When it comes to delegating, one of the hardest parts is figuring out where to begin. When you are overwhelmed and juggling a thousand different things, how do you choose which one to share first? Do you start with the easiest? Or the one that is keeping you up at night? As I am practicing this right now with a new team member, this week’s blog post highlights the three criteria that I am using to decide which tasks to delegate first.
Time sensitive.
Think about the tasks that have an approaching deadline and start with one (or more) of those. For instance, do you have a meeting date or a deadline for a particular group or project? Or do you have a complex project that has multiple milestones and you need to begin in order to complete it on time? If you know that something has a time frame associated with it, consider which tasks related to that could be delegated so that you can all meet your deadline. You may need to delegate different tasks to multiple people or you may have one person who can invest significant time to work toward the time sensitive project. When you invest time in training and coaching in a task with a deadline, you are more likely to meet that deadline and have support in the process.
Dreaded.
Which tasks on your list do you avoid because you don’t enjoy them at all? You know they need to be done but you dislike doing them so much that you keep putting them off until tomorrow – and the next day…. While some tasks are dreaded and we still need to be the ones to do them, many other tasks likely can be delegated if we take the time to pause and consider who else may be able to do them. Also, the tasks that we may dread are often tasks that other people get excited about doing! Today I gave a project to a new team member that felt overwhelming and disorganized to me and her response was, “this is exciting!” Since we are all gifted with different strengths and talents, some of the things that we dread are the exact things that someone else finds exciting and energizing.
Weighing on your mind.
While we all have many things on our minds at any given time, some areas weigh heavier than others. When you are considering what to delegate first, think about those things that you keep thinking about, and start there. If you invest time delegating tasks related to the areas that keep you up at night, you will gain more peace of mind and freedom to focus on important areas you enjoy and are good at doing. Which projects or situations are you constantly thinking about that never seem to get resolved? Are there tasks related to these projects that could be delegated that would free you to work on other areas? While it may take you some time to teach and coach someone on these tasks, the benefit is that you have another person working with you and helping you share the mind load! Also, this person may have ideas that you never considered to address the challenges or obstacles and move you toward completion.
Once you have thought about the areas that are time sensitive, dreaded, and weighing on your mind, choose one to three tasks related to them that you can begin to delegate. Although you may not know where to begin, one of the most important things to remember is to begin!
If you want more support in this area, check out my free masterclass recording, Escape the Overwhelm.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
