Have you always wanted to know how to delegate effectively? Does the thought of handing over work to someone else make your palms sweaty? Would you like to know what are good choices to delegate? Are you skilled at how to effectively delegate items once you hand them over?
Today’s blog is based on three things: our comforter, cauliflower crust, and a handyman. I used to be really challenged at having people do things for me. I’d always find a reason to do it myself, even if I was exhausted.
I started out with two fairly easy items. Buying cauliflower rice from Trader Joe’s was the easiest. We’re trying to eat better and cauliflower rice is a good substitute. It takes a lot to chop and steam cauliflower. And then get into small rice size pieces??? That’s a lot of time and effort. So, I cut myself some slack and got some from Trader Joe’s.
Next up was our comforter. It can fit in our laundry, but barely. At our old house, I would lay it over the railing of the stairs to dry because it was too huge for the drying rack. It was unwieldy and a pain to deal with. So, I took it to the cleaner and used a coupon.
Doing these two items allowed me to go onto a bigger item—finding help for yard work. My husband has been stressed at work and was too tired to do yardwork. This was harder for us, but we had stuff that needed to be done. I got some quotes and went with the person that had the best reviews. We ended up getting another referral and this person is amazing. He’s worth every dime to us to get the job done.
What’s preventing you from delegating?
For many, it’s about Control and control really is about fear. I know for me, some of my control issues, yes, I still struggle with this. Side note: Many layers to all of our stuff.
For me, I chose to control stuff because I was/ am afraid I was going to be hurt again. If you are like me and like control what is you are afraid of? Being judged? Criticized? Rejected?
Another concern is we Worry someone else won’t do it as well. If this is you, is it because you lack trust? Why wouldn’t you trust others to do a task? Were you taught to not trust others when you were younger? I know I have a fear of being taken advantage of because that has happened to me in the past, esp. as a single woman. To ease your concerns, Ask for referrals, get references, do a thorough job now, so that has enabled me to trust others for jobs.
Yard work. Task rabbit had him clean gutters and was able to assess how I felt about him then. Reviewed as well so others would know.
Some people really like the sense of power that control gives them. It s been my experience that a need to control comes from feeling powerless in other areas of our lives and as a way to compensate. If this is you, what area in your life do you feel powerless in? What could you do to empower yourself in that area? If you were hurt as a child and determined to gain power so you wouldn’t be vulnerable again, how could you heal that wound?
I read an interesting article where it said power made people happy because they could act as they pleased and allowed them to be authentic. If this is sounding like you, how else could you be authentic? Maybe it is finding a new group of friends if your current crew is critical when you are the real you.
The same article noted that seeking power did not make people happy. So the process didn’t make you happy, but the goal did.
For some people it allows them to criticize others if they control everything. Criticize others before they can get a chance to criticize you. Control allows people to feel better about themselves. What healthy ways could you practice to feel better about yourself?
Do you see yourself in any of these scenarios I mentioned?
Now that you have a little more insight as to what may be stopping you to delegate, let’s think about what you should delegate.
When are you challenged to delegate? Why don’t you want to delegate? What small task could you start with to hand over? What other items do you need to delegate?
What can you delegate?
Map out a plan of what and how you can delegate that makes the most sense to you given finances and lifestyle.
- What can you delegate? Not the most crucial of tasks for sure. I would never delegate any of my writing. I have hired editors, but never anyone to write my stuff. That is me and I choose to have my voice expressed. This is on the list of always to do and so I can plan around this task.
- If you have the funds, can you hire someone to do what you dislike? Yard work as an example. Unless you’re in a really horrible HOA (this is possible, sadly) “good enough” probably gets the job done.
- Share responsibilities through a babysitting coop, and use a sitter to free up time. If you know the people, you’ll trust them and this can help give you more confidence to delegate.
- Trade and support one another. Again, another option to support people you know and receive support.
- Think outside the box: can you have an intern? I would love to have an intern. There are may admin tasks that would be ideal to delegate.
You don’t have to start really large. What one small thing could you delegate?
Broaden your definition of what it means to delegate. Cauliflower crust isn’t quite delegating but it freed up some time for me to focus on more important things.
How to be a good delegator
It’s important to be a good delegator so you can find the right person to do the task and make it a great experience for all involved. If you’re not good, you might find people not interested in working for you.
- Ask: skills? Motivated? Resources? Someone may have the skills, but is too busy or unmotivated to take on the task. Make sure you have similar beliefs. I had friend who is Christian spiritual writer and a Christian woman wasn’t comfortable working with her. She practiced alternative medicine and that didn’t jive with what my friend believed.
- Communicate effectively. I am a huge fan of having everything in writing and follow up for clarification. Consider asking, “Am I hearing you correctly that (and follow up with what the person said).”
- Maintain accountability. What system will you put in place? Emails? Text reminders?
- Allow them to participate. I am looking for an intern for social media. I would welcome their feedback and suggestions. Pretty good but it doesn’t mean I know everything by a long shot. In my class for School success, I talk about brainstorming as a valuable tool. I welcome other’s perspectives.
- Provide resources and anything they might need. Our cat sitter has a list, an Emergency contact and we are set up at the vet for her if something happens so she doesn’t have to pay for anything.
- Give credit where it’s due and understand mistakes. I accidentally did something for a writing client. She has been a client for five years. I immediately told her what it was. She wasn’t worried and figured out a way to correct it but I was honest and upfront about the mistake. When I wrote my course, I thanked the editor and said it was a better project because of her editing skills.
What can you delegate? What makes the most sense given your finances, time and personality? What can you do to be a good delegator? What else would you add to the list?
Take Actions from both blogs on how to delegate effectively
- If you are hesitant to delegate tasks, figure out why.
- What small thing could you delegate to someone right now, tomorrow or today?
- What do you need to keep in mind to be a successful delegator?
- If you are already comfortable with delegating, how could you make the process even better, easier or more efficient?
DIY Options to Declutter Your Life
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