You have likely heard the advice that you should get an annual physical exam from your doctor and you should go to the dentist twice a year for a checkup. And what about the recommendation that you wear sunscreen every day? Are all these things really necessary? We begin this episode with a look what the experts say about common health advice you’ve probably heard all your life - some of which may not be necessary. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/slideshows/do-you-really-need-to-cover-the-toilet-seat-with-paper
Since the time you went to school, you’ve learned that if you get a bad grade, you should work hard to improve it. In other words, fix your weaknesses. Yet, when it comes to real life as an adult, spending time trying to get good at something you are not very good at may be a flawed strategy. You may be much better off focusing on what you ARE good at, according Tom Rath, senior scientist and adviser to the Gallup organization and author of the book Strengths Finder 2.0 (https://amzn.to/2TUQ2jI) Listen as Tom explains why there is very little payoff to try to improve your weaknesses and he has the research that proves it.
If you want your kid to eat healthier, remember - it’s all in the packaging and presentation. I have some fascinating research from Yale University that explains how cartoon stickers can help you get your kids to eat right. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/kids-food-tastes-cartoon-decorated-packages-study-finds/story?id=10957148
Think about how much of your day is devoted to the little details of life. Everything from errands to filling out forms, writing emails, calling customer service, taking the car in for repairs– all those things. Elizabeth Emens, a law professor at Columbia Law School has identified these tasks as “Life Admin”. And she joins me to offer some great ways to deal with all those tasks effectively and efficiently so you can get on to the bigger things in life. Elizabeth is author of the book, Life Admin (https://amzn.to/2syggwZ).
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Today on something you should know: do you really need an annual physical or see the Dennis two times a year? I'll tell you what the
we say then
it's better to improve your weaknesses or grow your strength. Child shows up, but I want the falling great hey, an app which great deserves most time and attention. Seventy five eighty percent apparent pay. The EP deserves most attention and faith on our search that we look at the parent, spend even more time focusing on the pay that might result had a better return. Twenty thirty years down the road plus how to get your kids to eat, what's good for
and how well do you handle all the little details of life every day it's called life admin naming it had been. How bore me into a lot of
people told me you ve, given me now a word for this thing. In my day, in my life, you don't have to feel like. I don't know what happened to my day, because
about to say. I know what I did. I did admin all day. That's what I did all this too
on something you should know hey bombers,
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Something you should now fascinating, enter the world's top experts and practical advice. You can use your life today, something you should make her rather ass,
welcome to something you should know. We start today with a health related topic from
who'd you are told to do certain things to stay healthy, but do we really need to do them all? Well, let's see
really need to wear sunscreen every day? Yes, even
only going to and from work doing so can help her
do again, sunburn, early skin aging and skin cancer according
to the American Academy of Dermatologists, dear
We have to wash your hands after you use the bathroom e s head,
washing is one of the most effective ways to avoid getting yourself and others sick still
the study of three thousand seven hundred and forty nine people, ten per cent of people did not.
wash their hands at all after using the bathroom thirty three percent,
did so without any soap, and nearly every one didn't lather long enough. Do you need to filter?
your tap water. In most cases,
Probably not since tap water in the? U S is already treated, however, the quality,
depends on where you live, the source of your water, as well as the quality of the pipes in your home people with a price
well should have their water tested annually to make sure it is free of contaminants. Do you,
we need to get a physical every year may be evident,
mixed on whether yearly checkups with primary care physician do more harm than good, despite the fact that ninety two
percent of Americans, believe it is an important part of their health care according to a pole,
you have no ongoing health conditions and you are feeling well, you probably don't need an annual physical says. Doktor
Christine Lane, who is editor in chief of the annals of internal medicine and senior
vice president of the American College of Physicians: what about going to
dentists, twice a year. Do you really need to do that? Maybe if you
have diabetes or have a certain genetic marker for gum disease called Interleukin one you are likely to benefit by going.
