5 Life Admin Tasks to Sort Out in Your 20s and Reduce Stress

5 Life Admin Tasks to Sort Out in Your 20s and Reduce Stress

This article is sponsored by Bupa.


As the great lyricists Smash Mouth once said, “The years start coming and they don’t stop coming.” Nothing feels more true when you reach your mid-to-late twenties. You’ve probably graduated university, gotten a full-time job, maybe flown the nest or are just having fun going with the flow. 

Whatever it looks like, it’s still pretty important to stay on top of (or, at least, aware of) life admin.

Yes, there’s admin just to be a functional human in society but hey, it doesn’t have to be all boring paperwork and succumbing to ‘the Man’. Sometimes, it can feel good to get your life in order. It means you care, you want good things for your future, and you want to spend less time thinking of the ‘adult’ stuff and more time to be nostalgic over your teen years. We get it. 

Read on for a few tips on the life admin to stay on top of in your twenties. 

Superannuation

I know it feels like the future has never been more uncertain, but future you will thank you for doing the boring bit now so you can live comfortably later. If you began working as a teenager, your superannuation provider may not reflect the values you have now. 

As well as choosing a superannuation fund that is investing in the world you want to see, many people are unaware of just how many super accounts have been opened under their name.

If you’ve had a few jobs over the years and haven’t consolidated all of your super accounts into one, that can be a big life admin task that’s ticked off. All of your money will be in the one place and your 70-year-old self will be grateful you got it sorted in your youth. 

Health Insurance

This is another admin task that can feel less important when you’re young. It’s easy to feel invincible when you’re fit and healthy but sadly, accidents, illness, and injury can happen at any time, to anyone. This isn’t said to freak you out, but rather so you can be one of those young adults with their life together. 

Choose a health insurance policy that works for your lifestyle and budget. Providers like Bupa offer great low-cost-hospital cover to back you when accidents do happen and have a range of policies for singles and couples alike. Health insurance is one of those things that you may not think about until it’s too late, so getting onto it now can help both your body and bank balance down the road. 

Keep track of your debt

As you age, one thing becomes even more apparent. Life is expensive and sometimes, we need to take on debt to help us out. Whether it’s your HECS debt or the result of a buy now, pay later habit; debt happens. 

What isn’t good however, is when that debt spirals. It has you chasing after it rather than making contributions confidently. Make sure you know what money is due when and how much is going out each month.

That way, you can clear your debt and put that money to the things that matter to you. Apps like Mint, Every Dollar, and Good Budget are just a handful of the resources that can help you out with managing your money. 

Taxes

You knew this one was coming, right? The ultimate marker of adulthood is figuring out how to do your taxes. Yes, it’s a scam that we weren’t taught more about the ATO in school and have to fend for ourselves for a while, but there’s no time like the present to learn. 

If you actually don’t have time to learn about the taxation system then you can also get on top of your life admin by finding a good accountant. They’re paid to know how much you owe, what you can claim on expenses, and so much more. Learning how to do your taxes confidently can set you up for life so get onto it now. 

Organise your documents

Another task to make sure you do in your twenties is to organise your documents. While it’s quite endearing to see a desktop (digital or physical) covered in files and documents as a young adult, once you graduate university it’s less sweet and more anxiety-inducing.

Finding an organisation system that works for you is key. Whether you want to organise chronologically, alphabetically, by printing everything out and sticking it in a folder, it doesn’t matter. But having documents like your passport, birth certificate and insurance policies in one place can reduce a headache further down the line.

And organising any work files you have can also prove to yourself and your boss that you are a real life adult.

Again, while all of these steps may seem boring and inconsequential, you’ll feel good after getting them done. It’s like exercise or finishing a book. You know you’ve made a step forward to becoming a better, less stressed person and that’s worth celebrating.


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