Your Annual Life Admin Checklist

Your Annual Life Admin Checklist

Most of us see the New Year as a time to make resolutions, whether it be it quitting sugar, exercising more or taking the next step in our career. However, to have the best possible chance at achieving those goals, we need to look at the life admin side of things too. You know ― those administrative chores that we always intend to get to, but never really get around to doing (like cleaning out the gutters or going to the dentist).

To help you get them out of the way, we’ve put together an annual life admin checklist of the 10 must do tasks to keep atop of the annual lug. Print it out, stick it to your fridge and make sure your year gets off to a strong start!

 

The Annual Life Admin Checklist:

 

1. Have a health check

A quick checkup with your GP can save you from preventable illnesses further down the track. If you have a family history of illnesses such as diabetes or cancer, your doctor can monitor your risk and provide preventative strategies that you can take now, to avoid developing problems in the future.

Your annual health check should also include a trip to the optometrist and any specialists that may be associated with monitoring a chronic health condition. Even if you don’t wear glasses, our vision deteriorates as we get older. Be sure not to forget everybody’s favourite — the dentist!

 

2. Examine your financial position

If you’re planning a holiday in 2016 or want to save up some money for a big purchase such as a new car, start preparing your budget for it now. This will also help you to keep track of your finances throughout the year, so. By the time tax season rolls around, the life admin you do now will pay off and you’ll be off to a head start.

It's also a great time to review any updates to your Superannuation you want to make, as changes to the Australian Aged Pension come into affect shortly. Even if you're not on the pension for a while yet - or ever - it's good to know what's changed.

 

3. Manage your memberships

Are you signed up for memberships and subscriptions that you no longer use? Perhaps there’s a magazine delivery, gym membership or wine club that you signed up to and pay for via direct debit... only to forget about it several months later. Inspect your bank accounts to see if there’s any debit payments being taken out for services you no longer need.

 

4. Prioritise Self Care

Like your body, your mind will benefit from its own annual health check. You can easily become overwhelmed with the bigger picture and forget to do something for yourself. Some self care goes a long way in providing a happy and productive environment and a fulfilling life. Whether you like to do Yoga, spend a day getting creative in the kitchen, read a book or get your nails done, pop reminders in your calendar now as a prompt to book in time for yourself.

 

5. Assess your insurance

As we move through different stages in life, our insurance needs change. Despite this, many people stick with the same policy out of habit and forget to think about the extras they’re paying for but don’t really need, or new things they might not have added to the policy.

For instance, if your policy contains a high level of cover for maternity services but you don’t plan on having more children, or are nearing retirement, it might be worth switching to a policy that covers more of what you use. This life admin task could be saving you a pretty penny!

Also, be sure to use up any remaining claims balance for extras, such as lenses or massages, before the next financial year rolls around.

 

6. Get organised

A new year can mean a new start, so empty out those drawers full of old receipts, file away any important documents and get back on track. Being organised isn’t limited to the office either. Check your kitchen cupboards and throw away anything that is out of date. Invest time for sorting through your wardrobe to cull the clothes you never wear. You can also try eBay or Gumtree to recycle clothing and household goods that you no longer use.

 

7. Do a big cleanup

Set aside a weekend to tackle all that tedious household maintenance items you’ve been putting off all year. Here are some examples:

  • Cleaning the oven
  • Cleaning out the gutters
  • Polishing and treating wooden flooring and furniture
  • Cleaning the outside of windows
  • Flipping mattresses
  • Checking the batteries in your smoke detectors

 

8. Update your CV

Updating your resume can seem like a hassle and many of us put off doing it until we’re on the hunt for a new job. Use the new year as an opportunity to reflect on your career achievements over 2015, and incorporate them into your CV now... before you forget.

 

9. Make sure your will is up to date

Probably the most important and least regarded life admin task is updating your Will. No matter who you are - life changes everyday. Even if you think your circumstances haven’t changed one iota, you should take a quick review of your will to ensure it’s all up to date and that your Will’s instructions and beneficiaries reflect your wishes.

 

10. Check that your contact details are still correct

If you’ve moved house in the last 12 months, your old mailing address may still be listed with organisations you receive important information from.

