Life Admin Life Hacks

Latest Episodes:

041: Ellen Jackson on how mindset and personality impact your life admin Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we interview psychologist and host of the Potential Psychology podcast, Ellen Jackson.

About Ellen Jackson

Ellen Jackson is a psychologist, host of the Potential Psychology Podcast, internationally published writer, speaker, coach and consultant to organisations Australia-wide.

Ellen has a personal passion for self-care and individual wellbeing to beat stress and help you to live your best life. Her work includes one-on-one coaching, and everything she teaches is supported by scientific research so we know it works.

Ellen's 6 Word Purpose Statement is: Help others live, learn and flourish.

What we talk about

During the interview, we chat with Ellen about:

how the arrival of children intensifies the life admin load
managing your mindset to let go of control and allow others to contribute and solve problems
letting go of unnecessary standards or preferences when sharing the load
training your children to be grown-ups
how feeling calm and having peace of mind is important to her
the big five personality traits and the impact this has on how you might approach life admin
how being aware of your personality traits can help you understand how best to approach life admin
playing to your strengths
understanding that your standards and rules are usually self-imposed and you can let them go
valuing your time to help make decisions around outsourcing
motivation and how rewards and punishment don’t work in the long run (for our kids or for ourselves)
the three key elements to motivation (autonomy, relatedness, competence)

RESOURCES

Potential Psychology Podcast

Potential Psychology Episode - Why Everything You Know About Motivation Is Wron‪g‬

Potential.com.au

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040: Dr Amantha Imber on aligning your values and time Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

In this episode we interview productivity and innovation expert, Dr Amantha Imber, about how she manages her life admin. She gives us her top hacks on scheduling, to-do lists and outsourcing

This episode is the first in a series of interviews where we will be interviewing others to see how they tackle their life admin.

About Dr Amantha Imber

Dr Amantha Imber is an organisational psychologist and founder of behavioural science consultancy Inventium. where she helps companies such as Google, Apple, Disney, LEGO, Atlassian, Commonwealth Bank and many others innovate more successfully and reinvent the way they approach their work.

In 2019, Amantha was named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence. Amantha is also the host of the number one ranking business podcast How I Work, and new podcast How To Date where she interviews some of the world’s leading innovators about their habits, rituals and strategies for structuring their day.

Amantha’s thoughts have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Entrepreneur and Fast Company and she is the author of two best-selling books: “The Creativity Formula” and “The Innovation Formula”.

What we talk about

During the interview we chat with Amantha about:

how she plans her time to reflect her values
outsourcing cutting her weekly vegetables using Airtasker so she can spend her time doing things that are more fulfilling
the importance of planning her social life to make sure she is getting the nourishing time that close friends provide
using time boxing (scheduling) for exercise and any other priority things important in her life
how she delegates things to others who are better qualified for areas such as financial matters
her love of to-do lists and how she uses Siri and Apple Reminders
how to get more out of your software by taking the time to earning shortcuts and other features
teaching her daughter how to batch prepare her own school snacks
how she will teach her daughter the importance of using her time to live her life in line with what is important to her
how she enjoys online shopping from independent grocers
outsourcing tasks she doesn’t enjoy like cleaning.

RESOURCES

Airtasker

How I Work Podcast

Online grocery shopping in Melbourne - Your Grocer

Episode 22 - Outsourcing personal and household tasks

How to Date - Podcast

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039: Moving house Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

This episode will give you the tops hacks to make your next move as harmonious as possible

Moving house is on the list of life change events that stress people out. This year, due to covid-19 more of you may be moving or thinking about moving due to a change in income or for a tree/sea change as remote working becomes a more viable option for many.

Mia and Dinah talk about the four key phases of moving house:

Planning (many weeks before)
Preparing (few weeks before)
Moving (the week of moving)
Settling in.

The key to a successful move is all about checklists and systematically working through them.

