebound jab), but refuses to use a wheelchair so can't get more than a couple of meters from her house door to the car, so needed somewhere that would do her in her car, so had to ring around.

And then things that don't come up very often but take HOURS and HOURS when they do. I reckon I end up with one of these a year - Granny getting defrauded and all the concomitant crap that comes with that, and getting her back to a state where she can use online banking afterwards. Grandad starting to need care, and working out if he's eligible for free state care either NHS or local authority, and then when concluding the former applied you have to keep calling people to get them to sort it out, then make sure you provide all the evidence so they can't claim his not eligible. Or a relative being hospitalised so you have to visit and also keep an eye on whether they are getting what they need and making sure care is sorted when they get out. My parents disposing of some assets to raise some cash and sorting out the tax consequences of that.

And finally the boring, mundane stuff that really does only take two to ten minutes and which I should just learn to do when it enters my brain because they take a lot more brain space than time: like reading the meters (have to move furniture, it only actually takes 5 mins but I always put it off for AGES), dropping online shopping back at a parcel shop/post office, recycling the bottles.

I do work full time and actually for me that's one of the things that makes life admin especially annoying/exhausting. When I have some time off I will quite happily dedicate a morning to all the boring crap and get it out the way. When I am at work I always seem to remember stuff when the post office is closed/the call centre is shut/it's not an acceptable time of day to call a tradesperson. So then I ignore it for a bit longer, and then it pops back into my head, yet again at an inappropriate time. So by the time I have done it it's like a month later and I have thought about it 5 times. Or it's a job that takes actual brain power like working out the taxes my parents owe, in which case the prospect of sorting it out at 7pm makes me feel exhausted in and of itself.

Maybe it is pathetic but it's also how I feel about it.

A term my STAHP friends use to justify how busy they are 😂

Agree with previous poster it's not that special a stuff that it needs its own name - we are all doing it

It's called being an adult

But if you don't give names to anything @ZeroFuchsGiven, how would you have conversations?...

By your theory, housework and work for example would also no longer have a word because it's just 'stuff that needs doing'.

'What are you doing today'
'Oh, just stuff that needs doing.'
'What are you doing tomorrow'
'Oh just stuff that needs doing'
'What time are you doing your stuff that needs doing.'
'From 9-10am.'
'Great, shall we go out for a drink at 10.30am'
'I can't sorry, I've got other stuff that needs doing.'

The op has given the actually definition of 'life admin' below... 'refers to day to day chores that are of an administrative nature.'

@EveningOverRooftops again, multi tasking is NOT a solution. We have to stop peddling that really fucking bad idea

Why should other people change because you don’t want to or can’t multitask? No reasonable person does two things at once when they are tasks that require focus, but it is perfectly fine to pick up around the house while waiting in a phone queue for example.

Multitasking is not a bad idea in the slightest, it’s a rational and ordinary part of my day to day. And the same for many people.

I’m not a huge fan of the phrase, but it works.

I have a long-term health condition which means I spend an inordinate amount of time managing routine appointments and medication. In the last four weeks I have attended two vaccination clinics, a physio assessment, an orthotics appointment and a routine blood test. I have another appointment next week, two hours travel from my home and I also have to return something to the surgery during office hours.

As I still work full time, juggling this sort of thing is quite time-consuming. I know not everybody has to do most of those things, but very few people in my life would realise the volume of admin I have to manage around my condition. We never really know what is going on for other people or what impact it will have for them.

I suppose everyone is different…looking at @FusionChefGeoff s list…

Remortgaging- no mortgage so that doesn’t apply
Gas safety certificate- no gas so again does not apply

Applying for a new bank account- I’m happy with mine, no need for another to manage
Budgeting and tracking spending- I just manage from my banking app

Prepping for kids parties- 🤔 not sure what this means? Presents? I just put cash in a card these days
Looking around 5 secondary schools- but there yet
Online research for said schools- as before
Renewing library books- no time for library
Amazon sale shopping- my worst nightmare
Researching ring doorbells- leave ‘em knock
Researching hive heating system- meh
Programming current heating system- takes a few mins surely
Online grocery shopping- ok. Such is life

Posting stuff sold on vinted- couldn’t be arsed

Putting stuff up for sale on vinted / FB- again a waste of time
Best mates big birthday ideas / research- just ask them
Holiday research / booking- ok this I would do, but whilst watching tv at night
Weekend in London booking including research and restaurants- that’s the fun stuff no??

I don't tend to use it as a phrase but to me I guess it's stuff not in my day to day routines that I would put on a "to do" list.

So "iron school shirts" would not be life admin, but "order new school socks" would be.

"Feed cat" is not, but "order flea treatment" is.

"Take DS to football training" no, "pay DS's football fees" yes.

Life admin?? It’s just life….admin word not necessary imo

ZeroFuchsGiven: in response to your question, "Would you really say in real life out loud from your mouth 'Im doing life admin'?"*
*
Yes! I would really actually say this in real life out loud from my mouth. To people. Who I know.

It never ends.

I don't do online shopping but don't count going to the shops as life admin.

DDs need exhaustive researching to get the best deal every year. That's hours each time.
For everything: mobiles (x4), broadband, fuel, insurance, etc

Then there's all the car admin. MOT, insurance, servicing, repairs, tax. Replacing.

Household- repairs/ maintenance- buying equipment, arranging work people. Paying them.

Buttering is an ongoing task. Daily current account monitoring. Monthly going through expenditure.

School admin. Letters, signing things, trips, payments, dressing up, presents, dinners, etc

Managing social diary. Booking/ planning trips. Kids parties, presents, cards, wrapping, transport. Childcare for other dcs. Research parking. Packing/ unpacking.

Christmas and birthday admin.

Work admin- professional registration, clothing, social/presents. Commuting. Job hunting. Extra training.

Health and well-being- gym membership, kids activities, doctor dentist optician etc appointments for all the family.

Wider family- helping older relatives to do stuff online etc.

It is, literally, the admin required to live your life.

For me it includes:

• booking a car service
• reviewing insurance quotes before they renew
• making my tax return
• getting someone in to clean the oven
• getting some blinds made for one of the bedrooms
• getting a new light fitting for my living room

Just stuff that you need to do to keep your life going. Stuff that isn’t your job, physically looking after kids or housework, or hobbies/leisure.

People probably called it paperwork in this past but obviously it’s now mostly on line