Monday, March 4, 2013

Do You Avoid Adminstrative Tasks?

I don't always work in my office. One reason I stay away is that I let administrative tasks pile up in there.

As a writer, I consider myself a small business owner. All businesses have someone doing the secretarial work, and in my business that person is me.

I prefer plotting. Writing. Revising. Texting my friends. Gabbing on the phone. Scrolling through Facebook. Pinning on Pinterest. You get the idea.

But I loathe spending money needlessly. I like easy access to important papers. That means spending precious time on the least favorite parts of my job.

We don't have a wireless printer, so I hoard the online documents I need to keep and print them all at once. Often, I don't have a designated file for the receipts and sports' schedules I print, and that means hauling out a stack of manila folders and labeling them. Thirty minutes gone.

Since I'm frugal, I hate wasting paper. After I print and red-line a manuscript, I fold each sheet in half to use as scrap paper. I prefer to do this at night in front of the television. As a constant note-jotter, I'm saved the expense of buying mini legal pads.

Sometimes my mind wanders when I'm in the middle of these tasks. Next thing you know, I'm sidetracked stacking my to-be-read pile, creating a binder for writing articles I want to save, and perusing old CDs to listen to.

Oh well. I think this is a sign I shouldn't avoid my office, even if I get sucked into the vortex of puttering!

Do you avoid administrative work? Or do you stay on top of it?

Have a fabulous Monday!

16 comments:

  1. Totally, completely, 100% avoid! In fact, I recently gave them all over to Hubby (after 14 years of doing them for us) so I could perfect my avoidance. Ugh.

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    1. Too funny! Hey, I'm all for delegating to the person more suited for the job!

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  2. Like Susan, I 100% avoid. Though I probably shouldn't. If something happened to hubby, I'd be lost. :P

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  3. I try to stay organized as I go, but it doesn't always happen. I both hate and love days when I have to clean out the desk.

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    1. Same here, Lindsay! It's a love-hate relationship, for sure!

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  4. I sometimes feel as if I'm drowning in a sea of paper esp. now that I'm also admin for both my parents who are in a nursing home. Papers pile up quickly. One thing that has helped get through the piles quickly is the NeatDesk scanner. I love it. Scan in papers, sort to electronic files, shred the hard copies. I'm also a scribbler of notes. I use Note apps on my iPad or electronic sticky notes on the computers.

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    1. My word, that sounds awful! I'm sorry you have to deal with so much paperwork. I give you a lot of credit! And I'm glad the scanner works for you. I've seen it advertised!

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  5. I thought I was but after reading this, I know I'm not at all! ha! You always inspire me!

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    1. You would not be inspired if you saw my desk right now!! Ha!

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  6. I tend to do administrative work in batches. Like once every 3 months. I get tired of looking at the piles and feeling the stress of disorganization, so I start from one end of my study to the other. Afterwards, I'm breathing fresh air and a renewed sense of working on messing it up again. :)

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    1. That's pretty much my method too! It feels so good when everything is put away!

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  7. I try to stay on top of this kind of work. After having to go through dozens of files and papers on more than one occasion, I've decided it's not worth it. I'd rather be organized and save myself the trouble.

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    1. You are sooooo right--it's not worth it!! Plus, I can't stand trying to find an important paper and not having any idea where it is. Ugh!

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  8. You should see my desk! It's a nightmare. I used to be good with all my "bookwork" and clean up after I finished writing, but now it usually takes 6 months before I get around to cleaning, filing, and all that other jazz.

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  9. Yup. Ever since I began writing I've been sadly behind on filing, paperwork, and such. Right now I'm busy gathering everything our CPA needs to do our taxes and paying the price for my procrastination. Maybe this will be the year I stay caught up. How's that for positive thinking? :-)

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