TL/DR:
- Life admin sucks, but has to be done.
- Contain it by batching life admin into a single weekly session.
- If it helps, do it with others in person, or virtually
- You’ll feel accomplished and mentally clear the rest of the week.
The Whole Shebang:
Scheduling doctors’ appointments.
Permission slips.
Expense reimbursements.
Insurance claims.
Plane tickets.
Paying bills.
What do all of these have in common?
They all fall into the category of soul-sucking life admin.
We all have it.
We all hate it.
And yet, it has to be done.
So, how can you make this necessary minutiae of life feel less dreadful?
Contain it!
Pick a day of the week, and an hour within that day.
Designate it as “life admin” time.
Once a week, tackle as much as you can of these very annoying tasks in that hour.
And then don’t think about it again until the next week.
When should you do this?
It’s totally up to you. But here’s what I decided for myself:
For me, even though I LOVE my job, Monday tends to be the hardest day of the week because I have to face the reality of, well, working, instead of enjoying my time off.
So, I do it on Monday evenings.
But YMMV.
Maybe Saturday morning works better for you?
Maybe Wednesday at 8am?
But one thing I know is that Friday night is not likely to be a time that works; you’re too tired from the week and just want to get to the relaxing part of the week.
Worried you won’t be able to stick to it?
Do it with a friend (or 5!). Or your partner. Or your roommate.
Make it a weekly date. Enjoy some conversation (and maybe even a beer!) while you’re getting the drudgery taken care of.
Or, if you don’t think folks in your life will go for it, do some virtual body doubling by using a service like FocusMate.
Why does this work?
While, at first glance, it may seem like this tactic is a recipe for disaster and burnout, I can assure you it’s the opposite.
Batching the unpleasant tasks that constitute “adulting”, and containing it to once a week will leave you with a huge feeling of accomplishment each week (and the accompanying dopamine hit), AND with a sense of peace that the rest of the week will be much more free.
You don’t need to dread after-work tasks all week by spreading them out; you can batch them together get them done all in one fell swoop.