20 Tasks You Shouldn’t Be Doing as a CEO

Being a CEO doesn’t mean doing everything in your business. In fact, if you’re spending your days buried in admin, chasing invoices, or posting on social media, you’re working like an assistant, not a leader.

The truth is, your time is too valuable for tasks that don’t directly grow your business. That’s where a Virtual Assistant (VA) comes in. Here are 20 tasks you shouldn’t be doing as a CEO and what you can delegate right now.

Admin & Operations

1. Inbox management – Sorting, flagging, and replying to routine emails.

2. Calendar scheduling – Stop playing calendar Tetris and let a VA handle it.

3. Travel bookings – Flights, hotels, and itineraries can be delegated in minutes.

4. Data entry & reporting – You shouldn’t be wrestling spreadsheets.

5. CRM updates – Logging leads, notes, and follow-ups.

Client & Customer Support

6. Client onboarding – A VA can send welcome emails, forms, and contracts.

7. Invoicing – Sending invoices and chasing late payments.

8. Answering FAQs – Create templates once, let your VA handle the rest.

9. Appointment reminders – Reduce no-shows without lifting a finger.

10. Membership/Course Support – Helping clients with logins, access, or troubleshooting.

Marketing & Visibility

11. Social media scheduling – You focus on strategy, let your VA handle the posts.

12. Repurposing content – Blogs into reels, podcasts into posts—done for you.

13. Newsletter formatting – Stop fiddling with templates in Mailchimp.

14. Uploading blogs, videos, or podcasts – Your VA can manage publishing.

15. Researching hashtags & engagement – A VA can help boost your reach.

CEO-Level Support

16. Creating SOPs – Document tasks once, let your VA run them forever.

17. Project coordination – Keeping freelancers and contractors on track.

18. Vendor research – Comparing tools, apps, or suppliers.

19. Slide deck prep – Your ideas, polished by your VA.

20. Expense tracking – Gathering receipts and preparing reports.

Here’s the Bottom Line

If you’re doing these 20 tasks, you’re working in your business instead of on it. And that’s what keeps CEOs stuck.

Delegating doesn’t just save time, it buys back your freedom to focus on strategy, growth, and the work only you can do.

Want the full breakdown? We created a free resource to help: The CEO’s Guide to Buying Back Your Time.

You’ll learn what to delegate first, how to spot time leaks, and how other CEOs reclaim a full week every month with a VA.