The key considerations in the planning phase are:

selecting a date (consider mid-week which is cheaper and can be much easier if your children are in childcare or school)
considering the opportunity to declutter before you move
selecting a mover including any specialist movers for things like a piano
organising the utility, internet and phone connection and disconnection
contacting your insurance providers to ensure you are covered
preparing for mail redirection - don’t forget things like subscriptions, car registration, pet registration, electoral role
start making sure you try and use up as much food as possible before the move
backing up your computer.
applying for a parking permit
organising a cleaner
sourcing boxes (try local facebook groups or consider renting boxes) and a tape dispenser

Some hacks in the preparing/packing phase are:

take some photos of your home as a memento
packing by room at the destination
while your clothes are still hanging in the closet, put them inside a rubbish bag to make unpacking simpler.
in lieu of bubble wrap, protect your dishes and fragile items with clothing and linens
as you disassemble furniture, keep all screws and hardware in a plastic bag - label the bag and tape it to the furniture itself, or designate a separate box with hardware for all your furniture.
take a picture of the back of your TV and other electronic devices - that way, you know exactly which wires go where when you're setting up in the new place!
let the kids pack a few of their own moving boxes
pack an “essentials box” or boxes which contains things you will need for the first day/night (including a knife to open boxes, essential crockery, linen, phone charger, clothing and toiletries for the next day, cleaning products, tools, tv remotes etc)
ensure you keep track of valuable items and important papers.

On moving day:

meditate - go with the flow, be kind - it can be easy to get impatient and frazzled
ensure you have cleaning supplies to hand (particularly a dustpan and brush)
put labels on rooms at the destination so movers/friends know where to put boxes
focus on setting up the beds first and bedrooms for children

038: Separating from your partner Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

This episode will talk you through the practical life admin issues you will need to address if you embark on the path of separating from your partner

There have been media reports that the divorce rate is expected to spike due to COVID-19. Search engine data for divorce usually increases after Christmas and New Year, but Google has revealed that people are already considering their choices, which is unsurprising given the stresses of homeschooling, lockdown, job loss and income loss.

They talk about seeing a lawyer to seek initial advice (ideally prior to separation). If you are looking for a lawyer:

many lawyers experienced in family law will give you an initial free or reduced-rate consultation
ask for recommendations from friends who have gone through the same situation
check to see if you are eligible for Legal Aid
contact your state law society or law institute.

They talk about making the most of a meeting with lawyers including preparing information ahead of time such as:

the history of your relationship
a list of your assets - including rough values and details of any debts
preparing some written questions including an estimate of costs at each stage. You might want to consider taking a friend with you to the meeting to take notes.

Mia talks about the steps she went through to prepare for her separation including:

037: Planning a corona Christmas Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

Mia and Dinah give you top hacks for planning for Christmas in the time of COVID-19.

They talk about how coronavirus will likely impact our plans for Christmas this year including:

budgets being impacted due to the job and income loss facing many families
limits to numbers of people at indoor and outdoor parties and events
unprecedented demand for online shopping and likely postage delays
travel restrictions changing who you may be able to spend Christmas with
more time at home.

Mia and Dinah refer back to earlier podcast episodes on Preparing for Christmas (ep 21) and Simplifying Gift Giving (ep 16) to reflect on key things that help smooth the way including:

planning early to reduce the stress
establishing and refreshing Christmas tradition reference lists
drawing on established life admin techniques including to-do lists, scheduling and decluttering.

They also discuss that for some people preparing for Christmas may feel really overwhelming due to the professional and personal burnout they have been facing this year. It will be important for people to complete the 'stress cycle' to rejuvenate before starting their Christmas preparations.

Dinah talks about her plans so far including:

making a contingency travel plan in case travel restrictions remain
making a gift spreadsheet including all the people she needs to buy for, what to buy, who will buy and the budget per person
starting her shopping for the kids
putting together an album of photos on her phone to start making some photo gifts
having a family discussion about the traditions her family want to keep and making sure the traditions they are keen on are scheduled or put in her to-do list
scheduling a time in her shared calendar for putting up the Christmas tree and making a gingerbread house
making sure she has enough Christmas cards so she is not tempted to buy any more
adding a to-do list task for making homemade Christmas baked good for her neighbours.

Mia talks about her plans so far including:

thinking about the likely plans for hosting Christmas lunch
planning to buy decorations for her new home since she separated with her husband
setting up a gift spreadsheet together with her ex-husband to start thinking about what to buy family members
ordering some new Christmas books
making a Christmas movie reference list so she can start adding movies for her to watch with her children in the lead up to Christmas.

RESOURCES

036: Pay tv and streaming Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

This episode gives you top hacks for maximising the value of your pay TV and streaming services.