Dennis twice a year according to
study in the Journal of Dental Research, otherwise
It may not make much of a difference whether you see the dentist once or twice a year according to the study, and what about
putting that protector, the public toilet see before you use it well, if it makes you feel better, it's a good idea
but toilet seeds are not a vehicle for transmission of infectious diseases. It's probably
lot more important to use a paper towel to cover up your contact with the
ass it handles and the bathroom door knobs. Then it
is to use a toilet, seek cover and that
is something you should know
I heard my
first guess talk about this subject some years ago, and I have not only remembered it all these years, but I have really applied it to my life and my kids life. It's this whole idea of what you're good at and how do you capitalize
that, rather than the idea of what are your way
this is, and how do we improve on those that, I think, is
school based thinking, you know what
student comes home with a report card the
CERN in the emphasis is on what classes you didn't do well in what courses are you weaken, so we can help you get those grades up and that thinking sticks with people fix and focus which are not good. At
as I think you will hear doing. That makes very little sense and pays very.
Small dividends,
It's actually more serious than that, because by focusing the spot
on weaknesses that need fixing we're not giving enough credit or attention to our strengths, what we're good at- and that is where the magic is, and the big pay off in life to play to yours,
strengths and here to explain why this is so important and probably more important,
you ever realized is Tom wrath. Tom
is a researcher and writer with several books to his name. He also.
Currently serves as a senior scientist for and adviser to the gallop organization and the book he wrote that applies to this topic is called strengths, finder to point. Oh,
item so start by talking about the consequences of not focusing
like a laser beam on what you're good at what? What's the downside, while it's amazing how people have wind up in jobs and careers that, although perhaps what a parent at Diner what they have got flawed again to and high school or college and find themselves at age, thirty, forty realising that they don't spend much time in areas of strength and of course, our way are not only to our schools or set up, but also did he get in their professional development programmes. And management, though, is that how can you fix what you're not good at and can become more well rounded and good at all kinds of things and as we started to study human behavior thirty forty years ago, my colleagues at a gallop organization did, without people actually have a lot more
our potential for success and growth in the areas where they do have that natural talent, instead of trying to create a couple well rounded person, essentially yet, is so interesting to me that when you look at the best people, these are people who sucked it some
thing and just by
determination, got good at it and became great the people who were great at something have that natural
interest talent and ability. For that thing they didn't have to move the needle from Sukhi Sukhi too great. They prefer,
We only had to move the needle from good, too great yeah yeah when we study what its the best Peters about fails. People, the best nurses, are the best managers. We always see that they always have more room for growth, so he ever fails. Person is currently making brain and nine million dollars a business here, verses self, personal rain and one million dollars. If you put more development and effort and attention toward the one making nine million dollars, she is much more likely to bring in another ten million instead of trying to bring the person whose only making one million a year up to nine million a ten million. So we see that time and time again we look at it with students and our ability to read quickly,
nurses and our ability to treat patients properly and to get good customer satisfaction, scores and so on will don't you think it starts in school? You know we go to school, to learn lots of things and we hope were really good at lots of things, but people often are good.
lots of things there good at some things and when they're not good at some things, that's the focus. It do not start with. Aren't we asked the question and we asked about seven or eight countries now the gout or question we asked appearance. Why did he trial shows up at all what the following great and hay at sea, an app which great deserves the most time and attention and you can probably get in every single country we ve studied about seventy five. Eighty percent apparent say they have deserved the most attention and of course it is students Valancourt. It's a real problem that, based on research,
We ve, looked out of the parents, spend even more time focus on the areas where this unity has an aim that might result in a better return. Twenty three years down the road will
I know I used to always think that way that you make better
but you're, not good at that that that well, rounded person idea, is
good until I heard you talk about this a while ago, and it was like
lights, which, when I like a bull of course, because that's where the real potential is is to build,
what you're already good at not try to get.
