Quick answer
If a task repeats, follows steps you could write down, and doesn’t need your personal judgement, an assistant can take it. Most owners find 10 to 15 such tasks on their first pass through this list.
The hardest part of getting help is often the first step: knowing what to hand over. Use this list as a checklist. Tick anything you do yourself today that doesn’t have to be you.
Inbox and messages
- Sorting your inbox into folders or labels
- Replying to routine questions with templates you approve
- Flagging the emails that need your own reply
- Unsubscribing from newsletters you never read
- Following up on emails that got no answer
- Answering routine messages on your social pages
- Sending thank-you notes after meetings
Calendar and scheduling
- Booking and rescheduling appointments
- Sending meeting reminders
- Blocking focus time in your calendar
- Preparing a short agenda before each call
- Booking travel and keeping the itinerary in one place
- Tracking deadlines and renewal dates
Records and data
- Entering new contacts into your contact list
- Cleaning up duplicates and out-of-date records
- Updating spreadsheets
- Filing documents with a consistent naming system
- Typing up handwritten or voice notes
- Keeping a simple log of client requests
- Recording new leads and where they came from. I keep mine in Tekmatix, so follow-ups don’t depend on my memory.
Clients and follow-ups
- Sending welcome emails to new clients
- Collecting forms and documents from clients
- Chasing unanswered quotes
- Sending invoice reminders
- Asking happy clients for a review
- Preparing simple weekly status updates
Social media and content
- Scheduling posts you have already approved
- Resizing images for each platform
- Adding captions to short videos
- Turning a long video into short clips
- Uploading blog posts and formatting them
- Keeping a calendar of what goes out when
- Collecting basic numbers each month, such as followers and reach
Research and odd jobs
- Comparing suppliers or tools and summarising the options
- Finding contact details for people you’d like to reach
- Checking competitors’ prices
- Formatting documents and slide decks
- Proofreading before something goes out
- Writing down how a task is done, step by step
- Ordering supplies and tracking deliveries
What to keep for yourself
Keep the work that depends on your judgement or your relationships: pricing decisions, sensitive client conversations, hiring, and anything involving your bank login. An assistant can prepare these for you, but the decision stays with you.
The bottom line
Count your ticks. If you have ten or more, you have enough steady work for a part-time assistant. Start with the three tasks you dislike most, and add more once those are running smoothly.
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Disclosure: the Tekmatix link in this post is my referral link. If you sign up through it, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.