Think of your business tasks like your dinner options:
Some foods you love to make yourself, and some you’d rather leave to the professional chefs.
Anyone who’s tried to do it all in their business knows that’s a one-way ticket to Burnoutsville.
Evaluating tasks through this lens – while considering your own unique skills and what energizes you – allows you to streamline operations and free up your precious time.
Seriously, one of the most enduring lessons I’ve learned is the merit of identifying which tasks sap my energy and which align with my passion and expertise.
And for the ones that don’t check all of the boxes for you?
Well, outsource!
Outsourcing functions like copywriting and bookkeeping to people those do check the boxes for not only saves you time and money, but can absolutely (and usually instantly) raise your level of joy and energy.
The key is to break free from the idea that only you can handle certain tasks.
I had to be convinced of this.
An awesome boss of mine (shout out to Joe!) told me once, “Pam, when you leave an organization, no matter how important you think you are; no matter how important everyone else things you are; it’s just like pulling your hand out of a bucket of water.”
In other words, the world won’t end when you leave.
Period.
The water will fill right back in, and your ability to understand this so deeply that it changes your behavior is a sign of strength, not weakness.
And the perk?
It opens paths for others to contribute, develop, and grow – believe it or not, it’s the biggest employee retention arrow you have in your quiver.
By entrusting responsibilities to capable team members or third-party experts, you’re not just boosting efficiency; you’re also fostering growth – better growth, more diverse growth – within your company.
How do you do it?
Well – like everything else, the first step you take will feel like you are leaping off a cliff; and if you’re like me, while you’re still hanging on to the branch growing out the side, you will sabotage your own effort to delegate.
Don’t.
If you really want to see what it’s like on the other side – let go; jump; know that things will get done; know that you’re just pulling your hand out of a bucket of water.
Sure, the ripples will be a little different now, but experts are doing what was only an annoying task for you anyway.
How can they not do a better job of it than you did?
So, jump – don’t look for every single nit picky thing you can find to say, “See, I told you I never should have done this.”
That’s a cop-out.
And you’re not that person.
At least not if you are serious about a profitable and valuable business that contributes to your personal wealth.
So, what will you delegate this week?
