47 Tasks to Delegate to Your Executive Assistant Today

The delegation problem

Most executives know they should delegate more. The problem is they don't know what to hand off. They think "my EA can handle my calendar" and stop there.

That's like buying a sports car and only driving it to the grocery store.

This list is the full inventory. 47 tasks that a vetted, trained EA can handle. Not all on day one, but within the first 90 days of a proper onboarding ramp.

Calendar and travel (8 tasks)

1. Inbox triage - Sort, label, and prioritize incoming emails. Draft responses for your approval.
2. Calendar management - Schedule meetings, resolve conflicts, protect focus blocks.
3. Travel booking - Flights, hotels, ground transport, visas, itineraries.
4. Meeting prep - Agendas, briefing documents, background research on attendees.
5. Follow-ups - Track action items from meetings and follow up with owners.
6. Time blocking - Protect deep work blocks, buffer time, and personal commitments.
7. Timezone coordination - Schedule across timezones without you doing the math.
8. Reminder systems - Pre-meeting briefs (15 min before), post-meeting summaries.

Communication (9 tasks)

9. Email drafting - Write stakeholder emails in your tone for your review.
10. Internal updates - Draft weekly team updates and announcements.
11. Client correspondence - Manage routine client communications and check-ins.
12. Vendor coordination - Handle vendor onboarding, negotiations, and renewals.
13. Slack/Teams management - Monitor channels, flag important messages, draft responses.
14. Phone coverage - Answer or route calls (if you have a business number).
15. Newsletter drafting - Format and draft your internal or external newsletter.
16. Social media scheduling - Schedule LinkedIn or company posts (content provided by you).
17. Event invitations - Send, track, and follow up on event invitations.

Research and analysis (8 tasks)

18. Competitive intelligence - Track competitor moves, product launches, hiring.
19. Market research - Gather data on markets, trends, and opportunities.
20. Due diligence support - Prepare data rooms, organize documents, track checklists.
21. Meeting research - Research attendees, companies, and topics before meetings.
22. Industry monitoring - Track industry news, regulatory changes, and reports.
23. Vendor research - Shortlist and evaluate vendors for specific needs.
24. Talent research - Source and pre-screen candidates for open roles.
25. Briefing documents - Prepare 1-page briefs for meetings, calls, and decisions.

Operations (10 tasks)

26. CRM updates - Keep your CRM current (deals, contacts, activities).
27. Pipeline management - Track deals through stages, flag stalled opportunities.
28. Expense reporting - Submit and track expenses, reconcile receipts.
29. Invoice processing - Review, code, and route invoices for approval.
30. Document creation - Format decks, reports, briefs, and proposals.
31. Project tracking - Maintain project timelines, milestones, and status updates.
32. Onboarding support - Coordinate new hire onboarding logistics.
33. Offboarding - Manage exit processes, access revocation, handover docs.
34. Vendor management - Track contracts, renewals, and performance.
35. Compliance tracking - Monitor filing deadlines, license renewals, regulatory dates.

AI-powered workflows (7 tasks)

36. Zapier/n8n automation - Build automation pipelines connecting your tools.
37. AI calendar optimization - Use Reclaim or Motion to optimize your schedule.
38. Research synthesis - Use Perplexity and Claude to produce cited research briefs.
39. Email triage with AI - Use AI to prioritize and draft email responses.
40. Meeting summaries - Use Otter or Fathom to transcribe and summarize meetings.
41. Content drafting - Use ChatGPT or Claude to draft first drafts of documents.
42. Data analysis - Use AI to analyze spreadsheets and produce insights.

Personal and miscellaneous (5 tasks)

43. Personal scheduling - Book personal appointments, manage family calendar.
44. Gift research - Research, select, and purchase gifts for clients and team.
45. Subscription management - Track and manage recurring subscriptions.
46. Personal travel - Book personal trips, restaurants, and experiences.
47. Research for personal decisions - Research schools, contractors, services.

How to start delegating

Don't try to delegate all 47 at once. Here's the sequence:

Week 1: Tasks 1 to 8 (calendar and travel). These are the highest-impact, lowest-risk tasks. Start here.

Week 2: Tasks 9 to 17 (communication). The EA drafts, you approve. Over time, approval moves to review-only.

Weeks 3 to 4: Tasks 18 to 25 (research). The EA owns specific research areas. You get briefed, not involved in the process.

Weeks 5 to 8: Tasks 26 to 35 (operations). The EA takes over operational ownership. You review outputs, not process.

Weeks 9+: Tasks 36 to 47 (AI workflows and personal). These are the advanced tasks. They require trust and calibration.

The math

If you delegate 20 of these 47 tasks, and each saves you 45 minutes per week:

• 20 tasks x 45 min = 15 hours/week saved
• 15 hours x 48 weeks = 720 hours/year
• At $200/hour = $144,000/year in reclaimed time
• EA cost: $28,800/year
• Net ROI: $115,200/year

Read the full salary comparison to see the numbers.

Ready to delegate?

If you're ready to hand off these 47 tasks, send us a brief. We deliver 3 vetted candidates within 48 hours. Each comes with a recorded executive simulation and reference notes.

Or read our hiring guide for a structured approach to finding the right EA.

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What would you do with 15 extra hours per week? Find out.