As a business leader, you might actually cringe at the idea of delegating things to others. You might have gotten this far just doing it all on your own. Many leaders assume things like not having enough time to teach others, and that things are just easier if they do it on their own, assuming nobody else could do it half as well as they could.
Does any of that ring a bell? Still, your to-do list might be growing more than you can get it done. A day goes by, and your list isn’t any shorter. Then it’s a week, a month, or even a year.
What happens because of this? You feel overwhelmed, and maybe even totally out of control. Anxiety and stress build-up. You even wind up procrastinating because there’s too much to do, and then you start missing out on promotions and advancement.
Learning how to delegate is something that is a frequently overlooked tool in terms of time management. Have you ever wondered why CEOs are earning 50 times as much as the rank and file? It’s not because they spend 50 times as many hours working. They have the same 24-hour day everyone else does.
One big thing that they’re doing differently is having shorter to-do lists because they’re not doing everything on that list. They skip over the minor details of the operations under them, as they rely on others who are sometimes better trained and equipped to handle such things. A leader needs to be looking just at the big picture, figure out ways things can be done, and then delegate those steps.
Not every working person has the resources to afford a multitude of assistants. Still, you might have resources at hand you’re not utilizing properly.
An office assistant is one. It could even be an intern. Many times, these employees only get menial and mundane tasks. Delegating things to them helps them be challenged, get experience, and have an opportunity for growth. But getting a virtual assistant is just the start.
If you’re self-employed or work from home a lot, consider involving your partner or kids. Make sure everyone is taking part in the home chores. Young ones can learn responsibility, and it can also mean more time together as a family. Kids might even get hired for typical office work.
Outsourcing is another thing you can do, especially online. You can get writers, web designers, graphic designers, bookkeepers, and SEO experts.
Identify your goals. Look at your options. Find more of them if you can. Break the goals down into tasks you can delegate or hire out.
When you do delegate something, be very explicit in what you would like to happen. Verify that they understand you. Give them a completion date, but get their agreement.
You do have to hand them the authority which goes along with their responsibility, so there is trust involved. However, identify the benefits of this work for the person doing it. Don’t check in on them too often, but make sure you’re available to answer their questions.
Under the weight of a massive to-do list, you might cringe at the notion of taking precious time out to just get organized. However, that time you spend will be gained back in just a few days and longer. At that point, you’ll be working ahead thanks to your effective use of time-management techniques. Delegating is just one facet of getting organized, but it’s a huge one. It can take some time to get someone trained in doing an activity just the way that you would like it done. However, once you are successful at doing this, then you’re going to be free of handling the work in the coming weeks and months ahead. It’s worth the bit of time you took to delegate and train. Don’t procrastinate on taking any of these steps.