What Can Wait?
When Darren died, it felt as though there were suddenly 101 things that needed done. There was the funeral, people to contact, paperwork, pensions, banks, the house, bills, passwords and all the ordinary things that hadn’t conveniently stopped just because our world had. And when your brain is already completely overloaded, everything can feel urgent. But it isn’t.
Need the Checklist Now?
You shouldn’t have to wade through lots of information to find it. Use the quick links below to download the checklist now.
What Actually Needs Done Today?
Some things genuinely do need your attention. There may be immediate arrangements to make, children or pets to look after, medication to collect or something you’ve specifically been told needs done. Other things need sorted eventually. And quite a lot of things can just wait (as I write this, over three months later, all Darrens belongings are as he left them, I have no urgency to do anything with them at the moment).
Get It Out of Your Head
That’s why I’ve created this What Can Wait? worksheet.
It separates everything into three simple sections:
- What actually needs my attention now
- What needs dealt with soon, but not necessarily today
- What can wait
Leave Something for Tomorrow
After somebody dies, there is a whole circus of activity that suddenly appears around you. You can feel as though you should constantly be doing something. But you’re also a person who has just lost somebody. You can only think about and process so much. Write the other things down. Knowing they’re there doesn’t mean you have to deal with them now.
Download the What Can Wait? Worksheet
A free printable worksheet to help separate what needs your attention now from everything that can wait until another day.
This resource is based on my own experience after my husband Darren died suddenly. It is a practical prompt rather than a definitive timetable. If you’re given a specific deadline or instruction by a professional or organisation, follow that.
Related Guidance
For a broader look at what may need attention during those first few days, see The First Week After Someone Dies.
If you aren’t sure which guide you need, return to What to Do When Someone Dies in Northern Ireland.