Have you ever woken up with a sense of dread about your business because of your workload? With a mountain of tasks piling up at home and in the office, have you ever wished you could clone yourself? I know I have—more times than I can count!
But since human cloning isn’t an option (yet!), the next best thing?

Delegation!

Now, I can already hear the excuses:

“I don’t have time to teach someone.”

“They’ll never do it the way I would.”

“It’s just a few small tasks.”

“It only takes me a couple of hours.”

I have heard this so many times, and believe me, sometimes I have even said it myself, but whether you’re a freelancer, an entrepreneur, or a small business owner, delegation is a skill that you should improve and embrace.

So what does delegate mean?

verb

to give (control, responsibility, authority, etc.) to someone: to trust someone with (a job, duty, etc.)

A manager should delegate authority to the best employees.
Those chores can be delegated to someone else.

He doesn't delegate very well.

Though the dictionary explains it concisely, a little more is involved than just ‘giving’ a task to someone. Handing over a project or task is one thing, but handing it over and getting back a high-quality result is another altogether.

So, keeping this in mind, let’s look at a few rules to help you delegate.

Choose what you are willing to delegate

Though you may think this is easy, it is the very foundation of successfully delegating. Don’t fall into the trap of only passing on the jobs you no longer want to do; instead, take your time choosing the tasks that would be more productive for you if completed by someone else.

So start by making a list of all the tasks you want to give out and highlight all of the ones that should stay with you.

#Tip 1: Start small with tasks that don’t have an urgent deadline. You want to make sure that you and the person taking on your tasks will work well together; this will contribute to consistent, high-quality work. When you are comfortable, you can start scaling up the size and complexity of the work.

Find the right person

After deciding which tasks you will delegate, it is time for you to find the best person for the job. If you get this bit wrong, you will put yourself under more stress, get poor-quality work, and probably end up doing the work again yourself. So, it makes sense to take your time and put in some effort to find the right person rather than fix the mistakes afterwards.

#Tip 2: The more expensive they are doesn't necessarily mean they are the best for the job but that can also be the same for the cheapest. Do your research regardless of their pricing. Do they have testimonials you can read? Do you know someone that has used them previously?

Check in, but don’t take over

One of the hardest skills anyone has to learn is letting go of a task or idea. Mastering this skill when delegating is important because knowing when to keep an eye on the job and when to step away makes all the difference. Of course, you need to make sure the task is going in the right direction, but interfering too much means you are wasting your money and that sought-after time that made you delegate in the first place!

#Tip 3: Learn to trust and accept that no one can do the job like you, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t do it as well as you.

#Tip 4: Learn to check in at the right time. Determine at what point in the task you would like feedback or a chance to proofread, communicate that to your virtual assistant and then step away.

The image shows Erin Buck, Founder of Bizzybee Virtual & Social Media Assistant, sitting at a table and engaging in a video call on her laptop. She has red hair and is wearing a pink shirt, with a colorful background featuring purple and grey seating

Don’t just delegate the easy stuff

One mistake people make is believing they should only outsource the easy or manageable tasks as the complicated stuff is best completed by themselves.

For example, how often have you looked at your ‘to-do’ list at work or home and decided only you can do the complicated jobs on it because only you know how it is done? I bet you recognise yourself there, don’t you?

Delegating can be helpful because you can bring in people with skills you do not have. The more you do this, the more productive you will be with your skills and time.

Once you have found it works, you can continue to delegate

Get into the habit of automatically sending tasks straight to your chosen person from the moment you realise they are there. This will allow you space to decide what you can do yourself and do it because you want to rather than because you have to.

Another way to look at this is that if you can get used to handing off one or two things, you will eventually be able to hand over five or ten things. You are in charge of your own business and finding that balance. You can be as involved as you want to be, but remember that it is possible to hand over most tasks, and it is an option you can benefit from at work and at home.

Finally, remember not to get stuck.

There are times when your ‘to-do’ list will be massive, and finding the time to delegate can become another item on the list.

Remember that completing the one task of handing it over at the beginning will save you a lot of time later, so it’s best just to do it.

As with any skill, the more you practice it, the easier it becomes. So off you go and delegate. You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain.

A woman with red hair and glasses sits at a wooden table, smiling. She wears a pink shirt and rainbow-striped overalls. In front of her is an open laptop with colorful stickers and a pink phone on the table. The background features white blinds. — Find balance with support from a virtual assistant

If you are tipping towards overworking and feeling overwhelmed, why not consider support from a virtual assistant like Erin?
Whether you need help setting task reminders, organising documents, or sending out invoices, contact Bizzybee Virtual & Social Media Assistant **services** to see how they can help.

How easy do you find delegating?