Rural postmasters work long hours. On a typical day, the postmaster arrives early at the office before it opens to the public to sort the mail. In winter, sorting is preceded by lighting the wood stove, not only for warmth, but also to thaw the ink needed for stamping mail and filling out official documents and ledgers. The postmaster sets the date stamp to the current date, performs a few other tasks, and starts sorting. One by one, letters are laid out, cancelled, sorted by destination or train route, bound in packages of 75 or so envelopes, and placed with the required routing slips in the correct canvas bag for each class of mail.

In addition to sorting mail, the postmaster performs clerical tasks such as filling out forms, writing reports, making sure there is a good supply of stamps and other postal material, and supervising rural mail couriers to ensure that delivery timetables are followed. The day ends with counting the money in the till. Once the report is completed, the postmaster puts it and the money into a sealed, cancelled envelope and delivers it to the bank by hand or by registered mail.