Administrative tasks to do in lockdown

Like many people, I’ve found myself with a lot of free time on my hands between having some time off work between fishing seasons and now in the wake of COVID-19. Instead of pressuring myself to find a job or otherwise be hyper-productive, I’m trying new hobbies such as embroidery, jigsaw puzzles and learning Spanish.

Over the last few months, I’ve read a lot of great posts about productivity in lockdown but my favorite by far as has been Victoria’s Vintage, so useful and realistic! Here are some ideas of things I’ve done in lockdown you can use to tidy your life and as a bonus, how long they took me personally so you can prioritize.

Blogging and social media

I think tidying your digital clutter is just as important as decluttering your physical possessions.

Less than an hour

Back up blog (less than an hour): Check out this video for how to back-up your WordPress blog, it takes literally five minutes!

Update LinkedIn: I don’t actively use it, but it’s probably a good idea to have an up-to-date profile for employers who use it to lurk

~1-2 hours

Check broken links: I’ve had this blog for over five years now and in that time, I’ve deleted some of my own posts and posts of others I’ve featured have gone as well. This is a quick and efficient way to make sure your viewers don’t hit any dead ends. I used the Free Broken Link Checker here!

Update blog: Along the same lines, I updated my bio and photo, edited my menus and widgets and created some pages (such as book reviews by author and by genre)

Bloglovin’ and WordPress unfollow: Between spam accounts on Bloglovin’ and inactive (I’ll usually follow if they haven’t posted in over a year) WordPress accounts, it was a relief to declutter those superfluous “following” numbers

Go through Facebook saved links: Does anyone else save Facebook posts for later only to never get around to them? Me, too

Go through Chrome bookmarks: Like Facebook posts, I’ll bookmark webpages only to never think of them again

Posts templates: I recently changed up the format of my months in review and favorite blog posts formats, so I made them consistent as far back as I could be bothered

Sort GoodReads: I went through my read books and double checked the dates, what is and isn’t on my library page and what I wanted to prioritize. I also deleted books that no longer interested me: I went from over 600 books to be read to under 400!

More than 2 hours

Change theme (~2-3 hours): I’ve done this a while ago now, but it was a nice change that made me fall in love with my blog again. It took me so long because I shopped around a lot before finding my current theme and customized the hell out of it

Delete old Tweets and go through Twitter likes: This is just me personally but I have mild OCD when it comes to the way my social media appears, so I often delete my irrelevant Tweets every few months

Update or republish old posts: After having this blog for over five years, it’s safe to say a lot of my posts are out of date. I’m looking to delete and republish a handful of my posts with more accurate reading to reach a wider audience

More digital tasks

Other things to do on your computer not on social media for those who get easily distracted like myself

Less than an hour

Updated resume: To add icing on the cake, I also sent it to my university’s career office to look over it for some pointers

Download and delete pictures from phone: I regularly save my pictures on my computer and delete a lot from my phone, I hate having that clutter

Back up computer: I have a massive hard drive that I copied my whole computer to around Christmas and figured it was time for an update. Although the back up may take a while, it can run in the background

Unsubscribe from sites: I let my e-mail inbox fill up for about two weeks before I went through and mass unsubscribed from the ones I no longer wanted to hear from

Delete old e-mails: I deleted all my old e-mails (from old jobs, universities, orders I’ve received, etc.) to rid my folders of digital clutter. I did this relatively quickly because I sorted by sender and deleted e-mails from people I no longer contact regularly (e.g. old professors, bosses, etc.)

Delete phone contacts: Bye, former coworker I merely tolerated

Sign up for a credit card: At the ripe age of 25, I figured it’s about high time

Delete apps: I usually keep my apps to a minimum, but there was still some to be deleted, mainly airline and other travel apps I won’t need for the foreseeable future

1-2 hours

Delete duplicate pictures: I have a lot of copies of some pictures, so I used a picture duplicator app to find and delete extra copies

What to do with savings: I’ve finally built up a little bit of savings and wanted to find ways to build it steadily over time (investments, mutual funds, etc.)

Other tasks

Last but not least, some final tasks away from the computer.

Less than an hour

Organize paper documents: I keep a handful of paper documents so I frequently go through them and bin anything that is outdated, irrelevant or holds no sentimental value

Reorganize cork board: I have a cork board at my desk that I like to frequently update with new concert tickets and pictures so I have something cute to look at while I work

~1-2 hours

Declutter and reorganize closet: I know it’s such a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason! We could always use a good clean-out. For the most part, it’s not the amount of stuff I have that’s the problem, it’s how I organized it

Plaster holes in the wall: When I was a teenager, I had a lot of posters (and I mean a lot) on my wall hung up my thumbtacks. It took me hours to cover them up, but I’m so glad I did. Next time I go home, I’ll plaster a few more I’ve made since then

Clean out and wipe down drawers: We all have a junk drawer, but when was the last time you wiped down the drawer with all your utensils? That stuff goes in your mouth!

Bin old beauty products and spices: I went through my beauty products and binned anything I haven’t used in a while or was expired. Some of my grandma’s lesser-used spices also expired years ago and so they were replaced

More than two hours

Medical appointments: I turned 25 a few months ago so the clock is ticking to get in as many check-ups as I can before I’m off my parents’ insurance. Also, being unemployed lets me go in last-minute if there are any cancellations. Although it takes minutes to call and make an appointment, between the commutes, actually attending the appointments and follow-up, this can take some time

Phew! Those are a lot of the tasks I’ve done in lockdown, hopefully you find some inspiration for yourself. Stay safe!

Photo by Norbert Levajsics.