As a business owner, having great time management skills is crucial. If you’re not able to prioritise tasks, designate time to complete them and then stick to a deadline, chaos may arise. At one point you may come to realise that you’re not running your business, but the business is running you.
More often than not, the poor management of administrative tasks is to blame for this lack of control. According to research, companies around the world spend a large amount of time dealing with administrative duties. But what most entrepreneurs would rather do is focus on strategic initiatives that would allow them to take their businesses to the next level. So, they tend to view administrative responsibilities as a distraction or a necessary evil.
You can’t push admin tasks in a corner and come back to them whenever your schedule frees up (which is never), as they are essential for the proper functioning of a business. Carrying administrative duties such as creating invoices, sending out quotes, maintaining databases, setting appointments, or filing paperwork ensures smooth business operations and increases productivity.
However, you can’t let them take over either since this will leave you with no time to focus on more important aspects like planning, building strategies, or being hands-on in the management of your company. You have to find a balance so you can tackle both aspects of running a business. This is where our smart tips come into play, providing effective solutions for busy entrepreneurs who would like to focus less on admin tasks and more on growing their businesses. Here’s what you could do.
Set a time for admin work
The most stressful tasks are the ones that you feel the need to postpone over and over again, and admin work usually falls in this category. But procrastination won’t help you get rid of the burden. On the contrary, it will only make your job harder when you finally come down to it.
Instead of managing a huge pile of administrative tasks at random times, when you can no longer postpone them, and deal with a lot of stress and pressure, as a result, try to create a schedule and set time aside to do your admin regularly. By doing so, you’ll prevent admin tasks from interfering with your other responsibilities and you’ll be able to focus on each job at a time, which is the only way to get things done properly since we know now that multitasking is nothing but a myth.
Break down tasks into manageable pieces
As a continuation of your task-organising efforts, you should also try to break down your administrative duties into smaller chunks, as opposed to piling them together and trying to solve everything in one go.
The simple thought of having to handle a heavy workload can be discouraging. Even if you manage to finish your job on time, it will probably leave you exhausted and unable to concentrate on anything else for the rest of the day. If you want to feel less overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do, the best approach is to make a list of each and every little task you need to fulfil and cross them off as you go.
Leverage automation tools
Handling all your admin tasks manually can be extremely time-consuming, not to mention it increases the prevalence of human error. But that’s why we have tech tools these days – to make our lives easier and reduce risk potential. As experts at QuickBooks explain, automation tools for admin can help you streamline your operations, saving you time, money, and effort.
If you’re reluctant about implementing administrative software due to initial costs, you might want to take into consideration the advantages it can bring in the long run. Looking at the bigger picture, you’ll come to realise that embracing automation is the smartest thing to do.
Learn to delegate
As skilled and experienced as you might be in managing admin tasks, you can’t possibly handle ten different things at a time. The responsibility of doing admin work shouldn’t fall on one single person. That’s where your team members come into play to help relieve some of the burdens.
When you work together as a team and learn to collaborate on admin duties, you’re less likely to let things slide and commit errors. Delegating the right tasks to the right people can make a world of a difference for your business in terms of efficiency and productivity.
Invest in your team
Speaking of teams, if you want to make sure you can rely on your employees to manage all sorts of admin tasks, training and development should come as a priority. While some admin duties are simple and can be carried out by anyone, without any special training, other jobs may imply a higher level of complexity that might pose difficulties for some team members.
That’s why investing in your team through continuous training is a must. Not only will this help newcomers integrate faster and gain a solid grasp of their duties, but it will also keep your staff up to date with the best admin practises, and ensure the support they need to thrive in their roles.
Review and improve
There’s always room for improvement at all business levels, and administration makes no exception. The only way you can make your business move forward admin-wise is by staying up to date with the latest developments and innovations in the area, whether that means training your staff to the best admin practises, investing in cutting-edge accounting software, or implementing new administration processes in your company.
As a business owner, you should consult with your team members on administrative matters, find out what works, what doesn’t, and what you can do to make things better. Regular reviews of your practises and strategies will help you come up with new admin solutions and improve business operations.
