Life Admin Day Checklist

Who this is for

The list for the day you set aside to catch up. The jobs are grouped by the kind of thing they are — post and forms, money, appointments, accounts, home and people — so you can work through one group at a time instead of ricocheting.

Anyone whose admin has piled up into a pile they avoid, people coming back from a long trip or a busy stretch, and households that book a morning for this sort of thing rather than letting it happen at midnight.

What this helps you track

• The jobs that have been quietly accumulating, in one list
• An order to work in, so like is done with like
• The things that are easy to forget until they become urgent
• Which jobs are done and which are waiting on somebody else
• Your own jobs, added on the blank lines in your own words

How to use it

1. Write the date and where you are working at the top, and put the phone on silent.
2. Read the whole list first and cross out anything that does not apply to you.
3. Add your own jobs on the blank lines before you start, not as they occur to you halfway through.
4. Work through one group at a time — all the post, then all the money — because switching between kinds of job is where the time goes.
5. Tick as you go, and write in the notes anything you have started but cannot finish today because somebody else has it.
6. Keep the sheet for the next admin day; the unticked lines are the start of that list.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How long does a list like this take?

That depends entirely on your pile, and the sheet makes no claim about it. Most people find the groups useful precisely because they can do one and stop.

Can I add my own items?

Yes. Every group has blank lines, and the browser version lets you add items to any of them. A list that is half printed and half yours is the usual result.

Is there anything about passwords on it?

There is a line about checking you can still get into the accounts that matter, and nothing about what a password is. Keep the accounts themselves on a record that holds hints rather than passwords.

Is it a job for one person or the whole household?

Either. Some households split the groups between them; others find it a job for one person with the kettle on. The sheet works both ways.

What do I do with the jobs I cannot finish?

Leave them unticked and write who you are waiting on in the notes. That line becomes the first thing on the next sheet.