Delegating tasks effectively can be a minefield of its own.
You might feel like nothing ever gets done without you, and you have to watch everything. Right?
Especially if you’re trying something new.
But there’s a better way, one where you can easily learn to let go of tasks and be able to focus on the outcome instead.
In this article, I’ll talk about the different steps you can make to be a more effective employer when it comes to delegating tasks.
𝟏. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐩/𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦
Create a system or a process where you can easily list all the ideas, tasks, and projects you have at the moment: everything.
This way you're able to have one place for all of your ideas, tasks, and projects, and it would be easier to sort out these tasks later to delegate.
You can have this system using tools like To-Doist or Evernote where you can make quick notes on your phone as you go, or you can use Otter to record these ideas and tasks for your Virtual Assistant to sort out later.
𝟐. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞
From your capture system, you'll need to have a process where you can later sort them in a task database.
A task database is basically what it sounds like – one place for all of your tasks so you can mark things off as to-do, doing, and done, or as a checklist, you can go through.
In 2xYou, one of the things we have in place is the capture system, where things go into first. The moment it is processed and has a deadline, it goes into our task database where it would be easier to see everything from the bird's eye view.
We use Notion for this, so we can easily filter out our capture area and our to-do area.
This way we also have the history of the tasks that we've already done and can look ahead into the future as well.
𝟑. 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞
Once you have your task database, you can now start categorizing them into these four areas:
- Tasks that are high value that you enjoy doing
- Tasks that are high value that you don't enjoy doing
- Tasks that aren't high value that still needs to get done
- Tasks that shouldn't be on your list at all
This is essentially applying the 80/20 Principle, where commonly only 20% of the tasks you're doing right now are the main source of revenue in your business.
Doing this activity will help you identify these tasks, as well as know what to delegate to your virtual assistant.
Don't make the mistake of assuming that your virtual assistant can do everything right away. There are a few vital tasks that only YOU can do, which will hurt your business if you delegate them.
Ideally, you should only be working on Category A, where this is probably the reason you started your business in the first place.
The rest is what you delegate.
𝟒. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
Once you've identified which tasks to delegate, you can then start actually delegating.
Remember this:
𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝 – Brene Brown
You want to make sure you give your Virtual Assistant the resources and the clarity to be able to know what they're doing and when you need it.
You can either do a screen recording of what you need done or actually walk them through during a call.
That way you're giving them your thought process of why this task needs to get done, as well as empowering them to be able to get the task done without you.
𝟓. 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬
It's tempting to set and forget once you have tasks delegated – but it's also the easiest way to have things fall through the cracks.
At least for the first few weeks with your assistant, have a regular check-in where you can know where the tasks you've delegated are.
Within 2xYou, we have Daily Reports and Weekly Check-Ins, so it's clear where the tasks are at without having to prompt our virtual assistants about them.
𝟔. 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤
One of the fastest ways to learn something is through feedback – so make sure to give your assistant feedback once they're done with a task.
This way, they'll know what your preferences are and slowly incorporate them into everything that they're doing.
Soon you won't have to give them a lot of feedback anymore and mostly celebrate their wins when they're done with a particular task.
Whether you're hiring a virtual assistant for the first time or you've had one for a while and it just doesn't seem to work, these steps will hopefully help you get the clarity you need to be able to delegate effectively.
Comment below what other tips you might have about delegating!
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