10 Great Ways To Master Your Life Admin
Are you ready to get on top of your life and tick the big things off your to-do list? Sorting out your life admin can be super satisfying – and we’re here to help.
In an ideal world, we’d all have virtual assistants that efficiently take care of life admin for us. In the real world, most of us carry around a rather long list of life admin tasks that we put off, week in, week out.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australians have around five hours of free time each day – which is typically swallowed up in front of the TV, listening to radio or reading.1 Imagine if you took just half an hour of that time each day and spent it on your life admin to-do list? You’d work through it in no time!
Becoming the master of your own life needn’t be overwhelming. Breaking your life admin down into manageable tasks is the first step. To help get you started, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 life admin hacks.
1. Write or update your will
No one likes to think about dying, but there is no getting around the fact that it happens to us all. To protect your loved ones, it is important to leave financial and guardian instructions in a legal document. Try to review your will annually and update it to reflect your current situation.
2. Update your Insurance policies
Review and update your Life Insurance, Income Protection, Car and Health Insurance covers. Many people automatically renew their insurances each year without scrutinising the details – even though their circumstances may have changed. It can pay to shop around for a better deal, too.
3. Review your household utilities
Take a close look at how much you are spending on broadband and energy bills. Growing families have growing needs, and with costs rising all the time you might want to consider alternative providers.
4. De-clutter your inbox
A quick digital cleanse can feel as liberating as clearing your desk of paperwork. Sit down and sort through your emails, filing important correspondence and responding to any outstanding personal emails.
5. Re-evaluate your home loan
Even a slightly lower interest rate could potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year and thousands over the life of your home loan. You may want to consider switching home loan products – it could help you to pay off your mortgage earlier.
6. Take a look at your personal banking
Have you got bank accounts or credit cards sitting unused? It might be time to close them. Or, you could look at your banking products to make sure you are getting the best deal and not spending more than you should on bank fees.
7. Organise your tax
Find, sort and file deductible receipts, Group Certificates and tax statements. The Australian Taxation Office has an app you can use to help keep track of your deductible expenses.
8. Understand your superannuation
Check whether you have any past super funds you have forgotten about and, if you do, consolidate them into one. Review your investment options and use a comparative website like Canstar to see how your fund stacks up against its competitors.
9. Sort important documents
Now you’ve sorted through all your paperwork be sure to file all your investment details, insurance covers, will, house deeds and banking in a logical way – so that not only you know where to find it, but your nearest and dearest can, too, should the need arise.
10. Schedule the appointments you’ve been avoiding
You know the ones: your annual medical and dental check-ups and the car service. Then relax and book yourself a massage: you’ve earned it.
Remember, the more time you give yourself to do something, the more time it takes. To increase efficiency, set time limits for each of your tasks – and stick to them. You might want to set aside a day to get on top of your life admin, or tackle it in ten minute blocks of time. Then, you’ll get it done in no time.