Did something you're, not good at or or that you don't even like, or right and, of course
Orton, demanded around your weaknesses and find ways to make sure that your weakness is: don't pull you down and prohibit you from working areas of strength every day, but if you just think about it, for my investment perspective
where you invest your time, your energy, in your attention over lifetime, the all too often you get caught up in a fix, a mode neglect. Our strength
So how do you figure out? What's yours,
and saw means I think some people know what their strengths are. They know what they're good at, but I suspect alive
people still
Sure don't really have a real, strong strength
they can go. You will see I'm going to be a lawyer, because I'm really good at that. I mean the. So. How do you figure that out here? I am, or you think, don't look her things that you learn rapidly sort of thing he pick up on naturally, water
I think you've done over your lifetime. Will people say you know you're really good at that you stand out in the crowd, so I think some of the things we look out indicate that most people have the potential to be better than a thousand or even ten thousand other people and some specific area. So, if you're, naturally great at listening and comforting, someone is upsetting dealing with a problem, give a better chance at customer service if you're, naturally very competitive and have that drive to win against others, be better off in a sales role, and sometimes we accidentally take people are great and sales roles and promote
management instead of allowing them to build more tied on status, recognition and assailed role, for example. Don't you find, though, that when you ask people, you wonder your strengths? The people cannot shrugged her shoulders and give you blanks near yet most of the time it does result in a blank air and that's why we developed the strength seiners estimate that the books really based around where people go through about a thirty minute assessment, then we will get out of the thirty four most common human talent sweet found over thirty forty years of study. We give each person their top five Alan, and so that gives you a language to start talking about. You naturally of competition. Are you and achieve, or his empathy in your top five or those drank the cannon bubble up to the top, when you sort that
a rank order so that we found about language really catches on with people and, as you that's worth being used in work places all around the world right now. Interesting
speaking with Tom Wrath time? Is it
it is an adviser to the gallop organization and author of the book, strengths. Finder, two point: zero
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see Abrams and Laura. Hudson is now available everywhere: audio books are sold so Tom. Don't you think this applies, because I know you,
It focuses on career, finding the right career based on your strengths. But don't you think this apply
they re thing in life. You know should as one of the most refreshing line the business, but I think we're in a gallop. There's we built a strength programme around the strengthened or settlement for college students in an odd couple years have had a quarter million college freshmen go through in the first few months of classes, the figure out what areas they might want to study, how they can build better relationships, how they can achieve a little bit more in class each day
probably even more important for kids at that age to learn about their strengths, and it is for people or a little bit older and I've already here, a little bit more set in their careers because of that age,
trying to figure out what you want to do and have a chance to build a career around your talent.
Is there any sense- and I'm not sure you ve looked at this, but is there any sense that.
The sooner in life you I d,
fi and grab onto your strength,
The better you end up being added later on in life. I absolute
I think the earlier on you can clarify and begin to not only explain, articulate but then build on your strength earlier on in life. The better off your down the road so and that you would Henderson is, of course, people change to a degree over time. But there have been some pretty compelling steadied I've looked at suggesting that you can look at pre early traces of personality, at least by the age of thirteen. The show remarkable stability at age is twenty three and thirty three and forty three. So do I
you could start to see those early traits of talent at a pretty young age least between ten and fifteen author. So are you saying that they give you a completely stumped and you don't know what you're good at or what you'd? Like to do that, you could
look back to when you were thirteen and get a clue, just something your natural pendent. From a personality perspective, I think you can see the early traces of
Someone who naturally has a lot of harmony and brings peace to a group in comparison to someone is naturally competitive and has a lot of achievement drive those ages. So you start to see those traces in children somewhere around that range. That's interested
because you eat, when you think about a lot of college freshmen who don't know what they want a major and they don't know which direction they want to go when, in fact,
if they were to take a look back to their
He teens
The seed may already have been planted. Yeah thing in man gazed at seated already plan and sometimes as having a conversation with a person has been a great man, turn adviser to you over the years and is asking them to reflect on. Where
chasing you excel, because I'm I'm amazed by how many people can I go through this assessment. Look at their talents and a few of the things that come out we'll make sense, and there are others will table this. This doesn't seem like me
does this myself, but then, when they share it with another person who knows row other other best friend or spouse or apparent, the other person get the right away.
yeah. You know that sounds right, because I bet a lot of people are are good,
it's something have a real strengthen something but be
it comes so easily to them. They discount it to some degree. So too
someone else.
