Admin Night: Your Solution for Tackling Life’s Nagging Tasks
Recently, I’ve shared that I have been asked to facilitate Admin Nights at a local restaurant and wine bar in my community, and today I want to share more about what Admin Nights are, and invite you to join us!
If you’re new to the idea of Admin Nights, they are quickly gaining popularity! Don’t believe me? Google it! I really liked the article the Wall Street Journal did back in November about Admin Nights that said that we are “in a quicksand of bureaucratic tasks”, and an Admin Night helps us out of that quicksand! (Here’s the link to the article https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/relationships/how-to-turn-the-bureaucratic-grind-of-life-into-a-party-7205f690)
The idea is to set aside time and space to get to those nagging personal administrative tasks done! For example, those tasks might be the items on our to-do lists that we keep putting off until they become an emergency, or keep us from saving money, like canceling memberships or following up a credit card charge or filling out the Menards paperwork to get your rebate. Maybe they are tasks that would save us time if we just did them, like setting up automatic bill pay. Maybe you need to send out thank you notes or fill out your kids summer activity forms.
I have also heard this type of event called a Forcing Party. As in, we get together and the event forces us to do the hard things. I have a client who says I am her forcing partner. Not that I am making her do anything she doesn’t want to do, but she acknowledges that she has done the work in productivity and that she knows there are tasks she would not get done on her own. Scheduling time to dedicate to house organizing tasks and having a partner with her while she gets things done and makes decisions helps her stay on track and complete the tough stuff.
There are a number of reasons why an Admin Night works, a perfect blend of features!
(And, here’s the thing - the tools we use for Admin Nights are also the tools and features we use for my Finish Line Friday productivity sessions every week!)
Ok - back to Admin Night features:
Body Doubling
An Admin Night works because of body doubling. Per PsychCentral.com, “Body doubling is having another person around while you work on a task. They don’t have to assist directly; just simply being present could help you start, focus, and finish.”
It’s simple, really. Some of us benefit from having a person sitting next to us doing work, too. We don’t have to be working on the same thing, it’s the proximity and mirroring that anchor us to the work. My middle son calls it parallel play, like how toddlers plan. We’re each working on what we want to work on, but doing it side by side keeps us both focused on the work.
Pomodoro Method:
In addition to body doubling, we also use a productivity tool called the Pomodoro Method. The Pomodoro Method is based on research that shows the optimal ratio for productivity, balance and avoiding burn out is for every 52 minutes of work we do, we should rest for 10 minutes. At Admin Night and in my Finish Line Friday productivity group, we break that into 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest. “Rest” can be standing up from your desk, walking around, using the washroom, closing our eyes or focusing our eyes on something other than the computer screen for a few minutes, taking some nice deep breaths, getting a drink of water. Then we get back to work.
That cycle of 25 and 5 guides Admin Night. Breaks are optional. They are strongly suggested, but they are optional, so if you want to just keep chugging along, go for it. And if you need a break some other time, go for it. These are tools and strategies, but you’re adults and invited to be comfortable.
Accountability:
Accountability is the third piece of the puzzle. Accountability to yourself and to others. Accountability is our opportunity to state as we begin what it is we want to accomplish in our time together. I can state to the group what I plan to work on for the 25 minute cycle, do the work, then celebrate the task completion and pick the next one.
At a recent Admin Night, I mentioned to the group that I brought some “smalls” with me. In addition to checking my email because I have been out of office all day, I had a handful of business cards that I needed to enter into my phone and then purge the cards. I had a recipe card that I needed to put all on one page for my son because he asked me to. I used one cycle of 25 minutes to clean pictures and apps off my phone, and tidy up my phone home screen.
And then between the work sessions, I can check in with myself and my partners to see how I am progressing on those tasks. And if I’m struggling with something, I can break down a big task into even smaller steps or ask my partner to brainstorm (briefly) with me about other possible strategies.
I love the idea of having Admin Night at a location that is not your home because it means you have to pack your work. Which really helps us focus on what we want to accomplish in that dedicated time.
Realistic Time Estimates:
We learn what 25 minutes feels like, and also how long tasks actually take. At our recent Admin Night, one of the participants commented on how she liked the timer because it helps her to understand how long her tasks actually take and how she can adjust her expectations. Professionally, she is aware of how long work tasks take but she doesn’t have a gauge for personal admin tasks, and this process helped.
Focused Time on Nagging Tasks, to Clear the Mental Clutter!
Every time you see that piece of paper or that reminder on your to-do list, you waste mental energy saying “ugh, that's right, I still have to do that thing.” Yes, that's a real deal, people. You know you need to do it but because it's not a high priority and nobody else is asking you about it other than yourself, it just keeps getting shuffled aside. But your brain still knows you have to do it.
At our last Admin Night, I scanned sheet music into my forScore App for upcoming liturgies. I had just received a pile of music for Lent and Holy Week, and time and patience are required to scan in the music. And everything is so much easier when the scanning is done! I can share it with my choir, I can give the sheet music back to my music director - just easier! I only needed to dedicate an hour to get it done. So I did! And the music is in a tidy pile now, waiting to go back to my music director at rehearsal this week. Yeah!
What would your admin night list look like? Maybe you need to
File a complaint with PayPal for an unknown charge
Follow up on that medical bill
Create a specific Spotify Playlist
Fill out forms for your kids’ summer camps
Finish your thank you notes from a recent birthday party
Follow up on an account that you thought was closed but isn't
(These are all real life examples from participants)
If you have these admin tasks and others, and you could use a productive environment to get things done, please consider joining us for our next admin night in April!
We’ve tried both a Tuesday night and a Monday night. We chose our next night based on the people that were present at our latest admin night and when they wanted to come to the next one, which I think is brilliant. Come and join us, and we will keep making it better!
Maybe you like the idea, but you are nowhere near me in Evergreen Park, understandable!
But perhaps you can consider having an admin night with your friends or family members. You get together and all agree that for the next hour you will work on annoying admin tasks and then take a break and have ice cream.
As Bridget, our host and owner of Spoke and Vine says, it’s like an adult study hall but no test.
Our next Admin Night at Spoke and Vine, the corner of 95th Street and Kedzie in Evergreen Park, is Monday, April 13 at 6:30 pm. Please consider admin night with us. And if you like the idea, consider hosting an Admin Night on your own. Consider joining me for a Finish Line Friday. And I feel like I should host a virtual admin night, or bring you all along in my Zoom Room to our Spoke and Vine Admin Night! (I think I love that idea!) Hope to see you soon!
