Tell the people who need to hear it from you
Make a short list of people to tell, and share it out.
Telling people is exhausting. Splitting the list is the single easiest thing to delegate.
- How long it takes
- An evening
- Typical cost
- Free
- What you need before you start
- A phone and a list
Write down family, close friends, employer, and anyone who visits regularly — carers, cleaners, the milkman, a neighbour who checks in.
Ask one or two people to make the calls further down the list. Most people want to help and do not know how.
Official organisations can wait. Most of them are handled at once by Tell Us Once in the first week.
General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed 19 August 2026 by Simon D Campbell. Applies to England and Wales.