10 life admin hacks: how to master organising your life

March 29, 2018
life admin hacks, insurance, nobleoak, life insurance

life admin hacks, insurance, nobleoak, life insurance

Sponsored post in conjunction with NobleOak Life Insurance

 

Are you ready to get on top of your life and tick the big things off your to-do list? I know I am! A long to-do list clutters the mind, so sorting out your life admin can be super satisfying!

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, reading, or spent on social media.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, here’s a list of 10 life admin hacks with an extra bonus at the end.

  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 (as I recently experienced). 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.

  1. 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. There is an excellent tool at the end of this post that will help you tick this off today.

  1. Review your household utilities

Take a close look at how much you are spending on broadband and energy bills. With costs rising all the time you might want to consider alternative providers.

  1. 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. 

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

To get a head start on your list you can try out a new life insurance calculator right now to receive a personalised life insurance report that will provide you with clarity and confidence for the future. You can access the calculator here to understand the exact amount of cover you need in only a few clicks and swipes.

After you receive the report, you can discuss your Life Insurance and Income Protection needs with NobleOak on 1300 041 494.

I hope you find those life admin hacks helpful!  Which one will you tackle first? 

Ciao for now,

1 http://www.au.surveycompare.net/sites/default/files/filemanager/procrastination-infographic_700px.jpg

Link up here at WOTM or with another of us in the Lovin’ Life Linky team:

Leanne ofDeep Fried Fruit
Lyndall
ofSeize the Day Project
Kathy
of 50 Shades of Age
Deborah
of Debbish
and Jo of The Hungry Writer – Joanne Tracey

It doesn’t matter where you link up as it will magically appear on all six blogs.

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27 Comments

  • Reply Joanne Tracey March 29, 2018 at 6:32 am

    Timely reminder. We haven’t updated our will in about 10 years. Great post with good tips, Min…

    • Reply Min March 29, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      Thanks Jo. Need to update ours too! It’s been a while!

  • Reply Ingrid March 29, 2018 at 7:03 am

    There are so many tasks on this list I need to address!

    I totally agree with your statement that the longer a time you give yourself the longer it takes to do something!

    Ingrid
    http://www.fabulousandfunlife.blogspot.com.au

    • Reply Min March 29, 2018 at 12:23 pm

      There are quite a number of them on the list I need to address too Ingrid. I plan to schedule the tasks in my diary and get them done and dusted!

  • Reply Jo March 29, 2018 at 10:44 am

    Great advice Min. I hate all these jobs and as a ‘creative’ rather than ‘logicalister’ (new word!) I tend to put them off. I’m going to list them all and do one of the tasks you mention a month. However, I saved a heap the other day when just before our house and contents insurance was due for renewal I gave them a call. They then proceeded to offer discounts and ways I could save money on our premium. If I’d just renewed and paid up, I would have cost myself about $200 extra per annum. Food for thought 🙂

    • Reply Min March 29, 2018 at 12:27 pm

      I totally understand Jo – I’m a creative rather than a ‘logicalister’ too! One task a month sounds like a good manageable plan! Good point about calling your house and contents insurance people rather than just renewing. Fantastic to get some discounts! You would have missed those had you not called! Yay for calling! 🙂

  • Reply Leanne March 29, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    All the stuff we love to hate Min. I think I’m on top of most of this – but it’s all such boring stuff isn’t it? I’d much rather be reading, blogging or drinking coffee! Thanks for the reminder to make sure I’m up to date with it all.

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:07 pm

      I’d rather be doing what you’d rather be doing too! lol However, I do love the feeling you get once these kinda things have been done and can be checked off the ‘to do’ list! 🙂 xo

  • Reply Sydney Shop Girl March 29, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    Yep. Number 10. Booking that eye test this weekend.

    Thank you for the motivation!

    SSG xxx

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:08 pm

      Oh yep – there’s actually a couple under No. 10 for me too that need doing! Hope your eye test goes well SSG! xo

  • Reply Kathy Marrris March 29, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    These are all very important life admin tasks and ones that we all tend to put off. I really try to keep on top of these type of tasks, but I confess I generally waste my spare time on Social Media or watching Netflix. I need to be more organised.

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:08 pm

      I waste my time the same way you do Kathy. Funny that! LOL xo

  • Reply jodie filogomo March 29, 2018 at 11:35 pm

    Wow—this is so timely. We JUST talked about having to update our wills yesterday!! How did you know??
    XOXO
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:09 pm

      I know everything Jodie! Bahahaha! 😉 xo

  • Reply kalpana March 30, 2018 at 4:13 am

    Your advice came a week too late almost 🙂 because these are exactly the things I’ve been doing this week. Great post, very practical and sensible.

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:12 pm

      Good on you Kalpanaa! Sounds like you’re super organised! 🙂

  • Reply Lyndall @ Seize The Day Project March 30, 2018 at 5:28 am

    Great checklist Min. There are one or two things on there that I need to update. Thanks for the reminder! 🙂 x #TeamLovinLife

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:12 pm

      Thanks and no problem Lyndall! 🙂 xo

  • Reply Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond March 30, 2018 at 9:22 am

    As usual a great checklist Min. I confess I leave some of the admin to my assistant (my husband LOL:). He enjoys finding the best deals for insurance and mortgages etc and I look after paying the bills. It is amazing how much time we do have when we say we are busy and have no time! Thanks ABS for the stats. Have a great week and enjoy your Easter break 🙂

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:14 pm

      My hand is up in the air – I admit I do much the same Sue! lol The Easter break was lovely and much nicer weather than anticipated as you’d know! 🙂 xo

  • Reply Deborah March 30, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    Oh I need to focus on several of these. I definitely need a new will as my old one’s quite out of date! I’m also re-thinking the whole ‘legacy’ thing and wouldn’t mind leaving some money to my old school for a scholarship (books etc) or something.

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:14 pm

      That sounds like a really lovely plan to leave some money to your old school and in a way that is ‘so you’ too! 🙂

  • Reply Natalie March 30, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    Good checklist, Min. It’s income tax return time for us here. I’m working on mine this weekend. Have a nice weekend!

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:15 pm

      Thanks Natalie! Hope you got that income tax sorted and were able to relax and enjoy the Easter long weekend. 🙂

  • Reply Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit April 3, 2018 at 9:12 am

    Great hacks 🙂 #teamlovinlife

    • Reply Min April 3, 2018 at 6:16 pm

      Thanks Leanne 🙂

  • Reply Sue April 4, 2018 at 9:44 pm

    I’ve just discovered your blog Min!! Some great tips there, and very timely as this week I’ve finally scheduled three of those medical checkups that I’ve been putting off! We did the updating of the wills a couple of years ago. It was a necessity for us because of our recent marriage, but we still managed to procrastinate about it for far too long!! http://www.fromdustbeautifulthings.com/2018/03/wills-shared-finances-future-planning.html No doubt we’ll need to do it again before too long, I hope it won’t be quite so emotional the second time around!!

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