say that you're really. This is what you're really good at Ispra
what we are good way to see what your strengths are creating for part of the equation as good to get feedback from others about where they have seen. You really differentiate yourself from occurring
what about people who are a bit older? You know in their thirties or forties or older and is so they're not
figure out what course to taken life. They ve already take
and of course- and they know they're pretty unhappy in the course they ve taken. One of those people do that
key to evaluate what you spend your time doing and have a practical way on a day to day basis and think about in your job. What are the moment we are actually having a good time. Is it when you spend time with your colleagues in social life and about things that, when you're really winning over customer ward of those moments in the day, we do experience private affairs faction, enjoyment in and try and figure out, if there's any ways and carve out a little more time each month in those areas where your enjoying
time in your work and, in most cases, economic a little bit in another case it, of course we need to re, evaluate and faith. It is a job that you really don't have much passion about in your not finding you not spending, even then
some of your time in an area we have a lot of drank a talent. Then maybe you need to read
wait line of work
I imagine, too, that there are people who do know what there
drank, fears or or new with theirs,
it was and chose it and followed it, but the.
they ve chosen has now become obsolete or it's been a hard to make a living doing that any more. So
so now. What do they do for I M athletes, but even more important problem and now you're a natural tendency in personality, so you can be more. Adaptive is now a new jobs come up with new assignments within your car. Also, you can get back and say. How can I connect crime? Naturally good at to these three things. Avian see that
They get done every week on the job defined, though, that there are still people who go through this process who tried to figure out what their strengths,
based on all the criteria you talk about and
how the other end and go no, there's nothing I'd.
Nothing really grabs me sure uniting. There are some people who just really struggle with the specificity of identifying, whether good at and in some way that in that kind of a theme of personality to when you really not sure and you dont you might someday, my tribe is not being the most decisive person, but yet you can really stepped back and taken a lot of information so good, and sometimes that really works your benefit. If you can turn it in the right direction and other times
very challenging, because you spend a lot of time in her life trying to figure out which way to go. What is the way you want to go? What is the thing you uncover? That's your strength,
but really has no marketable value, that seven, that the chattering that cannot go shouted at their things, you're very interested in very good at, and you can't figure at any way to get paid to do that, then that thing that's what turns into Hobbes that people are very good at and then spend some time working on when they're off the job, but in most cases living people can are able to I'd, say maybe ninety. Ninety five percent of time is my observations. People figured out ways to connect their talents to things they can do well and spend a lot of time in those areas if they find the right job. But in some cases it is important that back evaluative you're in the line of work here and because you love and you're good at it.
a minor work here, and because you wound up their beginning to get a paycheck orbit it it's. What your parents dad or some someone recommended a drink ology. Is it the case that people, when they start
then go through this process and really think about what their strengths are, that they tend to gravitate towards one thing:
or can you gravitate to multiple things
Could you take your assessment, for example, and
about the other end and say? Well, you know this. Guy could be a really good burrito or a really good astronaut do that either there s another way developed and get in
They pick careers, who I understand that, but but do you find that in general, people could go in different directions that could lead them to being either a burmese
or an astronaut, because they have interests and talents and strength in multiple areas. I think most people could go on multiple directions in terms of specific careers. There's a way
to apply a player extremely analytical? There's there's a way to apply that in myriad jobs. What are you talking about being a stockbroker, an astronaut or science teacher in high school, so that there are many applications based on your very unique personality in town to town,
when you talk to people who claim to know their strengths, have they have no question about it?
Are they usually right here? For the most part, they are right and I'm just gonna get validation from others to make sure you're on the right track that when people find that area where their naturally engaged in their jobs, not only to find they get more done, but there are a lot more satisfied with their lives swell. You know one of the big challenges in the workplace stares at it from a management perspective, I think
energy, one key to fixing the problem we have today were in work places? We study around the world about twenty percent of people were actively disengaged a real negative about their jobs, don't like what they're doing tell people out a hate working their company and so forth, whereas if you have a manager who regularly helps you to focus on your strength, the chances of your being real angrier, actively disengage, your just one in a hundred. So a lot of the responsibility lies on managers in organizations to sit down with the people who work for them and help them
figure out? What are their natural path, and how can they apply that in a job therein today, will I think this is such an important topic, because we all come to that.
