How to Successfully Delegate When You Have Too Many Tasks

DELEGATION. A word that brings fear to many.

Yet, it doesn’t have to be that way!

Here are some common reactions when I suggest delegating as a strategy to help with task overwhelm:

• “I don’t have anyone to delegate to.”
• “No one can do it like I can!”
• “It’ll take longer to teach someone than to do it myself.”
• “I can’t afford it.”
• “I don’t know how to find the right person.”

I get it! I’ve said all of these phrases at one time or another.

These reactions are usually due to misconceptions about delegating.

It’s only used in a business setting where there is available staff.

If you call a plumber to fix a leaky faucet, you’re authorizing someone else to do a job. True, it may be because plumbing isn’t part of your skill set. However, the end result is that the faucet is fixed.

If you are a solo entrepreneur and have a bookkeeper, you’re delegating.

If you’re a parent, hopefully at some point you delegated to your children. You may have called it “chores,” but it was still assigning tasks that you then didn’t have to do.

You have to “know” how to delegate.

Delegation is a skill, which means it can be learned. That’s why I’m writing this post!

Between videos and articles on the web, time management books and seminars, it’s easy to get information about how to outsource. You can also get specific training on how to delegate.

It costs too much money.

I won’t deny that money is usually involved. However, what is it costing in terms of money and time when the task isn’t finished? Also, do you really know the approximate amount you would pay someone? Often what we think is different from reality.

Depending on what you’re looking for, it may also be possible to barter.

Over the past couple of decades, I’ve slowly learned to delegate. I’ll provide both personal and business examples.

Personal

I’m all about hiring for house repairs. It would be a disaster if I didn’t! I pay for lawn care. I also have someone who cleans my house. It’s not that I don’t know how or can’t, I just won’t.

A number of years ago, I hired a personal chef. I used to cook all the time. But I found that I was too busy or tired to cook. This meant that I wasn’t always eating healthy. I discovered that periodically having a personal chef who cooked yummy, healthy meals was also fiscally responsible. I calculated the money I spent on food (thinking once again that I would actually cook!) plus take out, and then looked at food that went to waste when I didn’t cook, it came out about the same.

Professional

In the beginning, I did everything!

Once I had steady income, I hired a bookkeeper. That was easy for me because it was something I didn’t like to do (I’d learned just enough QuickBooks through a community college class to do it myself) and it was a self-contained activity.

The thought of hiring another organizer was a whole different thing! When I was thinking it through, an advisor said, “You have two choices, you can either stay the size you are or you can hire someone and grow.”

With trepidation and very little information, I went for it. Over the years I’ve had employees and independent contractors in a variety of roles: organizer, marketing, content writing, website development, social media assistant, and more. I’ve also fired a couple, which isn’t easy.

I’m confident that my business wouldn’t have evolved if it was still just me doing everything.

When you’re just starting the delegation process – and it is a process since it doesn’t take place overnight – there are three stages to consider.

Stage 1 – BEFORE

The most important decision to make before you start delegating is what you need to handle personally. These are the tasks for which you are absolutely the only person who has the knowledge and skills to complete. This helps determine what jobs can be done by someone else.

You also need to be able to articulate and prioritize your desired outcomes. If you schedule a house cleaner to work for two hours, let them know what you expect (clean just the floors or include the baseboards). Tell them the urgency as well (floors, counters, bathrooms before dusting the tops of fan blades or blinds), so they complete the most important items within the two hours.

A third factor is deciding task allocation. This means matching the assignment to the appropriate person. They have the necessary skills or the ability to learn the needed skills. And they have available time to work on the activity.

Task allocation also involves matching the amount of responsibility with the authority. It isn’t useful or efficient if the person has to get your input or okay each step of the way.

Once you’ve worked through the previous three steps, it’s time to find someone! You can check with friends, neighbors, business colleagues, and physical or virtual groups to which you belong, to discover the best way to find someone. Other options include:

• National or international associations, such as the International Virtual Assistants Association, or National Association of Pet Sitters. There are national and international associations for pretty much any service.
• Job boards at local colleges.
• Google specific terms, such as “errand running services.”

Next is interviewing. People you already know who use similar services may have an idea of what to ask or look for. Some association websites give sample questions. For instance, the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, of which I’ve been a member since 2002, has a free FAQ sheet called How do I Find an Organizer Who is Right for Me?

Stage 2 – DURING

This stage starts with training and ends with a completed task.

Step 1 – Show. Demonstrate and explain. Just talking with someone often isn’t enough. Showing gives a more complete picture.

Step 2 – Partner. Sometimes it helpful or necessary to work together at various times during the first time through a project. This allows you to help if the person is unsure.

Step 3 – Monitor. Checkpoints can be established in advance to ensure everyone is on the same page. These checkpoints may be related to the passage of time or completion of milestones.

Another facet of monitoring is providing adequate support. This includes setting clear expectations. Write down (or type up) timeline, deadlines, when to ask for help, and other pertinent information.

Make adjustments as needed.

It is important to focus on the results. In many cases, you are more concerned with what is accomplished rather than how it “should be” done.

Stage 3 – AFTER

It’s crucial to debrief as part of an initially delegated task or project. Everyone involved should be able to share what went well and what didn’t work. This information will be used in future assignments.

Give the person (or team) credit for everything that went well. Reinforce their contribution to the bigger picture. Share overall results, if applicable.

So there you have it! Delegation is a results extender because it extends your ability to get things done beyond what you can do, to also include what you can control. It is a reallocation of duties to someone else.

Delegation is not, however, an abdication of responsibility. You want a good result, so you communicate before, during, and after the project so that your expectations are met.

BTW, delegation isn’t ONLY a skill, it’s also a way of life. Once you get started, you may see more opportunities.

What holds you back from delegating? Let me know below.