Do you find it difficult to delegate tasks?
Your to-do list is getting longer, you are distracted by your business' admin, and you don’t have enough time to connect with your clients and grow your empire.
You should delegate.
Give those admin or social media tasks to someone else to do. Wouldn’t that take a weight off your shoulders? Free up your time to progress with what gets you excited about your business?
And yet… something holds you back.
Business owners can sometimes struggle with delegating or outsourcing. Here are some reasons why this could be the case.
1. Afraid of losing control.
If you haven’t delegated tasks before, losing control may seem like a big problem. You have worked hard to build up your business to where it is now. If you hand over some of the responsibilities to someone else, you may feel as though you will lose control.
2. Trust issue.
As in number 1, it could feel daunting to hand over responsibility to someone from outside of your business. Will they take care of the tasks in hand as well as you do? Which takes us on to…
3. Feel you can do the job better yourself.
We are all a little guilty of this – thinking we are the only ones who can do the job just the way we want it done. But this won’t help lighten your load. You can’t grow your business by doing everything yourself.
4. Not sure what to delegate.
It feels like too much work trying to figure out what you can delegate to someone else.
5. Money
You may worry whether paying for someone else to do the work will be as cost-effective as completing the job yourself. If you are running your own company, I would imagine your hourly rate is much higher than a VA would charge, for example. When you free up your time to concentrate on growing your business you will be earning your hourly rate rather than spending that time doing tasks that won't grow your business.
Don’t let these doubts get in the way of easing your workload so you can concentrate on the heart and soul of your business.
Outsourcing the tasks that you personally don’t need to be spending your valuable time on will help you and your business in the following way.
1. Reduce overwhelm.
2. Let you focus on what you do best.
3. Productivity will increase.
4. The workflow will improve.
5. Is necessary for the growth of your business.
How to Delegate Tasks Effectively
In order to delegate tasks effectively, you first need to identify what can be delegated. This may be obvious, but it isn’t always; you know you are struggling to get everything done, but not sure what could be done by someone else.
Start by writing down all the tasks you currently do in your business. Then split those jobs into three lists: -
List 1. Jobs you absolutely must do yourself,
List 2. Jobs you would quite like to do yourself, but they could be delegated; and
List 3. Jobs that could be delegated to someone else.
Go back to list No. 2 and be completely honest about your workload and how much time you have available each day to get everything done without getting overwhelmed.
Once you know what tasks you can delegate you can look for someone who has the relative skills. It may be that you will need more than one person.
Do your research, make sure the person or company are a good fit for you and your business.
When you start work with them, don’t micromanage – that is just a waste of your time and theirs. Make sure you mentally give them your trust in their ability to do the tasks you've set them.
Good communication is key, and make your expectations clear at the beginning about what you expect from them in return, such as: -
1. The quality of work you expect
2. How often to stay in touch (daily, weekly)
3. How to stay in touch (email, phone call, WhatsApp, etc)
4. Let them know about any deadlines to meet
5. Give them details of other team members they can contact
Then let them take the tasks away and enjoy the valuable time delegating will give back to you.
I know how difficult it can be to put your trust in someone you don’t know very well, which is why I offer a complimentary 20-minute call to all of my prospective clients. The call will help you find out more about me, what I can do for your business, and if we will work well together.
If you have an ever-growing to-do list and would like to chat to me about taking care of some of your admin, either on a regular or ad-hoc basis, go here to arrange a call, I’d love to hear from you!