Part of running a lean, green, money machine is knowing that every function has its place. When you have low-value work clogging the gears, it could bring down the efficacy of your entire business.
It’s time for an honest assessment of your workflow. You might have just built specific tasks into your business operations without knowing how much time and money they’re costing (or saving) you. Keep reading to learn more about low-value work and how to change it.
Understand the different types of low-value work
Here are some of the different types of low-value work to watch out for in your business.
Tasks that are low impact
Everything you and your team do impacts your business. So, are your actions high impact or low impact? With low-impact tasks, you may be able to limit how often they’re done, such as mail collection and processing. You can automate your mail management system by leveraging an online PO box to remotely monitor and control your mail. You’ll know as soon as you receive any correspondence, and you won’t have to dedicate precious work hours to an offsite mail run.
Mail management is only one example of places you can save time in your business processes. You might be surprised by how many rote tasks are draining your time and energy without automation in place to manage them.
High impact tasks that your company isn’t handling efficiently
Suppose you’re a business owner and spending a fair amount of time on your branding一but this isn’t your area of expertise.
You’re spending time learning about branding, trying to implement what you’re learning, and making costly mistakes along the way that are keeping you and your business from thriving. Consider hiring a marketer or agency to handle areas outside of your wheelhouse.
Common examples of low-value work
Still unsure what low-value work consists of? Here are some more examples.
Editing and proofreading
No one can argue that editing and proofreading aren’t essential tasks in any organization, but do you need to do it or delegate it to someone who works with you?
It’s easy to find freelancers through sites like Upwork and Guru that can take menial tasks off your plate. These sites protect your money and guarantee your satisfaction or your money back, and if you find someone you like working with, you can even keep them on.
Timesheets
Timesheets are one of those crucial tasks that businesses are often managing inefficiently. Individual workers have to dedicate time to fill them in, while their managers and supervisors have to administer and process them.
Worse, timesheets may even require additional data entry. These tasks don’t need to be added to anyone’s plate when you can easily automate them with today’s technology.
Scheduling and planning
You may be wondering how scheduling and planning are low-value tasks. That’s quite simple. These tasks can be incredibly time-consuming, and you have better things to do.
These are jobs you either delegate to someone who has the time and skills to take them on, you hire someone to do them, or reach out to a virtual assistant agency to handle them for you.
Wrap up
Low-value work can be high or low-impact. It can be essential or just part of how your business has run since day one. One task at a time can build up to high costs, decreased revenue, and burnout in your employees.
Simple solutions can help manage these tasks and increase productivity, like software and outsourcing. The most important thing you can do is search for low-value work in your company and cut it out.
