The word rigamarole, which is also spelled rigmarole, is a great way to describe bureaucratic procedures like paying taxes or registering for college classes, or lengthy tasks like helping a small child put on boots, mittens, a coat, and a hat before leaving the house on a snowy day. You can also use it to mean "a long, rambling story:" "He went into the rigamarole of how he'd pulled himself up by his boot straps."