In today’s digital age we also need to keep track of a myriad of personal email and social networking accounts. Don’t forget to check that your details are still current for your current online accounts and subscriptions too.

 

By getting these life admin tasks out of the way early, you’ll minimise the potential for stress throughout the rest of the year. Most importantly, you’ll be able to better focus on achieving your goals, leaving behind old habits, and starting fresh. For tips on how you can create realistic New Year’s resolutions, have a look at our goal setting guide.

 

About us

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Our compassionate all-female team are dedicated to supporting families in their times of need. We arrange beautiful personalised funeral services in the Ryde area.

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Lady Anne Funerals is here to support and assist your family through what can be a difficult time, with a ladies touch. 

We are available to discuss a range of services to support your family, including: 

  • Personalised memorial services
  • Cremation and burial services
  • Religious services catering to all faith's
  • No service, no attendance 

Please get in touch - night or day - via the form or you can call us on the number below.

Phone: 1300 74 00 74

206 Victoria Road, Gladesville 2111

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Some of the families we've helped

My family and friends were very happy with every aspect of the preparation and celebration of the end of my wife. When I knew the end was near I spoke to Yvonne who explained to me what would happen and this was done with delicacy and tact. When the end came Yvonne came to our house and explained every aspect of what would happen. We explained what we wanted for Margaret's farewell and nothing was too much trouble for Yvonne to explain or discuss. On the day of the funeral everything went like clockwork and all my relatives and friends told me how impressed they were. So thank you to Yvonne for being celebrant and MC at the farewell and thank you to all the Lady Anne team. If I were asked to score the service my family received  it would be ten out of ten.
Dick Hodge
I would like to thank you and the whole team at Lady Anne Funerals for making mums funeral the perfect goodbye. The funeral was everything and so much more than mum wanted. Nothing seemed to be too hard and that made my time far simpler than i had expected. 
The whole day was perfect and we noticed with love all the special touches from the bookmarks to the candle to the display screen with Iris's. Thank you so much. Your team felt like part of the family rather than people doing a job.
That i believe is what sets Lady Anne apart.
I cant thank you enough.
Pete

I want to send a heartfelt 'thank you’ to you both, and your team, for your compassion and your assistance in taking meticulous care of Dad and arranging such a beautiful end of life service for him. Within a matter of only a few days, which included a weekend, you were able to organise the perfect service tailored to our requests.

Not only did you organise the attendance of the RSL representative, you also went to considerable trouble to download the music and videos we had chosen, in a format that could be utilised in the service.We greatly appreciated your guidance too with organising the order of service and arranging a printed copy of the tributes for one of our friends who was deaf.

Thank you Yvonne for doing a magnificent job as the celebrant. We greatly appreciated you reading our tributes to Maurie on the family’s behalf. Thank you too for reading the poem, 'The Dash’ so beautifully.

It was comforting for our family and friends to come together in a more intimate setting, which your chapel provides. The light refreshments, which followed the service, were ideal, allowing the family to stay on and share their memories.

Dad quite often had high expectations of the way things should be done, bless him, so I was particularly mindful of doing him proud with this last expression of our love for him and a tribute to his long and meaningful life. We achieved this, with your help, and I know he would have been deeply touched and honoured. Thank you for you for all you did.

Annie

"I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your amazing team. I couldn’t have asked for things to go any better. Everything was perfect. And your ladies were beautiful. Your Yvonne is amazing. She is patient, compassionate, caring and delivers perfection in all the elements of the proceedings. She has been an absolute Gem.

Once again thank you so very much. I would highly recommend anyone to use your company if they want a perfect funeral service. 5 star service. 5 star outcome.

There were multiple compliments on the service, on your ladies and on the care from the attendees. I’m more than happy for you to post this on any media platform as a compliment and tribute to your company.

Thank you."

Anne Leslie
“I just wanted to send you our sincerest thanks for everything you and your incredible team did for us in making the most perfect day, celebration and farewell of our beautiful Harper.

I have given a lot of thought to your business and the industry and I think it is perhaps the most important business for families to get it right when it comes to planning a funeral which may be sudden or may be a long time in the making. Either way, when one is faced with the unfortunate situation of needing to arrange a funeral, only then do you realise the importance of getting it right.

