Practical ways I've cut down on life admin

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First of all, thanks for your response to my last piece on Can careers and babies ever mix?, especially those who shared, commented or messaged me directly.

I’ve been tootling about publishing bits and bobs on Substack for over a year, but I’m terrible at self-promotion, so it’s great when other people snap me out of my ‘What this old thing? Don’t look at it!’ tendency. I’ve now been commissioned to write a much bigger piece on the subject, so will share that in due course.  

Clearly, the work/parenting dilemma struck a chord. But even if that’s not your exact situation I bet, like me, you’re always too busy. There’s a great James Acaster skit where he talks about life being ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’, until you finally reach ‘no more jobs’ at bedtime; an accurate description of modern life’s relentless demands. Balancing a full-on job with two kids means I basically don’t stop ticking off tasks from the crack of dawn until I slump into bed just before 10pm.

Life admin can feel interminable, so I made a conscious decision when I went back to work to do everything possible to lift that burden. Some of these changes have already paid dividends, so I thought I’d share them here in case they’re useful for you. As ever, I’m looking for your tips too - please share them in the comments below.

Stop running out of loo roll (and other essentials)

Maternity leave meant daily opportunities to mill about in Sainsbury’s, picking up the stuff we’d run out of – but that is very much over. Instead, I’ve become a subscription queen, which saves a lot of hassle. If you live in a small home like me, it’s also more practical than buying items in bulk. My current roster includes laundry capsules and dishwasher tablets (Smol – good for sensitive skin), coffee beans (Union does the very best), kids’ eczema potions (there’s a ‘subscribe and save’ option on Amazon) and loo roll (from Who Gives a Crap – although beware ordering a giant box, you’ll have loo rolls coming out of your ears). Keep an eye on the subscription and tweak if products are piling up – the idea is to save you time, not waste your money.

Share the life admin load

Only since having a second child have I begrudgingly agreed to having a joint calendar with my husband (see an ode to my paper diary here). In fact, we’ve gone a whole step further and now have a joint shopping list (extremely handy) and a joint to-do list (sort of handy, although my husband isn’t quite as attentive to it as I’d like). There are lots of organisation apps where you can share out the life admin - we use Family Wall.

Save the cooking drama

I’m a big believer in what Bon Appetit calls the ‘house meal’ - a simple dinner that you replay again and again. As such, I’ve learnt one pasta sauce recipe and one stir fry sauce recipe off by heart, which I plan to repeat ad infinitum with whatever I can shovel out of the fridge.

Make your grooming routine portable

Whoever invented the 10-step skincare routine clearly didn’t have kids. Even the most basic of self care doesn’t get a look in when you’re exhausted. I have discovered a couple of helpful changes though - firstly popping a second load of cleansing stuff in the family bathroom, as well as the en suite, because then I can remove grime from my face while the kids are in the bath or while I’m waiting for one of them to finish a never-ending poo (parenting is glam!)

I’ve also put all my everyday skincare into a clear toiletry bag and move that about the house so I can bung on serum and moisturiser when I’m comatose in front of the TV or shovelling porridge into a baby. It seems to work much better than having skincare in a drawer next to my bed, because I basically pass out dribbling the second I catch sight of my pillow.

Halt the thrice-weekly trips to the InPost locker

I am the type of tight-arse who will go and pick up my Vinted parcel from a godforsaken newsagents 15 minutes away just to save 89p on delivery costs. Recently, I have realised the absolute insanity of this in a life so hectic I sometimes forget what month it is, and am increasingly treating myself to home delivery. When you have no time, it’s important to value each unit of it as you do your dosh. See also: selling a secondhand item for £1.50 and then having to spend half an hour packaging and sending it. Nope.

Cut down appointment booking faff

I’ve implemented a new and effective policy: whenever I finish a dentist/hairdresser/hygienist/optician appointment for me or the kids, I book the next one at reception on my way out. It beats the alternative, which is saying ‘oh I really must book XYZ’ for 15 days in a row and then screaming in frustration when you phone up and get put on hold.

Avoid last minute gifting drama

I learnt the value of a good present and card stash from my mum (also a working mother, quite wild in the 90s). My daughter leads an incredible life on the London party circuit, so I have a box under the stairs stashed with suitable presents, plus various bits for new babies, grown-up birthdays and teacher gifting. As a parent you can never have enough kids’ birthday cards - we get through them at the same breathtaking rate as Ella’s Kitchen Melty Sticks - so I always stock up when I’m in the supermarket.

Skip the half hour post office queue

I was wary of the Royal Mail home collection service (sounds too good to be true?) but it works brilliantly, especially if you’re working from home and don’t want to spend your lunch hour waiting in the bloody post office. Plus, Royal Mail postage is cheaper online - who knew?!

Re-organise your home to free your brain

The most life-altering change I’ve made recently was sorting out all my stuff, which I initially did with the help of Vicky Silverthorn and her assistant Sophia. They transformed my utility room from a dumping ground into a regimented space, and in doing so sparked a zeal that has helped me go on to re-organise several other areas of my home.

The crux of the method is this: lay all the stuff from one room out on the floor, group it into categories (ideally getting rid of things as you do so) and then put it back in an organised fashion (lots of boxes and baskets help). Place the stuff you use most often in the most accessible place, and clearly label boxes to avoid spending ages hunting about for batteries, Sellotape etc. Not only has this saved me lots of time and stress, it also means my husband and I both agree on where things live and put them back accordingly.

If you don’t have the time or mental energy to do the home org yourself – and god knows I understand that – then I would say it’s genuinely worth forking out for a professional to help you. Such services are definitely not cheap (we’re talking £50-£100 per hour) but if you can afford it then the mental load lifted is almost priceless.

Carve out time to recharge between jobs, jobs, jobs

I get quite angry and mad on the days where I have no break whatsoever, so just before starting the evening chores my husband and I pre-agree a time to down tools. I’m never going to get round to meditating at dawn or spending 10 minutes journalling every evening, but I can do half an hour watching Netflix on the sofa - it’s good for the soul, and means I’m less likely to turn into a fire-breathing dragon when I realise I’ve still got 84 things left on my to-do list that week.