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Life Admin Checklist: Getting Organized After Separation

Separation, even when amicable, is a major life change. You may find yourself having to rebuild your life from scratch and piece things back together. Emotionally, practically, and financially. It can feel overwhelming at first, but creating small systems and checklists can make the process much more manageable.

This checklist is designed to help you stay on top of the practical side of life after separation so you can focus on what really matters: your wellbeing and your child’s. I had to take it step by step and getting organized was a big part of my own journey.

Life Admin Checklist

Separation comes with a mountain of practical tasks. This Ministry of Justice list has a good starter list for thinking about the big life decisions (like where you’ll live, updating your address, or revising your will). I’ve added a grouped checklist to help you stay on top of things:

Legal & Financial

  • Review enduring powers of attorney and legal documents naming your ex.

  • Separate finances: close/freeze joint accounts and credit cards, open your own bank accounts.

  • Check bills and direct debits, update who pays what.

  • Review life insurance and other policies: ensure you’re covered independently and beneficiaries are updated.

  • Back up important documents and photos from shared devices.

Household & Safety

  • Change locks if needed for safety.

  • Update utilities & services (power, internet, water, rates) to your name.

  • Redirect mail through NZ Post.

  • Inventory household items with photos or lists for future reference.

Children

  • Notify school/Kindy staff about the separation. That also helps them understand changes in children’s behaviour.

  • Update medical records: ensure both parents are listed correctly and clarify who receives appointment reminders.

  • Update emergency contacts for child pickups or support.

Digital & Personal

  • Change passwords for email, banking, social media, cloud storage, and shared streaming accounts.

  • Review shared devices/accounts: disable location sharing and remove shared logins.

Remember, you don’t need to do it all at once. Most of us get through this by doing one thing at a time