One of the biggest challenges for business owners can be finding time to do what you do best. Whether you run a florist shop or a dental practice, chances are you didn't start your business so you could spend your time on routine administrative chores.

Yet you probably do.

	TIP: If you need to send a standard business letter, you can find pre-written letter templates at Office Online. There are templates for collection letters, store opening announcements and much more. Use as much or as little of the pre-written text as you want. It's a quick way to take care of routine correspondence.

What you may not realize is how easily you can streamline many time-consuming administrative tasks by taking full advantage of software you probably already own. Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003 — which includes Word, Excel, the new Outlook with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint and Publisher — opens the door to a diverse array of templates specifically designed to speed routine tasks.

These templates are built to expedite work done time and time again in businesses the world over. They can be accessed online directly from within the Office program you are using. The beauty of using the Office Online templates is that you don't have to start from scratch. You have a basic structure — perhaps for an employment form or an expense report — that you can easily customize with your company information, logo, even colors to meet your specific requirements.

There are hundreds of templates that you can download for free from the Office Online Web site. Below are just a few examples of how you can use these templates to streamline common administrative tasks:

• Business plan presentation: If you're planning to present your business plan to potential investors, the PowerPoint business plan template available with Office provides an attractive and comprehensive framework covering all of the key elements of a business plan, including market summary, competition and resource requirements. Simply insert the information relevant to your business on the appropriate slide and customize as needed.
  
  
• Billing statement: You don't have to hire someone to get a professional looking billing statement for your business. The Excel-based billing statement template in Office is easily customized with the particulars of your business, plus itemization options that can conform to your billing procedures.
  
  
• Payroll calculator: With the Excel-based payroll calculator available at Office Online, you can easily fill in employee information, then log work hours and pay rates and the software automatically builds detailed individual pay stubs.
  
  
• Project to-do list: Easily track tasks you need to complete on this Excel-based electronic to-do list. You enter your project names, tasks and notes to personalize your checklist. As you complete items you check them off, plus you can use the AutoFilter feature of Excel to quickly highlight tasks you've done or those you still need to complete.
  
  
• Job application evaluation form: The hiring process can be extremely time consuming. Using the customizable applicant evaluation template available at Office Online, you can keep track of job candidates in an efficient and consistent manner.
  
  
• Contracts and agreements: If you don't feel the need to involve a lawyer in drafting simple contracts and agreements, you can save time and money with the wide variety of templates at the Office Online site. They run the gamut, from property management forms to confidentiality agreements.
  
  

Using templates created with familiar Office interfaces to speed administrative routines can save you time and save you money. More importantly, it allows you to focus your expertise on the priorities that are core to your business.