Short answer. Open last week's calendar, sent mail and to-do list. Write down every task you did more than once, how long each took, and where it happened. Add up the minutes, circle the biggest one that follows the same steps each time, and fix that one first. Usually the hours went to small jobs between the real work.
If you're a realtor, bookkeeper or consultant working mostly alone, you probably know the feeling. Say the client work took 25 hours, but the week took 45. The rest went somewhere.
Where do the hours usually go?
Into the small jobs that connect the real work. Think follow-up emails after a showing, call or meeting, turning notes into a summary or client update, month-end reminders for documents or payments, going back and forth on scheduling, and copying the same details from one tool to another.
How do you run the audit?
Look back at last week's real record instead of your memory of a typical week. List anything you did twice or more, one line each, and estimate the minutes each time. Rough is fine. Note the tool where it happens, whether that's Gmail, your CRM or a spreadsheet.
Then take the biggest task and go through it step by step. Mark which steps are the same every time, which are a short piece of writing, and which really need your judgment. The best first fix is big in minutes and mostly made of the first two kinds.
Here's a table you can copy to start.
| Task | Times last week | Minutes each | Total minutes | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example, client status update email | 4 | 15 | 60 | |
What do you do with the result?
Start with the fix that needs the least new software. Often that's a template, a saved reply, or a setting you already pay for. Only then ask whether a drafting tool would help with the writing steps, and keep checking its work.
Count the checking time, because the numbers go both ways. A Stanford and MIT study of 277 accountants (Journal of Accountancy, Aug 20, 2025) found AI users moved about 3.5 hours of a 40-hour week from data entry to higher-value work. Workers in SHRM's Navigating AI in the Workplace 2026 survey also reported spending about four hours a week fixing AI output.
This is how I work on my own projects too. I start with a small version to prove the idea works, then keep improving it. At some point there's always more you could improve, and the real question is whether it's worth the time and effort.
Common questions
How long does the audit take?
About 15 minutes to list the tasks, plus a few more to mark the steps in the biggest one.
What if every week is different?
Do it for two weeks. The repeat jobs show up in both.
Do I need to track time with an app?
No. Your calendar and sent mail are enough for a first pass.
Next step
Copy the table above, fill it in from last week, and circle the one job to fix first. If you'd like a second pair of eyes, book a free 20-minute call. We reply within one business day.
Study and survey figures checked Oct 19 to 20, 2026. General information.
