Delegate these 25 recurring tasks to save the most time each day
Time often seems like it’s in short supply. This is especially true when you’re balancing your personal obligations with your professional commitments. That’s why it’s so important to practice delegation. When you let someone else perform a task that was previously assigned to you, you get time back in your day.
After all, everyone has errands that repeat that don’t really need our personal attention, they just need to get done. Why not let someone else take over those tasks? You’ll find that you’ll save a lot of time, and your business will flourish as well.
Here are a few simple activities that it might be smart to delegate:
1. Administrative Work
There are lots of basic admin tasks that can easily be delegated. Many of these can take up precious hours of your time, which could otherwise be spent on the more important aspects of your job. You’ll find that your schedule opens up if you let someone else take over chores like photocopying and filling out general paperwork. See how Clyde Offices can help with administration support
2. Organizational Tasks
It’s important that order is maintained in your office, because a disorganized workplace means that files can be overlooked and mistakes can get made. However, just because organization is essential, doesn’t mean that you are the one that needs to handle it. Filing paperwork and general office maintenance can easily be delegated, which will go a long way towards opening up your busy schedule.
3. Answering Phones
You’re an important person, which means that you likely get a lot of calls. But not all of the calls that you receive will need to be answered by you. Having someone screen your calls will prevent you from wasting your time answering basic questions. This means that you’ll be able to focus on the big picture! As a bonus, it also can make you seem more professional, and adds more authority to your reputation. If you want to outsource Clyde Offices provide telephone answering form our Glasgow Offices
4. Checking Emails
Like with phones, your email inbox probably is full of correspondence that you don’t necessarily need to be the one to reply to. When you sort through folders of general information requests that can be answered by lower-level staff members, it’s a waste of your valuable time. That’s why it’s a great idea to have someone else check your emails, and simply flag the ones that require your attention.
5. Making Travel Arrangements
If you go on frequent business trips, then you know how much time you can sink into booking flights and trying to find the right hotel. Fortunately, these tasks don’t need to be carried out by you personally. You can easily have someone else handle all arrangements for you, so you simply need to show up at the airport at the right time. See how Clyde Offices can assist with travel arrangements
6. Schedule Management
This also ties into phones and emails, since most people that set appointments with you will be reaching out through one of these two channels. If you have a lot of meetings on your plate, your schedule can become a mess. You’ll receive a lot of peace of mind when you let someone else handle the logistics for you. This also can help ensure that the only meetings that make it onto the books are ones that are worth your time.
7. Make a To-Do List
Before you start every day or week, it’s a good idea to know what’s on your plate. This doesn’t just mean what meetings you’re attending or where you’re going, but also what specific deadlines you have and what tasks need to be attended to immediately. Having someone draft a to-do list for you can help organize your time.
8. Send Follow-up Communications
After a meeting, it’s a good idea to reach out to the person or company that you connected with. Touching base is a great way to maintain the relationship and make sure everyone is on the same page. But, if you have a lot of meetings, sending this type of email after everyone can eat away at your time. Therefore, you should let an assistant send these messages to you.
9. Taking Minutes
When you are in a meeting, it’s vital that you stay focused on the person, or people, that you are engaging with. Whether you’re making a presentation, listening to one, or negotiating a deal, it’s essential that you stay in the moment. However, it’s equally important that you have some notes to reference back at a later date because this will ensure that you don’t forget anything that was covered. In order to balance these two competing priorities, you should make sure to delegate the task of taking minutes, so that the meeting itself can have your full attention.
10. Compiling Research
Before you go into a meeting or start on a project, you’ll likely need to do some research. However, there is a lot of information out there, and it can take a while to sort through it all. Fact-checking is an essential part of the research, but it’s also a lengthy process. That’s why research tasks are a great part of your workload to delegate. Simply have an assistant create a report for you with the necessary information, and you can take it from there.
