Justifying Outside Help – What’s Killing Your Time

As an independent strategic marketing, business development and PR consultant, clients are puzzled by my productiveness. How do I get a project done so efficiently? The secret is, I only do work – I am not a part of your corporate world and thus I automatically eliminate anything that is not directly related to getting the job done. (It pleases the client, and frees me to take on another project.)

What on earth is killing your time and that of your employees and why isn’t 40 hours a week or even 75 enough? A quick analysis of a worker’s weekday-into-week will reveal the answer.

Here is a list of only 54 of the things that as an in-house employee, I was routinely required to do – and if you are honest, you’ll recognize all of them on your to-do list too.

1. Preparing for staff meetings
2. Attending staff meetings
3. Following up on meeting items assigned to me or others in my supervision
4. Presenting to others at meetings
5. Attending corporate events
6. Attending industry events
7. Preparing for industry events – shows, displays
8. Prepping others for meetings
9. Preparing materials for the press
10. Reviewing e-mails, messages and phone calls
11. Answering e-mails, messages and phone calls
12. Locating materials and sending responses - requests for information
13. Reviewing requests for meetings
14. Preparing for weekly/monthly/reviews (yours and your staff)
15. Preparing annual and other reports – by week, month, by quarter, by year
16. Preparing time cards
17. Reviewing time cards of others
18. Reviewing the Work of others
19. Sick days
20. Sick time (less than full day)
21. Vacation days
22. Holidays
23. Personal time/personal leave
24. Socializing
25. Answering questions
26. Scouting for new hires
27. Reviewing new hires
28. Supervising others
29. Mentoring junior staff or interns
30. Reporting to top management on the actions/work of others
31. Team building – team interaction
32. Preparing Budgets
33. Reviewing Budgets
34. Preparing Estimates for the projects of others
35. Preparing Estimates and budgets for own projects
36. Reviewing bids
37. Preparing bids
38. Client interaction
39. Evaluating vendors
40. Meeting with vendors
41. Ordering supplies and equipment
42. Approving supplies and equipment
43. Selecting gifts for corporate, staff and clients
44. Preparing seasonal events
45. Preparing and/or reviewing guest lists
46. Preparing or approving events – non seasonal (openings, gatherings, meetings)
47. Attending staff lunches (run over time)
48. Scheduling your work, your team and that of others – preparing reports
49. Anticipating/estimating sales revenue/profitability analysis
50. Commuting to and from work – late time/non productive time
51. Contributing to content – web or print
52. Reviewing content – web or print
53. Preparing, reviewing marketing materials
54. Conducting marketing and PR for your own firm

Now, some of these are still on my to do list, but they are not on your time, they are done on mine. And, I realize that the things on this list are an important part of corporate life – even essential interactions.

But, if you have actual work to do in addition to the items on this list, you’ll understand the problem. If you spent even an hour per item (and you know it is more) you’ll have 54 hours per week of documented responsibilities in addition to your actual job.

When will you do that work? (You know, the work you were hired to do, and that you are held accountable for.) When will you design that building, prepare that client specification package, prepare that legal brief, supervise the installation of that new manufacturing plant, consult on that corporate tax situation?

Brought in at the right time, consultants can be a lifesaver. You can justify bringing in a consultant by getting that project completed or extending your staff without making a long term commitment and without spending the additional 33 –1/3 % that a full time employee costs (over and above their salary).

You are not alone in considering outside talent; 60% of all businesses use independent contractors, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 8 million such people are in the workforce. Use that statistic the next time you need to justify hiring an outside consultant, and the next time you are caught wondering what is killing your time, and why a 40 or even a 75 hour work week isn’t enough, you’ll know what to do.