fork in the road early in life and then other
forks in the road as life goes on in
to have an idea of which road to take at the fork, I think really helps Tom wrath. Is:
my guest he's a researcher and writer and
is a senior scientist and adviser to the gallop organization and he's author of several books, including strengths, finder,
two point: no you'll find a link to his book in the show notes for this episode. Thanks Tom Pritchett Demeanour
when you listen to all the success gurus in red the books and watch the TED talks and even listen to podcast, like this there
often a lot of talk about achieving the big goals in life, but the fact is, life is full of other stuff. Sure it would
great. If you could apply all your time to work on all the big things you want to accomplish, but you still have to go to the grocery
store the dry cleaners. Gotta, take your car ran and pay your bills and a million other things. That's life admin its
you handle all the day to day life stuff and not a lot of people
talk about it, because it's kind of
Dane it's not very sexy and exciting, yet its critical
to your success. When you think about it, Elizabeth
means has decided to dig really deep into this. She is up
faster of law at Columbia, University and she's. Author of the book life Admin High Elizabeth Welcome, allowed happy new year. I love this topic just
because not a lot of people talk about it. It isn't very flashy and exciting to talk about the admit,
strain of day to day life. Yet it so
port, and so was so. Why did you decide to take a look at this? This project started for me because I was feeling
they overwhelmed in my own life and at first I thought it was just my problem and then I look
around looked at what other people are doing, and I realise that everyone around me
to be overwhelmed as well, and I saw that there was this kind of invisible layer of work that everyone was doing. This kind of office work. You know we. We were aware of the chores. We had to do at home, the physical chores, cooking and cleaning in that kind of thing, but it
like. We hadn't really been prepared for all the managerial labour and secretarial labour of filling out forms and making decisions and planning and all the kinds of everyday things, both paying bills and doing taxes, but also lost luggage and broken technology admin and big life. Events like having a child getting married or also hard things like a health crisis. These all come with huge amounts of admin until those little things you're talking about taken really add up in
in an office. You know who is the hero who's, the here? It's it's, the it's the office administrator. Who can? Really? You don't make me
fly, or not, I mean we celebrated at work. We waste
it at work. But we don't recognize the
Orton, says it all in our personal lives absolutely and at work. This kind of labour is often distributed among multiple people, so there is the manager there's the secretary. There, too
resources who also figuring out how people feel about it and there may be some kind of. Ah you know
research operations, division that looks into things are committees. Whole committees are created to pursue a particular a and product home. This may be handled by two people, two one person, and so it's not surprising it's over its
but this stuff busy gonna go away. This is stuff that has to get done, and, yes, your shining a light on it.
saying. Yes, it's really important
But how do you do it differently? How do you get a handle on it better, so that
This is such a burden, while so naming it has been helpful me into a lot of people. I talk to people told me you ve, given me now a word for this thing. In my day, in my life and my marriage, you dont have to feel like
I don't know what happened to my day because it's possible to say. Oh, I know what I did. I did admin all day. That's what I did. I did something so for starters. That can help it can help with the feeling of guilt. Her embarrassment of its seeming avail you're does not getting things done because you're actually getting all these other things done, but there's more, we can do that. Just few
better? We can also make changes in the choices that we make so from the interviews I did and brainstorming sessions. I have identified four main admin personalities and we tend to
the centre? In one of these personalities, though we may be different across different kind of life event and then their strategies, we can learn from each other for personnel,
These so quickly would one of the four personalities shore they are thus super duper the reluctant they were. The admin avoid her and the admin denier. The names may help convey something to you, but basically the first two are both doers are both getting at dawn in the last two are mostly avoiding or denying their not not getting this kind of stuff dawn and then the differences, how to do it? How you feel about it so the reluctant doors doing it but really wishing, but they didn't have you I'm
generally are reluctant. They were. It sounds like a hierarchy, but each of them actually have something to teach us, though, and avoid or a great avoid or strategy that I write about is trusting so trusting that the neighbors near your new home, no one to put the garbage out
so, rather than calling up the sanitation department or going online and searching to try to forget you just look out every day and see you know that they put their guard
well, today, Yokel pointed out today so trusting the strategy we can learn from avoid errors. I am probably
the same as you I'm reluctant but what's interesting about it- is that when I
get all that stuff done. It feels so
good. I mean it's like it's like, oh wow. Now that the slow
is clean, but the next time I mean
just as still just as reluctant to do it. That was one of the big surprise us of my research with how many people I interviewed, found that at least some of the time when they made time for it, they could actually get some kind of pleasure from either from the end of the dun at pleasure, of having completed it. If you ve ever made a list and cross things off enjoyed crossing them off. So much that you put things on United on your list of you could cross them off than you understand done at pleasure, but also sometimes from the press.
