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?

For me the mental load is sort of "invisible" stuff that could easily go unnoticed so cooking, cleaning, food shopping, laundry, making pack lunches etc I would say are chores rather than admin or mental load. There are visual clues and they are part of a routine. You wouldn't wait until no one had any clean clothes to remember to do the washing but it's feasible you might not notice your car MOT was about to run out for example or that that parents evening booking opened yesterday.

The things that can sometimes tip the balance are unexpected or not routine things - remembering car service/MOT, remembering to pay dart charge, school forms covering various things like vaccinations for example - and then reminding kids to wear a vest/short sleeves that day, food tech ingredients , knowing when a sports fixture is so you have PE kit ready etc

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

You really need to try comparison websites. In 2022 it should not take hours each time. 30 min max on most. Often less. Then cancellation on original, again should be a quick affair.
Like my house insurance quote is always like the bottom price ones so I just renew.

Mortgages if you stay with same can be 2 clicks too. 15 min on comparison sites, quick look at the ones who are not on there, then if my provider is the best (which they usually were or it was few pounds and that was not worth the hassle) click, click. Done.

People don't value their time often. Yes, every penny counts and my stingy bottom is absolute fan of that saying, but I also value my time enough to know that £6 increase on house insurance a year is not worth spending time on so just renew.

An online shop is life admin as it requires time to do
Sorting car insurances , setting up bills , checking accounts
Kids school stuff , any home admin you do
Granted i don't do it daily more likely weekly and sometimes its just the weekly shop, other times its more like filling on the 35 page student finance document as they messed up our income and ds been underpaid

Right now for me, it's:
Helping DC pick new phone then take to buy
Sort DC coats out for school
Set up new bank account
DC eye tests
Renew annual travel insurance policy
Book car in for MOT
Book online food shops for next few weeks, to secure the slots we want
Buy new school uniform
Review school papers we have just been sent
Review work contract
Book covid vaccinations

You can just set yourself reminders for non routine things though. Google calendar, outlook etc will remind you so you don't have to remember.

For me life admin is ringing several different services & filling out endless forms for my autistic son to get him support. It's also calling cardiology, immunology, genetic services and booking appointments with them for myself and my daughter, It's organising things like bills, nursery payments, insurance policies, ordering prescriptions...etc. Booking contractors to come round for different repairs, figuring out everyone's schedule to make sure nothing overlaps. I also fill out rotas for each month for me and my partner as we work a mixture of day and night shifts, do meal planning, shopping lists, household cleaning routines and other organising extras which are optional but take up a serious amount of time and mental energy but I do them to keep things under control because if I didn't, every day would be a confusing mess

House insurance take ages if you renew and have to add extras, DH has about 6 bikes and they all have to be listed separately as over £1k, it's all the additional stuff that needs adding, also prices can vary which means more looking

I've asked my HR Department (my cat) about this, so far there has been no response, just a blank stare. I think that Catherine (my cat) is as puzzled as I am.

but I also value my time enough to know that £6 increase on house insurance a year is not worth spending time on so just renew

This.

Knowing when to put the effort in is key.

I don't count housework as life admin. But I do have 3 DC and we are in the middle of selling and buying so I seem to have a lot of stuff to sort out (plus replying to endless emails from the various estate agents in the chain who don't appear to be capable of speaking to the solicitors).

Things I need to do today:
Transfer money into my S&S ISA
Check packing list for DD1's Scout camp this weekend
Check everyone has completed waivers for DD2's party on Sunday
Organise lifts for Beaver and Scout camp the weekend after next
Book Flu Jab
Pick up prescription
Organise buildings insurance for new house before exchange
Find new NHS dentist for 3DC as current dentist has gone completely private

Oh, and work. And normal housework and my online shop has just arrived, so I need to take that in and put it away.

Don't you use price comparison websites? There is no need to phone insurance companies individually. Also unless the price has jumped since the last renewal it's probably not worth it anyway.

