What do you think?
Rate this book
Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks
This tactical guide will give you immediately actionable guidelines to outsource your administrative work to an administrative assistant so that you can focus on driving exponential value in your personal and work life. A solid, automated, outsourced administrative system will save you valuable time and energy, which you can then use to create real value in your personal and work life. By implementing these tools and systems, you will find yourself with dozens of hours of whitespace time that you previously did not have. You can fill that time with more productive, value-generating activities including ideation, deep-thinking, and creative play.
- GenresNonfiction
33 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2018
3 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 13, 2018
The objective of 'Zen and the art of admin tasks' is to provide executives with a strategy how to better handle their administrative work, using a range of automation tools to manage their emails, calendar, and client database, because the majority of their tasks and time commitments come from these sources. This will help eliminate the need to have an expensive full-time administrative assistant, making do with part-time help instead without compromising the running of the business. These tools will help optimize day-to-day activities to achieve maximum effectiveness and creativity with minimum administrative fuss.
The authors, Nic de Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, contend that it is important to choose the right administrative assistant to help with emails, calendar, and client management, and familiarize the assistant with how the executive wants things done. The next step is to select appropriate admin automation tools. Emails can take up a lot of an executive’s time, and they should be categorized for importance and appropriate handling by the admin assistant. The authors provide some rules how this can be achieved. The authors also recommend using the Google Calendar to plan and manage their activities. It is also important to follow up after meetings and client contacts, and the authors have a list of suggestions for this. The objective of these tools is to minimize the amount of admin work done by the executive, leaving time for managing clients and the business.
With 'Zen and the art of admin tasks', Nic de Castro and Nathan Pettijohn have presented a nice booklet of ideas and practical suggestions, easily absorbed and understood by any busy executive. Having been exposed to administrative problems during my career and how much of my time emails absorbed my day, I was able to appreciate the suggestions to ameliorate the administrative burden. My only regret is that the authors had not delved deeper into the fascinating area of task management. However, what they have come up with should give executives material to reflect on their daily activates and hopefully, adopt the suggested solutions.
'Zen and the art of admin tasks' can be found on Amazon.
The authors, Nic de Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, contend that it is important to choose the right administrative assistant to help with emails, calendar, and client management, and familiarize the assistant with how the executive wants things done. The next step is to select appropriate admin automation tools. Emails can take up a lot of an executive’s time, and they should be categorized for importance and appropriate handling by the admin assistant. The authors provide some rules how this can be achieved. The authors also recommend using the Google Calendar to plan and manage their activities. It is also important to follow up after meetings and client contacts, and the authors have a list of suggestions for this. The objective of these tools is to minimize the amount of admin work done by the executive, leaving time for managing clients and the business.
With 'Zen and the art of admin tasks', Nic de Castro and Nathan Pettijohn have presented a nice booklet of ideas and practical suggestions, easily absorbed and understood by any busy executive. Having been exposed to administrative problems during my career and how much of my time emails absorbed my day, I was able to appreciate the suggestions to ameliorate the administrative burden. My only regret is that the authors had not delved deeper into the fascinating area of task management. However, what they have come up with should give executives material to reflect on their daily activates and hopefully, adopt the suggested solutions.
'Zen and the art of admin tasks' can be found on Amazon.
August 22, 2018
In the world of hustle, we often forget how much time we lose instead of spending it in a useful manner. Time management is an actionable task if you run a startup or a micro business. If you are not managing your time wilfully, you are not only losing time but your energy too in performing mundane tasks. Think about the most mundane task you go through every day that unknowingly consumes a lot of time?
I am a remote worker and I spend a lot of my time reading and answering emails (not from my workmates). Emails in a modern world, consume a lot of our time. I often find myself reading emails on my laptop and if away from that, my mobile phone happily delivers them to me. Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks is a short book, mere 65 pages, about how to outsource these type of administrative tasks. It offers a system that if followed and maintained can add a lot of value to your time and save that energy. It is a tactical guide that might not interest everyone, but let me convince you to read it at least once.
Along with defining the situation by giving a real-life example of the major difference by managing these tasks on your own versus hire someone to manage your inbox, this book offers a variety of tools, mostly free. Written by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, both of them are startup owners. They describe by hiring a virtual assistant how they were able to add more value to their personal and work life.
This book even the so short is about implementing the strategies defined in it ASAP. That is the idea both the co-authors want to convey. The writing style is simple and to the point. The tools and systems defined are pragmatic. Two of those tools, I have started using them. However, I do feel this book could have been a longer and tackled other issues for a modern-day hustler. I would have loved to hear about how Nic's and Nathan's manage and tackle different situations in their startup world. That zen could have been more descriptive.
3.5 out of 5!
I am a remote worker and I spend a lot of my time reading and answering emails (not from my workmates). Emails in a modern world, consume a lot of our time. I often find myself reading emails on my laptop and if away from that, my mobile phone happily delivers them to me. Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks is a short book, mere 65 pages, about how to outsource these type of administrative tasks. It offers a system that if followed and maintained can add a lot of value to your time and save that energy. It is a tactical guide that might not interest everyone, but let me convince you to read it at least once.
