The routine.
EVERY MORNING
Check new orders and their payment status Confirm bank transfers received
Answer messages from overnight: email, WhatsApp, social
Check for failed or pending payments
DURING THE DAY
Pack and dispatch, recording the courier and reference Mark orders as dispatched, which notifies the customer Respond to enquiries promptly
END OF DAY
Confirm nothing is left unprocessed Check stock on anything that sold heavily Note anything to follow up
WEEKLY
Apply software updates, having backed up Check backups ran Test the contact form and place a test order Reconcile the gateway against your bank
WHY THE TEST ORDER
A broken checkout is invisible from the admin side. Every hour it stays broken is lost revenue, and customers rarely report it.
Buy something from your own shop regularly.
THE PART THAT SCALES WORST
Order processing and customer messages. Those grow faster than anything else and are the first thing to systematise or delegate.