11. Writing Content
If you’re already outsourcing research, you may find it useful to also have the same person go a step further and draft some blog articles or briefs for you. You can still retain editorial control and put your own spin on it, but having them do the legwork will save you a lot of time.
12. Drafting Proposals
This is similar to content writing, but it’s a bit more technical. There’s a specific flow to proposal writing, and it’s not a task that should be assigned to just anyone. However, it’s still typically a good idea to outsource this action, because you can benefit from having a specialist write your proposal. Their professional abilities and knowledge can help ensure that the final product is more persuasive and effective.
13. Accounting Tasks
If you don’t have a bookkeeping background, then this is the type of work that it’s probably better to leave to a professional. Delegating any accounting work can help you avoid long-term issues. However, if you do have expertise in this area, it can still be beneficial to let someone else handle these tasks because it frees you up to focus on building relationships with your clients and thinking about the big picture.
14. Accounts Receivable
Similar to the previous entry, there’s no reason that you should be the one to personally submit invoices to your clients. Likewise, if a service provider invoices you, you can have an assistant take care of the payment. These small tasks add up over time, so it’s a good idea to delegate them when you can.
15. Hiring Staff
When it is time to grow your team, you should let a lower-level manager or a human resources professional handle the hiring of new staff members. This is a time-consuming process that doesn’t really need you to be hands-on. If you’d like to approve new hires, you can always structure the process so that the final interview is with you, but leave the rest of the journey up to an employee to manage.
16. General HR Responsibilities
Investing in a good human resources employee can really help your business thrive. There’s no reason for you to be the one to sort through benefits packages and answer staff questions about healthcare. Similarly, if an issue arises between team members, it’s a good idea to have a dedicated professional who is trained in conflict management to help resolve the situation smoothly.
17. Marketing
If you want to grow your business, then marketing will have to be a key focus of the company. However, if you aren’t knowledgeable in this area, it’s wise to hire someone who has expertise. There are a lot of ways that a marketing campaign can go wrong, so you want to make sure that you let someone with experience and knowledge lead the way.
18. Social Media Posting
This can sometimes fall under the purview of a marketer but is often a task that can be handled by a lower-level employee as well. Either way, your company should have an active social media presence, but it takes time to manage multiple accounts. Delegating these responsibilities can be a useful way to get time back into your day and spread brand awareness.
19. Organizing Events
If you host a fundraiser, a conference, a staff party, or any other type of event, it’s worthwhile to let someone else take off the planning aspects. Coordinating events can be a huge hassle, because you will need to manage vendors, venues, and guest lists, among other responsibilities. It can be a full-time job, so definitely make sure that you delegate these tasks to someone with more time.
20. Art and Graphic Design
Whether you’re updating your website, creating flyers, or making a social media post, your business will sometimes need someone with a knack for art. Since visuals can make a big impression on most customers, it’s important that you let a professional take over these tasks, since not only are they like to be talented, but they will have a good idea of what design components are most effective, instead of just nice to look at.
21. Website Management
Your website should always be kept current with recent business developments and any news about your company. However, it can be tedious to make these changes to the site yourself. Having someone on staff handle the updates is an easy way to make some space in your schedule.
22. Programming
If you need more technical computer skills, it’s definitely wise to let dedicated professionals take over these tasks. Even if you have a programming background, you should let someone else handle the detailed work so that you can focus on running your business.
23. Tech Support
Similarly, when your technology isn’t working right, you should have someone available who can sort out the problem quickly. Even if you’re qualified, troubleshooting and fixing computer issues can take up a lot of your time, so it’s a great task to delegate to someone else.
24. Data Entry
This is definitely a task that can be essential to your business but is not necessary for you personally to handle. Data entry can be pretty mindless and can act as a major time suck, so it’s wise to pass it on to someone more junior.
25. Run Personal Errands
If you need to pick up your dry cleaning or make a dinner reservation, why not delegate? These tasks are minor but can represent a big part of your day if they accumulate. Having someone help out with errands can be a major help for both you and your business.
