Managing day to day life admin is more than a chore than going to work for most people, says research.
Trying to get the work/life balance right is beyond a lot of people who find running their lives is too stressful.
Half of us find booking appointments, paying bills and managing our money too much effort on top of working.
Seven out of 10 workers have a longer to-do list at home than at work, according to a study by car insurer Admiral.
Some people confessed to researchers that they have the same list for up to a year and even though they strike out the jobs they have completed, more and more are added.
On average, 20% of people fail to tackle their to-do list for three months.
The jobs everyone hates to do
Half of us spend up to five hours a week on life admin, a third set aside 10 hours a week, while one in 10 can take up to 15 hours a week sorting out their tasks, which adds up to a month over a year.
To-do lists make some people depressed. Almost half (45%) feel the list gives them control of their life, but 20% feel their chores are never-ending and 10% are overwhelmed by the number of jobs they have lined up.
Top of the dreaded list is the ironing, followed by paying bills and those five-minute DIY jobs they seem to take hours.
Tidying the garage or shed come next, along with finding tradesmen, servicing the car and cleaning.
Other disliked chores are cleaning the car and changing the bed.
Get control of your life
Admiral’s Alistair Hargreaves said: “Keeping on top of day-to-day jobs can seem a full-time job in itself. It’s no wonder that people feel burned out at the end of a week. Some things on the to-do list just can’t be left a long time, especially when they have a deadline.”
The company also asked neuroscientist Dean Burnett, of Cardiff University, for some advice about how to make doing chores easier.
“The best advice I can give is do what you can to alleviate your stress – make achievable to-do lists rather than overly long and overwhelming ones,” he said.
“Delegate tasks where you can so work is shared evenly. And always give yourself time during each day to switch off. All of these things will mean you feel more in control of your own life, giving you a better chance of being a more productive and happy person.”