Is there anything you do in life (except sleeping) that isn’t included in this list? Working, cleaning, cooking, parenting etc etc. That’s just everything.

Also

making packed lunches
sorting school dinners
paying school dinners
sorting lunches most days

Is that four separate tasks? They’re the same job, listed four times.

As they are your DH’s bikes, he would be sorting the insurance and it wouldn’t be on your list of things to do?

Wow…some people really know how to make a big deal out of mundane shit!! 🙄

How about death admin?

All the things that there generally are to do around births, deaths and funerals. I spent two weeks getting hold of my mum's death certificate as the coroner had made a cock up and it was stuck in someone's email box...

Also moving house currently.

If you are in good health chances are there isn't that much to do, but when you need to access health care there is potentially a lot.

Teens need a lot of supporting with uni applications, then there are the days when the A level tutors are on strike...and they come home...

Would agree with the poster who said lack of empathy...

Makes them feel good to be busier than they actually are

its often those who work PT or are SAHPs who are most vocal about all their ‘life admin’ probably to fill a void

Everything takes so bloody long is part of the problem.
Endless queueing on the phone, so many choices that need to be researched, and so many t's to be crossed and i's to be dotted to cover everyone's arse.

I actually tested this with my dp when he left for work.

Dp: What you doing today?
Me: Life Admin
Dp: WTAF you talking about?
Me: Putting the orders through to our suppliers, Paying invoices,Washing, emptying dishwasher, thinking what to have for tea, prepping tea, making tea and feeding the cats.
Dp: so your normal daily shit then?
Me: yeah

That's a lot of it. It could be quicker, but whatever product/service you choose will likely be more expensive, less nice or otherwise inappropriate.

Eg you could book a holiday in about a minute by putting your requirements into a package provider's website and just booking something vaguely fitting the bill, but you might find that it could be cheaper by booking separately, the hotel is miles away from the resort centre, the food is not to your taste, it's available cheaper elsewhere etc etc.

Just let your insurance renew and find that the price drifts upwards each year or the policy doesn't cover what you need.

And the list goes on.

@user53852098 a tip on bikes and house insurance from a household of £5k mountain bike owners.

Many providers (eg Santander, Aviva and others - possibly M&S they used to be excellent for expensive bikes) just ask for the value of the most expensive bike and charge little or no extra if this is £5k or less, for worldwide cover.

Makes it so much simpler. I used to tear my hair out with price comparison websites, giving a price, which then tripled once you told them about the number of bikes you had and the cost, but now avoid this.

Oh yay, another “it’s sooo easy for me why isn’t it easy for other people” post.

This week, on top of my job, I have:

Found new navy tights for DD for school as hers have all laddered, have to go to shops as she needs them the next day

Filled in forms and made sure I have cash for Brownies, football, the PTA Haloween party

Bought 3 different presents for my DC’s classmates parties, made sure they gone to the parties and picked up, all round my work schedule

Got random crap from Hobbycraft to help with homework

Eritten online reviews for movers, storage company, local bed and electric shops (yes it’s not essential but it’s important IMO to do stuff like this)

fixed broken wardrobes and curtain poles

Gone out my way to go to Dunelm to get a bathroom light pulley as the porcelain one smashed and I’m worried kids will cut their hands

Dropped off and on occasion watched at 4 different activities

Individually none of these things take loads and loads of time but collectively they impinge on a normal day where I’m already working, doing homework, cleaning, cooking, bedtime etc. And they have to be done - because if they aren’t the kids suffer.

Oh and waited in for the broadband man who never showed because Sky forgot to tell me they’re on strike, found a bloody single thing so we can have internet and on the phone for an hour to the single company finding out the allowance and how I can track it.

So you’re counting sitting at home as life admin?

Life admin. The new word for general day to day living nothing more

Ive just been to the loo and wiped my arse, Is that life admin too?

Life admin for me is the thing I always drag to do 😂Like cancelling my car insurance renewal. I always say to myself I'll do it today and then postpone. If it's few clicks online, it's fine, but calling them... 🙄