Along with defining the situation by giving a real-life example of the major difference by managing these tasks on your own versus hire someone to manage your inbox, this book offers a variety of tools, mostly free. Written by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, both of them are startup owners. They describe by hiring a virtual assistant how they were able to add more value to their personal and work life.
This book even the so short is about implementing the strategies defined in it ASAP. That is the idea both the co-authors want to convey. The writing style is simple and to the point. The tools and systems defined are pragmatic. Two of those tools, I have started using them. However, I do feel this book could have been a longer and tackled other issues for a modern-day hustler. I would have loved to hear about how Nic's and Nathan's manage and tackle different situations in their startup world. That zen could have been more descriptive.
3.5 out of 5!
July 3, 2022
In the world of hustle, we often forget how much time we lose instead of spending it in a useful manner. Time management is an actionable task if you run a startup or a micro business. If you are not managing your time wilfully, you are not only losing time but your energy too in performing mundane tasks. Think about the most mundane task you go through every day that unknowingly consumes a lot of time?
I am a remote worker and I spend a lot of my time reading and answering emails (not from my workmates). Emails in a modern world, consume a lot of our time. I often find myself reading emails on my laptop and if away from that, my mobile phone happily delivers them to me. Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks is a short book, mere 65 pages, about how to outsource these type of administrative tasks. It offers a system that if followed and maintained can add a lot of value to your time and save that energy. It is a tactical guide that might not interest everyone, but let me convince you to read it at least once.
Along with defining the situation by giving a real-life example of the major difference by managing these tasks on your own versus hire someone to manage your inbox, this book offers a variety of tools, mostly free. Written by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, both of them are startup owners. They describe by hiring a virtual assistant how they were able to add more value to their personal and work life.
This book even the so short is about implementing the strategies defined in it ASAP. That is the idea both the co-authors want to convey. The writing style is simple and to the point. The tools and systems defined are pragmatic. Two of those tools, I have started using them. However, I do feel this book could have been a longer and tackled other issues for a modern-day hustler. I would have loved to hear about how Nic's and Nathan's manage and tackle different situations in their startup world. That zen could have been more descriptive.
3.5 out of 5!
I am a remote worker and I spend a lot of my time reading and answering emails (not from my workmates). Emails in a modern world, consume a lot of our time. I often find myself reading emails on my laptop and if away from that, my mobile phone happily delivers them to me. Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks is a short book, mere 65 pages, about how to outsource these type of administrative tasks. It offers a system that if followed and maintained can add a lot of value to your time and save that energy. It is a tactical guide that might not interest everyone, but let me convince you to read it at least once.
Along with defining the situation by giving a real-life example of the major difference by managing these tasks on your own versus hire someone to manage your inbox, this book offers a variety of tools, mostly free. Written by Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn, both of them are startup owners. They describe by hiring a virtual assistant how they were able to add more value to their personal and work life.
This book even the so short is about implementing the strategies defined in it ASAP. That is the idea both the co-authors want to convey. The writing style is simple and to the point. The tools and systems defined are pragmatic. Two of those tools, I have started using them. However, I do feel this book could have been a longer and tackled other issues for a modern-day hustler. I would have loved to hear about how Nic's and Nathan's manage and tackle different situations in their startup world. That zen could have been more descriptive.
3.5 out of 5!
February 6, 2019
Zen and the Art of Admin Tasks
By Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
“This book is meant to be read in the span of an hour and immediately implemented,” the authors advise.
They address the three categories who benefit best from this book:
• “own a small business but still manage … email and scheduling.”
• “run sales from an organization but still personally respond to specific intros and leads and update … own CRM.”
• “entrepreneur (or VP or C-level executive) … easily distracted by … inbox instead of focusing on the big picture.”
The authors present as promised a step by step process to eliminate administrative tasks holding one back from productivity. From choosing an admin, tools and calendars, to email rules and follow-ups, the short to the point chapters lead to a wrap up in the conclusion. This is then followed by an appendix of posting and interview questions for hiring an admin as well as template for account information to be used easily by the admin.
Readers will find this a quick read with many helpful tips.
https://amzn.to/2DQYKui
Angie Mangino currently works as a freelance journalist and book reviewer, additionally offering authors personalized critique service and copyediting of unpublished manuscripts. www.AngieMangino.com
By Nic De Castro and Nathan Pettijohn
2019
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 4 stars
“This book is meant to be read in the span of an hour and immediately implemented,” the authors advise.
They address the three categories who benefit best from this book:
• “own a small business but still manage … email and scheduling.”
• “run sales from an organization but still personally respond to specific intros and leads and update … own CRM.”
• “entrepreneur (or VP or C-level executive) … easily distracted by … inbox instead of focusing on the big picture.”
The authors present as promised a step by step process to eliminate administrative tasks holding one back from productivity. From choosing an admin, tools and calendars, to email rules and follow-ups, the short to the point chapters lead to a wrap up in the conclusion. This is then followed by an appendix of posting and interview questions for hiring an admin as well as template for account information to be used easily by the admin.
Readers will find this a quick read with many helpful tips.
https://amzn.to/2DQYKui
Angie Mangino currently works as a freelance journalist and book reviewer, additionally offering authors personalized critique service and copyediting of unpublished manuscripts. www.AngieMangino.com
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews