Somehow we’re once again closing in on the end of the year. This is the time when all sorts of planning (personal and professional) takes place and it can feel like everything is a priority. This year, do something different. Take control of your to-do list now so you don’t end up scrambling to finish all those Q4 related tasks in mid-December. The easiest approach? Delegate one-off tasks and projects that don’t require your full attention.
Organize annual planning brainstorms
What will the next year bring? Now is the time to focus on your company’s goals for the future. While these brainstorming sessions are critical to setting up your strategy, planning them can take more time than the meetings themselves. This is the perfect project to delegate to your administrative assistant. Since this person likely has access to your calendar already, finding time slots with availability won’t be anything new. Before handing annual planning brainstorms off, get a list of your must-haves together. Then, leave the rest to your administrative assistant.
Questions to answer before delegating
- How many meetings need to be scheduled?
- Who should be invited?
- Should they be onsite or offsite?
- How long should each meeting last?
- Are food and beverages required?
Send out customer holiday or appreciation gifts
Taking care of customers is definitely a priority and nothing says, “We appreciate you” like a nice card or gift. But sourcing gifts, building your list of recipients, making purchases, and getting them all shipped out on time would take you days. Instead, delegate this task. There are plenty of done-for-you services that take care of corporate gifting. Or, give this fun shopping task to your assistant.
Questions to answer before delegating
- Where do you find the list of recipients?
- How much should be spent on each customer?
- When is the latest the gifts should be received?
- Is there a theme you want to follow?
- Should the gifts be branded?
Plan a team holiday event
Q4 is for parties! To celebrate the end of the year you may want to plan a get-together with your team. But there’s so much planning that goes into events, especially these days. This is definitely a project you’ll want to delegate. Ensure that by the time the event rolls around you’re excited for the experience rather than focused on how much time and effort it took to plan.
Questions to answer before delegating
- What type of event should it be? An outing? Dinner?
- How many people will attend? Are partners or families invited?
- What’s your budget?
- How long do you want it to be?
- What’s the dress code?
File Q4 expense reports
It’s easy to spend money on that business credit card throughout the year and shove the receipts aside. When Q4 comes around panic can set in as you realize how many charges need to be reconciled before December 31. Grab that pile of receipts and delegate your expense reporting to someone else. To make this process easier, put all electronic receipts in a folder and have your administrative assistant scan any paper receipts into that same place.
Questions to answer before delegating
- Where can all receipts be found?
- What is the deadline to have the expense report submitted?
- What happens if a receipt is missing?
Arrange family photos and send holiday cards
Photographers book up early this time of year so putting this task off to the last minute isn’t an option. And with mail delays aplenty, getting ahead of schedule on those holiday cards will benefit you. But if writing addresses on countless cards isn’t your thing there are plenty of ways to delegate this. First, have your administrative assistant find and book a photographer for you. Next, check out services like Postable or Shutterfly that will print, address, and mail cards on your behalf.
Questions to answer before delegating
- How many cards are needed?
- Where is the list of recipients?
- How much would you like to spend on the photographer and cards?
- Do you have a preference for the type of card?
- What would you like the message on the card to be?
This year, make Q4 more pleasant by taking these five projects off of your plate. Start by delegating the project that will take the most time and effort to plan. Then, move on to the next priority. By the end of the year, you’ll be counting the hours you saved and making plans to delegate even more in the coming months.