Ensuring your business is well organized will enable you to spend more time on activities that will help it grow.

Every financial advisor’s goal should be to have a business that can function without the advisor being present, says Mark Wardell, president of Wardell Professional Business Development Inc. in Vancouver. When the details of day-to-day management are taken care of, you can focus on revenue-generating activities, such as bringing in more businesses and focusing on your current clients.

“When you micro-manage,” he says, “it takes a lot of time and energy away from your ability to focus on high-value work.”

Here are five tips to get your business organized so you can focus on what you do best:

1. Map it all out
Create an organizational chart to show how your business is working.

An organizational chart is a visual map of a business that shows the rank of each employee and his or her relation to others, according to OrgChart.net.

Even if you run a small office, Wardell says, an organizational chart helps to formalize each team member’s role responsibilities.

2. Describe every job
Write out job descriptions to clarify each team member’s responsibilities for the daily operation of the business.

Job descriptions eliminate redundancies, Wardell says. They give everyone a clear understanding of what he or she is responsible for and whom to speak to if they have any concerns.

3. Find the inefficiencies
Write out every task or “system” involved in your business, to help find instances of wasted time or resources.

Describe each task in detail using a three-column document, Wardell says. The first column outlines what a team member does; the second states when the task is done; and the third column explains how it is done.

Once every system is written out, Wardell says, look for tasks that offer the “biggest bang for buck.” These are the tasks that you, as the advisor, should focus on.

Writing out every task in detail also helps ensure that everyone is working on tasks best suited to his or her job and indicates whether some functions should be reassigned.

4. Keep a schedule
Make time management a priority.

Write out everything you do at work for two weeks, Wardell says. Then, break everything down into specific categories. Next, block those categories together on your agenda.

Generally, if you wanted to contact 20 clients over the course of a week, says Wardell, you might spend 10 minutes one day and 30 minutes the next on that task. This inconsistency invites interruption from team members and can decrease your productivity level.

By blocking off time for one task — such as scheduling three hours on Monday to call clients — you let team members know you are focused on a specific task and should not be disturbed.

5. Send a report
Set up a reporting process to make your staff accountable.

Each team members should meet with his or her direct manager once a week, Wardell says, to provide an update on two to five important tasks. This contact will ensure all major responsibilities are taken care of and reveal whether a team member requires help with a project.