A Simple Weekly Admin Routine for Trades

Admin is the part of running a trade business nobody enjoys. A short weekly routine keeps it from piling up.

Monday: plan the week

Check the diary, confirm the week's jobs with customers and order anything you need.

Daily: calls and messages

Return calls at set times rather than all day. This guide on how to handle calls when you're on a job has practical ideas for keeping on top of the phone without stopping work.

Wednesday: quotes

Send out any quotes from site visits while the details are fresh.

Friday: invoices and payments

Invoice finished jobs and chase anything overdue. A polite reminder sent on time is easier than an awkward conversation later.

Once a month

Look back at enquiries, quotes and jobs won. Patterns are easier to spot over a month than a week.

Keep the whole thing in one place, whether that is a notebook, a spreadsheet or an app. Consistency matters more than the tool.