Some of it. One of my proudest avoid earth talked about being on a plane. Overseas, wants and doing his taxes on the plane and actually kind of enjoying it, even though he was
Leon avoid or and really tried, not to have to face the stuff, but it can be a little like a crossword puzzle when you make a space for it and not part of the magic of seeing it as real as it makes it more possible to make this way
for it, but regardless of the type that you are there, some strategies to tackle this stuff and handle it in
we ve been in beer life so that its easier yeah for starters, a simple to do list, is a strategy that I learned actually from super doors. I was surprised him any of my super duper. Interviewees had gone back to paper.
Or what I use I use paper when I have a huge amount to do in a day, then I'll make a list for that particular day, but otherwise I used the notes happened. My phone, I tried a lotta different apps offer to do list and I just found that for me it was often more of a drain on dealing with them and they were glad to your. They didn't do quite what I wanted and a simple list in my phone work, even better other things. We can do as you can bypass it to do list altogether by taking care of something right. When it's coming out, you write when somebody says: do you
oh sure I doktor. Can you give me your eye doctors information instead of saying, oh sure, I'll, send out to you. You can say here I'll: do it right now, while the person standing there in order to give you their email, dresser, their phone number, two texts to them, and so you don't ever have to put it on your to do list of their small strategies, but the personalities help us not just if your that personality, but we can learn from the other personalities and we can try on a new admin person,
body as a kind of short cut. Trying a new approach to this yet well. Imagine is personality dependent to some degree, but it would seem that that
Perhaps there is some ways like since you know, you're going to have to pay the bills every month. Is it better to sit down and pay them all at once or do you you know, stagger at pay three builds a week. Is there any sense of you know what what feels better or is it just to independent? One thing I hound is that for some people- and this mainly have helped me actually planning with someone else, so I created Admin Study Hall when I was going through a particularly intense admin on thought so
once a week for an hour, sometimes more often than that. I would plan with a friend that we would show up on video conference with easier. We couldn't meat in person and if you are admin together for an hour, not together, but just side by side like in a study hall, that it was possible to really see it and appreciated and appreciate that it takes everybody. The huge amount of time
some people they don't wanna, get together with somebody else. But I do think that setting aside that our I have a solo study hall kind of chart in the book that one can use
just to say: ok, here's an hour, here's what I'm gonna try to do or half an hour. Here's what I want to try to open it
set goals and take these steps and
and make it real, what's that
where's. The line between this is just like. Add Men- and this is bigger stuff, or is it even important too to make the distinction I bigger stocky mean
you know you're, not getting a new job bore, or you know starting your business. I mean big bigger goals, rather than just you know, get the electric bill. Pay yeah, so absent can be part of any light
Oh, I think of admin as the means to the end, though, and at a particular kind of means that the office type a part of the means, rather than the physical labour of they doing dishes and so
can actually make something more or less admin like so I wrote a blog posts for psychology today last month about giving guest for the holidays
if you go on line and you look up best gifts for people in their ages to by all the gifts for the old people in your family in order the same gift for everybody off of that list? That's really admin. If you spend hours shopping in store than you like doing that, you can turn that same activity into not admin. So, depending on your time, how much time you have and how you want to do it. You can.
He'd be faster and more admin like or slower and more pleasurable, you know we ve been talking for the most part under the assumption that for most people
this kind of life. Admin stuff is boring Joe.
