When leaders say, “I’m drowning in admin,” they’re rarely exaggerating.
Administrative work expands quietly. Calendar coordination blends into inbox management. Follow-ups spill into evenings. Small operational tasks stack until strategic thinking gets squeezed out.
The solution is not working faster. It’s identifying what should never have been sitting on your plate in the first place.
Start by tracking one week of activity.
Look for:
The goal isn’t to judge how you spend time. It’s to reveal patterns.
Divide tasks into three buckets:
High-Leverage (Keep)
Strategy, revenue conversations, key hiring, vision-setting.
Mid-Leverage (Review Before Delegating)
Client communication drafts, proposal edits, team updates.
Low-Leverage (Delegate Immediately)
Scheduling, inbox triage, CRM updates, travel booking, research prep.
If a task does not require executive judgment, it likely belongs in the third category.
Don’t delegate everything at once.
Choose one category, such as:
Stabilize that lane before expanding scope.
Every recurring task should become:
When admin work becomes systemized, it becomes transferable.
When low-leverage tasks leave your plate:
Delegation doesn’t remove responsibility. It reallocates execution.
What if I delegate the wrong thing?
Start small. Adjust. Delegation improves with iteration.
How quickly will I feel relief?
Most leaders experience noticeable time recovery within the first month of structured delegation.
If you’re drowning in admin, the answer isn’t endurance. It’s leverage. Identify low-judgment, recurring tasks and move them off your plate first.