5 Tips On How To Get Caught Up On Your Admin

Every business owner has been there - bogged down by admin with no idea where to start to get caught up so they can get back to the meat of their business. As a Virtual Assistant with over a decade of experience in corporate, I've learnt a thing or two about getting back on track when it comes to admin work and I'd like to share some of the tips and tricks I've learned and implemented over the years.

Tip 1

Make a list of everything you need to get done, even the tiniest thing that will take 30 seconds (ie: reschedule Tuesday's meeting). No task is too small and the more things you get to cross off, the better you will feel. Ask three questions for each task:

1. Is the task overdue?

2. In relation to other tasks how important is this one? (are we missing out on revenue or holding up other people from doing their job if this task doesn't get done today?)

3. How fast can I get this task done?

You decide from there how you want to tackle the tasks now grouped into categories. I personally like to start with the tasks that are overdue and high priority and quick to do. You do whatever works for you - just start tackling that list!

Tip 2

Colour code everything in your calendar. Find a system that works for you so that when you look at your calendar you can clearly see what is going on in your day and your week. I like to use blue for personal appointments, maroon for meetings, purple for to do list tasks I have scheduled, pink for lunch etc - you get the idea.

This helps for you to see where most of your time is going in a day. If you have 5 back-to-back meetings, those to do list items will not be getting done by lunch time like you planned. It's okay to shift work around so that it actually feels reasonable to get done.

Tip 3

Automate what you can. And no, I don't mean implement a bunch of fancy systems that take so much time to set up it feels like another job. I mean use the tools already in the programs you're using to your advantage.

Set recurring reminders such as "send out invoices on first of the month" for the last week of the month, giving you that whole week to find time to send out those invoices on time.

Set weekly recurring tasks such as "update Client A's project board" - you may not need to update it every week but it keeps the task on your radar so you're not frantically trying to update (and trying to remember what to update) at the end of the month when the client asks for a project update.

If you have 15 extra minutes at the end of your day Friday, look ahead to next week and see if there are any emails you can draft now, then use the "schedule send" feature to get those emails out on time next week.

Tip 4

Block time in your calendar for deep work. Treat that time like a meeting with a potential new client. Prepare for it and do not reschedule it. You need that heads down time to get the work done that will serve you and your clients or customers better. It doesn't need to be a huge block of time to have a positive impact. Even blocking just an hour every Monday morning and every Thursday afternoon will help.

These time blocks will help you get a pulse check on your business and will force you to prioritize the most important work for that one hour, twice a week.

Tip 5

If all else fails, hire a VA like me to get the admin done for you!