Ask any creative professional, “What did you do all day?” and you may get a pause, a sigh, or a flurry of attempts to justify a to-do list that doesn’t neatly fall under their core discipline of design, copywriting or video production. For in-house creative teams, like those embedded inside companies whose main focus isn’t creativity, this question can feel particularly complicated. The truth is, not every valuable activity results in a design file, a headline, or a video edit.

Some of the most essential contributions to a creative studio’s performance happen outside of traditional “creative” work. These activities fall under the broad category of administrative time, and they are just as critical as the work that ultimately reaches the client.

So, What Exactly Is Administrative Time?

“Admin” is a catch-all term that often obscures the range of tasks it includes. Sometimes referred to as non-billable, non-utilized or overhead time. At its worst, it sounds like busywork. At its best, it represents the invisible structure that makes creativity possible.

Administrative time, for purposes of this article, includes activities such as:

  • Organizing shared files and folders for efficient access  

  • Building templates, brand palettes, and checklists to speed up production  

  • Updating brand guides or compiling internal resources  

  • Maintaining accurate project management tool data  

  • Internal team meetings, one-on-ones, and project traffic reviews  

  • General communication, reporting, and time tracking  

  • Researching tools, trends, and training materials  

  • Recruiting new team talent or onboarding new hires  

  • Professional development, training and mentoring

  • Assembling work for awards or business development  

Abraham Lincoln is credited with saying, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” That time spent preparing, maintaining, and aligning ensures that when the moment comes to swing—when the creative brief hits—the team is ready to deliver faster, smarter, and more accurately.

In short: administrative time is how the studio sharpens its axe.

Utilized vs. Non-Utilized: Clarifying the Grey Areas

A common misconception is that only time spent in creative tools like InDesign or Photoshop counts as “real work.” But what about the hour a designer spends in a meeting to clarify project goals? Or the time a copywriter spends asking the right questions to refine messaging?

Many of these activities are utilized, supporting delivery of a project, even if they don’t look like hands-on creative output. Any time spent securing direction, information or feedback needed to execute on your functional task could be entered under the functional task code.

On the other hand, non-utilized time includes activities not tied to a specific project. This is the classic definition of “admin” and often includes tasks that keep the studio running smoothly, but they don’t typically show up on client invoices, though they are entirely necessary. Administrative time is an essential part of production that contributes to delivering results that stakeholders can rely on.

Why Admin Time Feels Heavy, And Why It’s Not

It’s easy for “admin” to feel like dead weight—especially when it’s all lumped together. Without visibility, it’s natural to question whether that time is being well spent.

That’s why it’s so important to bring visibility to what’s being done during administrative time. When we understand the effort behind clean asset libraries, accurate time entries, or project scoping discussions that improve forecasting, we can begin to see admin time not as overhead—but as overhead with purpose.

Consider this: If every team member becomes just five minutes more efficient per day thanks to better templates or file management, a 60-person team gains 300 minutes—or five hours—a day of productivity. That’s more than 100 hours a month. At an average rate of $100/hour, that’s $10,000 in time recovered monthly. Small efficiencies compound quickly.

What’s the Right Amount of Admin Time?

In most creative organizations, the goal is to keep non-utilized (admin) time in the range of 15–20%, depending on the role. That means employees spend about 6.5 to 7 hours per day on project-related work and the rest on administrative activities. If someone were truly 100% billable every hour of every day, there’d be no time for professional development, system improvements or even a bathroom break. That's not realistic—or healthy.

This ratio shifts based on responsibilities. For example, creative managers often take on additional unbillable duties such as team coaching, performance management, or hiring—which are critical to the team’s long-term health. Admin time isn’t a sign of inefficiency; it can reflect a broader scope of responsibility.

Downtime Isn’t Wasted Time

Let’s also be honest: creative work doesn’t happen in perfectly stacked 60-minute increments. There are natural lulls—waiting on feedback, delays in assignments, unexpected project changes. Think of this as the “Tetris” of project scheduling.

The key is to recognize the potential in these gaps. Reading up on design trends, testing new tools, watching a quick tutorial—these seemingly minor activities can inspire innovation or help a team member become more skilled for the next big project.

Measuring and Managing Admin Time

Tracking administrative time isn't just about control—it's about understanding. When we identify where non-billable time goes, we can ensure it’s delivering real value:

  • Segment your non-project time. Don’t lump everything under “Admin.” Use tags like “Training,” “Team Management,” “Documentation,” etc.

  • Ensure the right person is doing the right task. A senior designer shouldn’t spend an hour rescheduling meetings that a project manager could handle.

  • Use downtime wisely. Time between projects or while waiting for feedback can be used for research, process improvement or inspiration gathering.

  • Leverage tech. Tools like project templates, auto-reminders and smart file storage systems reduce repetitive admin work.

Admin Time as Strategic Investment

Administrative time is not a sunk cost. It’s an investment in efficiency, quality and team sustainability.

According to HubSpot, creative teams that spend time organizing assets and improving communication workflows see a 20% boost in project delivery speed. Gallup research shows that highly engaged teams, with employees who receive coaching from their leaders and have access to professional development are 23% more profitable and have 81% lower absenteeism. And a 2018 Workplace Learning report by LinkedIn reports that 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invests in their growth.This makes admin time a retention tool, a cost-saving mechanism, and a competitive advantage.

Creative agencies, and especially those inside large organizations, need to move beyond the mindset that only billable time matters. The behind-the-scenes work is not just support; it is the infrastructure of excellence.

So, the next time someone asks what you did all day, you might say: “I was sharpening my axe.”