10+ Hours a Week Wasted: The Tasks Killing Contractor Productivity

Most contractors don’t have a time problem. They have a capacity problem.

Between emails, admin tasks, SOPs scattered across folders, and constant context switching, the day gets eaten alive by tiny inefficiencies. Each one feels harmless. Together, they quietly steal hours every week.

In this episode of Contractor Evolution, Danny Kerr sits down with operational efficiency expert and Come Up for Air author Nick Sonnenberg to break down how contractors can reclaim serious time without adding headcount. 

Nick’s core idea is simple: efficiency isn’t the goal: capacity is. The right systems give you more room to think, lead, and focus on high-value work instead of drowning in low-leverage tasks.

Key Takeaways Contractors Can Apply Right Away

• Start where your time actually goes: your inbox
  Email is still the most used tool in business, and most people were never trained to use it properly. Nick introduces the RAD framework (Reply, Archive, Defer) and explains how small changes like keyboard shortcuts and email snoozing can save dozens of hours per year.
• Optimize for finding information, not storing it
  Too many folders, half-finished systems, and “I’ll remember where that is” thinking slows everything down. The goal isn’t to move information faster; it’s to retrieve it instantly when you need it.
• Stack small wins instead of chasing one big fix
  Saving 3-5 seconds per task seems like nothing. But when you save 3-5 seconds 100 times a day, every day, it starts to add up. Nick shows how these micro-efficiencies compound into weeks of reclaimed time over a year.
• Use AI to build assets, not just answer questions
  One-off prompts are helpful, but repeatable systems are where the real leverage lives. Nick explains how to invest more time upfront creating AI-powered SOPs, templates, and workflows that can be reused endlessly.
• Build SOPs for AI, not just for people
  As AI tools get better, the quality of the output depends on the quality of the inputs. Contractors who organize their data, processes, and standards now will be miles ahead as automation accelerates.

The big shift Nick challenges contractors to make is this: stop asking, “What tool should I use?” and start asking, “What would free up the most capacity for me and my team?”

If your days feel full but your business still relies too heavily on you, this episode will change how you think about time, systems, and scale.

👉 If you want help applying these ideas inside your own contracting business, book a complimentary discovery call with Breakthrough Academy. We’ll help you identify where capacity is leaking and build systems that give you your time — and your business — back.

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