A Party for Getting Things Done
Spending time with friends doesn’t always have to mean going out or planning something elaborate. Sometimes, the most rewarding moments come from a night-in, or simple, shared activities that build camaraderie and a sense of accomplishment.
Admin night is the latest viral “party” trend, which combines all these elements, Mashable reports. It is a get-together celebrating mutual “adulting.” During admin night, friends bring their long to-do lists, alongside energy drinks, tea, and candles. Then, they sit together and hang out as they check off items on their to-do lists.
What is Admin Night?
Admin night is a growing trend where friends gather to take care of life’s routine tasks together. This includes things like canceling subscriptions, paying the bills, booking those appointments you’ve been putting off, and answering overdue emails. The goal of admin night is to make productivity more fun, more social, and less mundane and overwhelming.
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The Benefits of an Admin Night
According to The Week, admin night offers a way for people to navigate financial stress and burnout. It’s a way to make boring tasks fun and enlist peer support in adulting. In fact, this isn’t a new strategy. Individuals with ADHD often practice a concept called “body doubling,” where they work on tasks alongside others. This can boost their ability to stay focused and follow through on tasks. Working alongside peers or friends creates a sense of accountability and lowers task avoidance.
Psychotherapist Eloise Skinner explains the concept of body doubling to The Independent as a “productivity strategy based on the presence of others,” where having someone next to you who is also working on their to-do list can “provide a focus and a reminder to stay on task.” She adds that putting aside a single evening to work on your tasks “can help with motivation and determination.” Skinner also says that admin night offers a chance to spend time with friends and have fun.
How to Throw an Admin Night
Admin night is believed to have gained popularity after Wall Street Journal writer Chris Colin invited his friends over for what he called “the lamest party ever.”
Just like Colin’s bash, if you want to throw your own admin night, look for a similar vibe – laptops, snacks, music, and companionship. Plan your list of tasks and ideally look for ones that are relatively mindless so that you can chat with friends at the same time without losing your train of thought. If getting together in person isn’t an option, an admin night can be done over Zoom.
Admin night proves that even the most ordinary tasks can feel lighter with the right mindset and the right company. By turning to-do lists into time well spent with friends, this simple trend transforms productivity into something social, satisfying, and even fun. Sometimes, getting your life in order is just another great reason to get together.
