Every business, every department in every business and every person in every business has some dull, boring, repetitive tasks to do that just must get done. I call these jobs DRUDGE tasks (Dull, Repetitive, Ugly, Damnable, Endless).

One of the real problems with DRUDGE jobs is that people tend to procrastinate so that these, often important tasks, get done against a deadline, and there is little time left to check for completeness and accuracy. Errors that should be easily discovered are often not found until a customer or supervisor or auditor, a person that does not think of this job as being drudgery, spots it. Sometimes these overlooked errors can be very expensive (don't ask me how I know!).

When faced with this issue many years ago in my first supervisory position, I discovered that if I made a game out of it, I could shift the focus from, "this is the most boring job there is, I wonder how much time until lunch" to "I have 200 envelopes to stuff, let's see if I can get them done in 10 minutes." In other words, make a challenge, a sport or a game out of it.

Is it childish to create three teams to compete against each other for the "Weekly Warehouse Sweeping Trophy" or attempt to establish a "Personal Best" time for creating the "Month-end Sales Report (with points off for errors)?" Yes, it probably is childish, but there is a kid in all of us -- or at least there should be. And we can call on our child to respond to games, sports and challenges.

The owner of a small business is often described as someone who wears many hats. When the company isn't large enough to have much staff, the owner has to do many, if not all, of those DRUDGE jobs. If they can be done quickly and accurately, there is more time to devote to the tasks that can have a positive impact for the company.

So utilize your child. Make a game or sport out of DRUDGE jobs, and get them done so you can go on to greater things.