Core Tasks Exercise
PURPOSE: Use this worksheet to help you figure out what is occupying your time and what really matters.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. To start, pick three days from the past week and write down everything that you did on those three days.
2. Add to the list every task you can think of that has occupied your time over the past year.
3. Group the tasks together. You can create your groupings, but some common groupings include: Finance-payroll, bookkeeping, invoicing, debt collection, cash flow management/budgeting
Office Administration – filing (virtually and physically), ordering office supplies, ensuring equipment is maintained, keeping the office clean, and shredding.
Business Development – responding to warm leads, follow-up with new contacts, follow-up with existing contacts, sending holiday cards, scheduling event attendance.
4. For each bucket, only highlight those activities that are your key priorities. See Conquering Business Chaos mini-course on Setting Priorities.
5. Decide how much time these highlighted activities should occupy in each week and note that next to the activity.
6. Transfer those core activities to your calendar and block off the necessary time.
7. Set aside time each week to review your core tasks and adjust as necessary before the week begins.