Jerry
I would rather not do it kind of stuff, but are there people who really enjoy tat
going, these kinds of things. I think some people like it more than others, but I think each of us has ways in two pleasures around admin. That may surprise us, and most of us deal our selves against it to make sure it doesn't take up more time than it should and that we want it to who doesn't distract us from our other goals, which can be a good approach, but when we have to sit down to do it is helpful to find out our admin pleasures and then I think those are pretty particularly on the pleasures chapter I give some different acted on, which we can very like some people I could do with other people, and people like to do it alone. Some people prefer paper. Some people love new text,
energy. If you can find which waves are yours into those pleasures, then when you have to face it, it doesn't have to be a bad Arthur things from all the talking with other people.
Looking at this. Are there some particular tasks or admin tasks that people particularly have trouble with insurance admin it pretty
Billy burdensome. That's why the areas to where I think we could really have reform insurance industry is very highly.
Related already, it should be regulated for how ensure spend our time. Not just our money, like Whoso Woody mean well, we should be able to know
advance if we have a choice about insurance company or for the public entity, ensures
be evaluated based on how many minutes of your time it takes to submit a claim to get reimbursed to contest denial that turns out
We too have been valid, but right now it's on the insurer side, if they do what called rationing by hassle by just making it hard for you and you give up then that money in the bank for them there should actually be cost to insurers of
wasting our time in speaking of cost me, what are the costs of this? What are the? What are the costs of this? What will, if you don't do this? Well, what's the price you pay now depend on that the kind of work, one obvious cost it just a huge amount of time that Hake I mean they are the free application for federal student aid. The fact the form that people have to fill out of their plan for financial aid or thought for their kids cost. You have families thirty million hours last year, an people also don't we finance their homework. It is when they could. One study found that practically twenty percent of U S household, that could benefit from home market refinancing. Don't do it and there's a foregone savings are five point four billion dollars, and this often happens just because someone fails to open their mail, so there can be
costs do not doing this and as somebody who had a pile of now in my how I can understand right. Well, that's that's of own interesting part of this that I, when I hear the term life admin, I think more of the day to day drudgery of just getting through life. But but there are bigger issues here in that's, that's a big one! If you dont refinance your house,
and could save a lot of money. I mean that's a real cost at the real costs. Are there others you mentioned the insurance in applying for fat prefer fund.
it's late? What are some of the other things that may be were ignoring because it's just such a hassle that we need to
keep our eye on well. If people don't pay their taxes, so you know there can be huge consequences to that. I signed up for identity theft, protection which I don't think is any foolproof scheme, but from the person I interviewed, who'd been true identity theft in the huge time costs that came with that, it seemed worth it to me to sign up for identity theft protection. We can just be clobbered by this work and we didn't
not if you think Mary Poppins returned and the whole frame of the movie, if they can't find a stock certificate from their father and so they're gonna lose their house because they can't find it buried in their attic, but leaving that stock certificates right could mean those where help, but more seriously, for people who are on public benefits.
If you can open your mail, you may lose your housing and I
did interviews with a clinic that worked with people. I'm dealing with benefits to what a lot of what that legal clinic does is help people try to keep their housing or their foods damp. When small admin
can lead these huge costs. It is so when the more I listen to you, then the more
think about all the things I mean to keeping track of important papers and in a where's the rest of the ownership certificate for you
car when it's time to sell it, and where is your birth certificate when you need that in
Maybe it should be in a bank security box, but but who
as the time, and so I stuck in a drawer and now I don't know where it is and it just like,
just goes on and on and on and on, and one helpful thing actually for really important paper that some people are really good at finally
and they like filing and they get pleasure from the organisation of it another great. But I also I interviewed
but he who he keeps the box of for the year of papers and that's too bad
we know where to look. I have a fire safe, safe fireproof, safe, where I put really important things. So I now, if it really important it's gonna, be in that fireproof save you know, often it if it takes. I think you know something. Bad happened to to wait people up about this, like like you,
can't find your birth certificate, and now you gotta go through the huge hassle of getting you know, another copy of it, and then it's like wake up.