There are more than 36 streaming platforms in Australia including Crunchyroll (Japanese anime and manga), GuideDoc (documentaries), Mubi (cult classics), Shudder (horror), CGood positive life-affirming), Acorn (mystery, drama and thrillers). If you like a particular genre see if there is a cheaper, dedicated streaming service rather than using a mainstream platform.

Mia and Dinah talk about what you should know about streaming services including:

The three types of streaming services:subscription services (like Netflix, Stan, Binge)
rent/buy services (like Google Play or iTunes)
catch-up (free-to-air services) .

Their hacks for finding shows and films that suit your taste and mood are:

Have reference lists on your phone and add to them when others make recommendations or you read reviews
Have separate reference lists for different types of viewing rather than one long mixed list (e.g. educational shows to watch with the kids, date night films)
Use a service like Just Watch or Google Watch List to find things available on the streaming platforms you have
Create separate streaming platform profiles for different types of watching, based on moods, themes or audiences (eg family viewing, documentaries, guilty pleasures, international cinema) so that the streaming algorithm suggests up the same type of content
Browse the full catalogues of streaming services (eg Netflix Catalogue) to discover content in specific genres (e.g. American 80s comedies, Belgian mysteries), rather than the standard category options.

They talk about the options to view streaming services including:

Using a harware device (like Chromecast) to stream from your phone, tablet or computer
Using a media streamer or a hub (like Fetch or Telstra TV) – some of these also allow recording of free-to-air TV
Using a game console (like Xbox or Playstation)
Smart tvs.

They also talk about how to decide what streaming services you should subscribe to by:

Making sure free trials don’t become lurking subscriptions by unsubscribing straight away or adding a reminder in your to-do list
Consulting your reference list to see which services have more of the things you want to watch
Reviewing the free to air streaming services to see if there is enough content available for free
Consider unsubscribing from all services and then adding back as you need.

LIFE ADMIN RESOURCES

Services to help decide what to watch Just Watch and Google Watch List
Netflix Catalogue

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035 House and contents Insurance Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

This episode will give you Mia and Dinah’s top hacks for sorting out your household insurances including house and contents insurance, landlord insurance and renters insurance

It is easy to slip into a set and forget mode for house and contents insurance and let your policy tick along for years, but this is an area where an annual review is a must.

The key considerations and hacks Mia and Dinah discuss for contents insurance are:

Make sure you have adequately estimated the value of your contents including items like pot plants, items in your backyard, software, music, movies and food spoilage
Consider using a contents inventory calculator like the one on the Insurance Council of Australia’s website
Save a copy of your contents inventory on your cloud storage to make it quick to review each year
Keep a record of receipts and/or photos of new purchases and major items such as furniture and appliances in your cloud storage to help substantiate any potential claim
Consider increasing the excess on your insurance to reduce your premiums
Consider the limits policies placed on specified items and if they are insured outside your home
If you have a renters insurance policy for a share house, all your housemates’ contents need to be covered under the policy.

The key considerations and hacks they discuss for building insurance are:

Most policies cover storms, cyclones and bushfires, but not all insurers offer flood insurance
Insurers often place embargoes on insurance policies to prevent people from buying insurance when the risks are elevated
Make sure you have adequate cover for your house as building costs and standards change. Find out the cost of rebuilding your property by asking a builder or a valuer.

They also discuss landlord insurance and considerations including:

Considering contents that need to be insured such as carpets and curtains
If missed rental payments will cause you financial stress, look for a condition in your insurance policy that will cover you for missed rental payments
Another option under landlord insurance policies includes covering your legal expenses if you have to take action against a bad tenant.
Insurance needs if you rent out a property for short term rentals on sites like Airbnb.

Other hacks include:

consider calling your current insurer to see if you can get a better deal by telling them you are shopping around or by increasing your excess
make sure you reconsider your value insured if you renovate your home, upgrade appliances, make other major purchases or have kids
save your certificate of insurance in your cloud storage drive together with premium notices
there are comparison websites for home insurance but they’re all commercial and so get a commission.

LIFE ADMIN RESOURCES

Insurance Council of Australia – Contents Calculator

Insurance for Short Term Lets – Share Cover

Choice Magazine – Comparison of House and Contents Insurers

Find an insurance broker

Please head to the Life Admin Life Hacks Facebook page to connect with listeners and share your thoughts, questions or suggestions.

