How to Reclaim 20+ Hours a Week with an Executive Assistant

If you’re an executive or business owner, chances are you’ve felt the weight of a never-ending to-do list. Between emails, scheduling, follow-ups, and “just a few minutes” tasks, your day quickly gets swallowed up before you’ve even had a chance to focus on strategy or growth.

At HelpFlow, we’ve worked with 100+ business owners and executives through our Executive Assistant staffing services. One thing is clear: most leaders waste at least 20+ hours every week on tasks that don’t require their expertise. That’s nearly half a workweek lost to work that could (and should) be delegated.

The good news? You can reclaim that time — and it starts with understanding where it’s going.

‍

Why Executives Waste So Much Time Without An Executive Assistant

The biggest trap isn’t the big, obvious projects — it’s the accumulation of small, repetitive tasks that eat away at your focus. Here’s why having an Executive Assistant makes all the difference:

• The “It’ll Only Take a Minute” Lie → Quick emails, scheduling, or travel bookings may feel small, but when stacked together, they easily take hours.
• Constant Context Switching → Jumping between strategy and admin work kills productivity. Each switch can cost you 15–20 minutes of focus recovery.
• Low-Value but Necessary Tasks → Expense reports, vendor coordination, or personal errands all matter, but they don’t move the business forward.
• Lack of Delegation Systems → Without a clear process, leaders default to doing tasks themselves “to save time,” when in reality they lose far more.
  

The result? Executives end up spending prime hours of their week being busy instead of effective — unless they work with a reliable Executive Assistant.

The 20+ Hour Breakdown

Here are some of the most common ways leaders burn through 20+ hours a week — all of which a skilled Executive Assistant can take off your plate:

Business Time Wasters

• Email Triage & Drafting (5+ hours/week) - Sorting, filtering, and replying to routine emails.
• Calendar Management (2–3 hours/week) - Scheduling, rescheduling, confirming.
• Meeting Prep & Follow-Ups (5–6 hours/week) - Building agendas, sending recaps, thank-yous, and reminders.
• Expense Tracking & Admin (1–2 hours/week) - Logging receipts, reports, reimbursements.
• Vendor & Client Coordination (1–3 hours/week) - Routine updates and check-ins.

Personal & Lifestyle Time Wasters

• Appointments & Reservations (1–2 hours/week) - Doctors, restaurants, household services.
• Online Shopping & Returns (1–2 hours/week) - Supplies, gifts, errands.
• Family or Personal Travel Planning (1–2 hours/week) - Flights, hotels, logistics.
• Errands & Household Tasks (2–3 hours/week) - Dry cleaning, deliveries, coordination.

Add it up, and you’re easily looking at 20–30 hours per week — gone. That’s almost three full days every week spent on tasks that an Executive Assistant could handle.

How to Stop Wasting 20+ Hours/Week 

Here’s the system we recommend (and implement for our clients) to maximize the value of an Executive Assistant:

1. Audit Your Time → Track everything you do for 5 days. Highlight tasks that took under 2 hours or didn’t require your expertise.
2. Categorize Tasks → Separate into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. This helps create a rhythm for delegation.
3. Delegate Aggressively → Offload email, scheduling, travel, expenses, and personal logistics to your EA. Don’t overthink — if it’s under 2 hours, delegate it.
4. Set Clear Expectations → Provide templates, preferences, and authority. Let your EA make small decisions so you’re not pulled back in.
5. Review Weekly → Spend 15 minutes with your EA each week to align priorities and improve delegation processes.

This system works because it’s simple. Instead of debating whether to delegate, you create a rule and stick to it. Over time, working with your Executive Assistant becomes second nature — and your time opens up for true leadership.

Reclaim Your Time with an Executive Assistant 

The truth is, most executives aren’t short on time because they’re too busy — they’re short on time because they’re spending it on the wrong things. By continuing to handle admin and personal tasks yourself, you’re trading away focus, strategy, and balance.

At HelpFlow, we’ve helped executives reclaim 20–30 hours every week by matching them with highly trained Executive Virtual Assistants. The result? More time for leadership, growth, and the freedom to actually enjoy life outside of work.

If this resonates, book a free Strategy Call with one of our Account Strategists. No pressure — just a conversation to uncover where your time is going, and how you can reclaim it. Whether you work with HelpFlow or not, you’ll walk away with actionable insights you can immediately apply with your VA or team.

Your time is too valuable to waste on “just a few minutes” tasks. Let’s help you get it back.