Or maybe it's time to organise this stuff. So this doesn't happen again in its more how it helpful if we can pay attention to it and see it so that we do it up front or when the moment comes, and we have to face it. We at least don't feel about about the hours that we lose our putting that system together the ideas to try section I have at the end of the book as it organised by
you're in a non flawed. Ah, here some tips and ideas to try and when you are at a moment where you can make a system improvement like what you're talking about like saying. Ok, it's really time to organise an important documents, though I have them when I need them, because they are at the same moment and when you're suddenly dealing with an ailing parent. It's not the moment where you're gonna go and reorganise erratic to find all your paperwork and put it neatly into files. It just isn't that moment, and so we need different kinds of techniques,
for those different periods of time so for some listening who, whose listening to you in thinking yeah,
I haven't really thought about this. This is important, but what s so worthiest start. What do you do? First
I kind of get your head in this game. I do think the starting point
naming and naming it in your relationships with other people and starting to talk about it, so that you see
where it is and where the difficult points are for you and then I think, to start with a simple list, just finding a simple way to keep track of things. If you don't.
of one already. I know you say that this can be particularly useful
around the new year when you're making new year's resolution so which is not the on two twenty twenty two's, not that far away, and so put that into practice. For me how this
like admin works with New year's resolutions. Well, if we see that most goals that we have had an admin component, so if I wanna exercise more this year, which let us say hypothetically I do I want to exercise more this year, then I I could make a plan to play tennis with a friend, but then I'm gonna have to always plan without friend we're gonna have to schedule the ones I do if I make default plans and the best way for me to do that.
Is if I can make a plan like I'm, going to go to the gym every Friday morning at seven, a dot m and I'm going to be there and if I can make a plan with a friend we're both going to be there at seven, a dot m great, but we're still going to go even if the other person canceled. So I'm going to put it in my phone on repeat so. I know it's supposed to happen. It's an appointment and I'm not going to cancel just because my friend doesn't
because the rescheduling admin is often one of our big hurdles. Ah, if you're somebody is trying to change the way you're eating, you may not think about how much admin is involved in finding a new wave eating. You have to find new recipes. You have to find where to get the food you're gonna eat and
takes time and those zeroing out some other area of life. For that period, like I'm not going to deal with social media for two weeks, while I just actually try to get the new diet going, can carve out the space where otherwise admin can be a kind of invisible drag on whatever you're trying to do
well that life admin is seems to be an invisible drag on everything. People are trying to do unless they actually kind of look at it and say you know. This is a real thing. It's not just something in the periphery that I need to get to this
it really does need attention, and rather than just default attention, and if we can all pay attention to it, we can collectively
get better? I now right on the end of my text off
when it's true I write in an hour by which I mean no need to reply. So the person knows they dont need to send another email in response to that
right back and say thanks? I got it all
ever. It is also in a week
find some ways to make things and unfair other people. Some of this extra
and then they may also return the favour. While I like that idea and are at the end of texts and emails, I'm gonna start doing that and hope that people either know what it means or ask what it means, because I
I get a lot of those emails that just say thanks or got it.
And here it is not really necessary.
Isabel Edmunds has been my guest. She is a law professor at Columbia, law, school and author of the book life admin there's a linked to her.
Look in the show notes: thanks lies at great hack, India,
If you're gonna go to the trouble of packing a lunch or a snack for your child, you might wanna
ass, some stickers to submit
bursting research at Yale University found that kid's eight and enjoyed food more from a package that was decorated with cartoon characters.
The experiment involved. Clear bags, with an assortment of things like grand crackers fruits, now
and baby carrots. Some of the bags had been DEC
waited with sticker of Shreck your door. The explorer Scooby do more than half the kids went for that bag first and even
said it tasted better than the
and snack from the plane bag. The sticker trick was more effective.
sweet snacks, vegetables were
a tougher cell with kids liking the fresh fruit snacks. The best
and that is something you should know like to
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listening today to something you should know
hey it's rejoicing and my first guest of seas and three just getting started happens to be the new host of this podcast, my better half Susie Schuster. You ve got one of the most unique stories of how you got started. So why don't you come across the hall and take the chair and women and I think I locked the door? That's not a metaphor driver has relating in here I mean in vain. He said
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Transcript generated on 2022-03-01.