12 Boring Tasks Every Business Owner Should Outsource
One of the most valuable exercises any business owner can do is identify everything they currently handle that someone else could do instead. The list below covers 100 essential business tasks—the work that drains your time without requiring your unique expertise.
See also: what is a virtual assistant, how to hire a virtual assistant, virtual assistant pricing.
Administrative Tasks
- Email inbox management and sorting
- Calendar scheduling and appointment coordination
- Meeting prep and agenda creation
- Travel research and itinerary booking
- Filing and document organization
- Form submissions and portal updates
- Data entry across CRM, spreadsheets, or databases
- Office supply and subscription management
- Post-meeting notes and action item distribution
Customer-Facing Tasks
- Responding to common customer inquiries
- Managing live chat or helpdesk tickets
- Sending onboarding and welcome materials
- Following up with leads and prospects
- Requesting reviews and testimonials
- Coordinating refunds or issue escalations
- Sending appointment reminders
Marketing Tasks
- Scheduling and publishing social media posts
- Drafting email newsletters
- Blog post research and formatting
- Updating the website with new content
- Creating graphics in Canva
- Repurposing content across formats
- Monitoring brand mentions online
- Compiling analytics reports
Finance and Operations
- Creating and sending invoices
- Following up on unpaid invoices
- Tracking and categorizing expenses
- Vendor payment coordination
- Payroll data preparation
- Budget tracking and reporting
- Subscription audits
Sales Support
- Researching and building lead lists
- Updating CRM records after calls
- Sending follow-up sequences
- Preparing sales decks and proposals
- Tracking deal pipeline stages
- Scheduling discovery calls
Research Tasks
- Competitive research and analysis
- Industry news monitoring
- Vendor and pricing comparisons
- Contact list building
- Location and logistics research
HR and Recruiting
- Job posting on multiple boards
- Candidate screening and initial communication
- Scheduling interviews
- Reference checks
- Onboarding documentation preparation
Getting Started with Delegation
Review this list and highlight everything you currently do that appears here. Then estimate the hours per month. You've just identified your VA's job description. Start with the tasks that are most time-consuming, most recurring, and least dependent on your personal judgment.
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