We experienced first hand the polar opposites the industry offers. It is not just about the cars, the booklets, the music and all the things that make up the day - its about the service, the care and most importantly it’s about the people.

From our very first conversation we could sense your genuine care to our situation and your attention to detail was obvious - this was very different to the previous conversations we had with others we had been referred to. Those other companies wanted to commence meetings with the paperwork side of things upfront which is a very confronting thing to do just days after losing your loved one - and when one of the others that I am referencing couldn’t even refernece our daughters name as our meeting started - we were horrified of how poor the service of care could be.

This is where you and your team shine. After feeling very lost in our search to secure the perfect funeral director to create the perfect day, my wife all of a sudden recalled you standing out the front of your office each morning watering the surrounding gardens to ensure a beautiful front of house. Well, I can assure you, it is not just the front of house that is beautiful - its the entire package that is beautiful.

Your manner, your direction and your expertise is evident from the get go. Nothing is too hard for you or your amazing team. The personal care made us feel like we were the only funeral you were working with at the time, and that’s exactly how it should be.

The finer detail, such as driving past our house so our daughter could go past our house one last time, then leaving the most beautiful flowers on our doorstep, to bumping into us at the Church because you were just doing your own research to make sure the day was seamless. This combined with your recommendations from every aspect as everything was very foreign to us, you were able to guide us to achieve the most beautiful farewell.

The day itself was simply perfect. Not once did we have a concern. The car was shining, your team dressed beautifully, cold water provided for us, directions for our guests, directions for us. Everyone commented on how amazing the day was and how incredibly your team were. Seamless is the only word I can use. It doesn’t stop here.

Your personal care and guidance then allowed us a more intimate farewell the following day (we are so grateful for for this recommendation and possibly would have missed this special day if you had suggested it was the best idea). Again, you and your team made us feel like you had nowhere else to be, and no one else to help. Just us. The setting was beautiful, the celebrant (that you arrange and recommend) is a delightful, your team make this day even more special than the last.

This is something we never want to go through again but there will be so many others, that like us, have no idea where to start to look for the right funeral director for their own special day. All I can say is that I hope that they appoint Lady Anne Funerals. We learnt a lot quickly and it is again a business many do not ever consider needing but without question one of the most important businesses to select the right person and the right team.

I welcome any of your future potential clients to contact me if they wish to discuss our experience with the amazing Lady Anne team. We thank you for giving our beautiful baby the most incredible farewell that was exactly how we imagined it, you just made it happen.”

Lee Dowdall

“We wish to thank you for having helped us put together a beautiful farewell for our mother, one which she would have been delighted with.

It was a difficult day and it would have been worse without your synchronised, seamless and consistent presence as well as attention to detail.

We value your candour as the people you are and the very sensitive manner in which you conducted the service.

Thanking you from the bottom of our hearts,

The Pastore Family
Karen has supported my Mum and me through the most difficult week of our lives as we not only planned a funeral, but interred my Dad to his new home. I will be forever grateful to Karen for her ongoing support, guidance, kindness, empathy and friendship over the last week. Karen has now become part of our extended circle of close family friends.
Daughter of the late Sveta Dordevich
Lady Anne Funerals has the compassion, understanding and empathy that many of the larger funeral homes do not possess. My aunts funeral was dignified and classy everything she deserved. I would highly recommend Lady Anne (and have) as they go above and beyond.
Joanne Marks
I am overwhelmed with the feedback on how beautiful it all was from all who attended. You and the other ladies were wonderful, looked so elegant, and made the day so very special for all who loved Paul.
Barbara Sommerville Enright
Karen and her staff treated us with the utmost respect we could not have been in better hands during this difficult time. My mum had organised her funeral with a prepaid funeral plan which she had purchased from Karen almost ten years ago this also made this upsetting time much easier to deal with and she got all the things that she wished for.
Malcolm Ellis
On behalf of my family, I would like to thank Lady Anne Funerals for a beautiful service yesterday for my aunt Dot. All who attended commented on how lovely the service was & the professionalism of all the staff. Thanks again very much for helping making a sad day one of celebration of Dot’s life.
Judith Neville

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