034: Smartphone hacks Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

This episode will help transform your smartphone into your biggest productivity weapon to make your life admin easier.

Most Australians hang on to their smartphone for more than three years, so it's really worth your while to learn your phone’s features and install must-have apps to minimise and optimise your life admin.

Mia and Dinah’s top hacks are:

Clean up your home screen so that the apps you want to use the most are on the first screen you see when you unlock your phone, so your environment supports good habits.
Set up text replacement shortcuts in your settings for your frequently typed information such as your email address
Use Do not Disturb including the automatic features for turning it off when a meeting finishes or you leave a location
Use your phone’s camera to scan documents and add them to your cloud storage so you can eliminate paper
Use Shared albums to collect photos of shared experiences from multiple users to create photo books etc.
If you use the Reminders app (iPhone) for To-Do Lists, add smart alerts linked to your location or your contacts to nudge you to perform the task when you arrive or leave somewhere, or when you're messaging a certain person.
Use Screentime (iPhone) or Digital Wellbeing (Android) to limit the time you spend on social media or games, so you can use your time in ways that align with your values.
Use the Notes app (iPhone) for Reference Lists and to scan documents
Use the Timer (iPhone) in the Clock app on your phone to set a time limit that automatically turns off music or a podcast when your time is up: perfect for time boxing life admin tasks.
Set up mobile payment capability, like Apple Pay or Google Pay so that you can pay for things on the fly
Set up a password manager like Lastpass or Keeper to be able to securely access your passwords on any of your devices, wherever you may be.
Use the Tripit app to store your holiday itineraries
Use the Pocketmoney app Spriggy to take the hassle out of managing pocket money
Customise Google Maps with your frequently visited locations
Download apps for your favourite catalogues to reduce paper clutter. Mia uses the Loop app to buy books for her kids, which raises funds for their school.

RESOURCES

Apps for To-Do Lists - Reminders (iPhone), Todoist
Settings to limit your screen time - Screentime (iPhone), Digital Wellbeing (Android)
Apps for Reference Lists - Notes
Calendar and Mail App - Outlook
Password Manager App - Lastpass or Keeper
App for Holiday Itineraries - Tripit
Pocketmoney App - Spriggy
Reci

032: Pet admin Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

This episode will give you all the hacks to ensure your pets are a stress reducer not a stress inducer

Looking after a pet properly is a long term proposition. Cats and dogs live on average 10 human years and the responsibility of their welfare adds up over time. It's important to think about how to make it easier for yourself and use your life admin systems to share it with other members of your family.

Mia and Dinah discuss:

all the admin related to pet ownership, including:
- pet registration
- purchasing pet food
- veterinarian visits
- pet insurance
- grooming
- obedience training
- exercise
- pet daycare
- putting together a pet emergency kit
- holiday care.
how to use your life admin systems including cloud storage, shared calendars, To-Do Lists and Reference Lists to make all your pet admin as simple as possible
other hacks including pet supply subscription services, online options for obedience training and sharing the load with friends with pets.

RESOURCES

Money Smart advice on pet ownership including pet insurance

Please head to the Life Admin Life Hacks Facebook page to connect with listeners and share your thoughts, questions or suggestions.

031: Tiny life admin habits Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

This episode will inspire you to find the small steps necessary to hack your life admin in challenging times.

This episode addresses the challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the dilemma of feeling like extra time at home should lead to some major life admin overhauls versus the economic, emotional and physical impact of living in this limbo state.

They acknowledge that the answer may be small steps and incremental change, which build over time to something substantial.

Mia and Dinah discuss:

using the current crisis as a time to think about what you wish to change and becoming clear on your aspirations
the key steps in BJ Fogg’s book Tiny Habits and how these habit formation principles can apply to life admin
how motivation, ability and triggers work to form new habits, and that realising you first need to learn a new skill and simply practising it can be a huge first step
the small steps they have been taking to improve their life admin during isolation including changes to scheduling, meal planning and digital photos.

RESOURCES

Podcast: The One You Feed, Eric Zimmer

Book: Tiny Habits, BJ Fogg

Please head to the Life Admin Life Hacks Facebook page to connect with listeners and share your thoughts, questions or suggestions.