How many times have you heard a time management expert explain that effective delegating is the surest way to success?
It makes sense – each time you can take a task off your plate you’ve just “created time” to work towards your priorities and goals. If you delegated one 30-minute task each day, you could create 3 ½ hours at the end of a week, 14 hours by the end of a month.
Delegating is great in theory. However, it can be a tough strategy to implement. The number one deterrent I hear from my clients when it comes to delegating is, “I have no one to delegate to.”
Today, I’m going to bust this myth!
You can delegate to . . .
- Family (Your mom can update your mileage; your daughter can take over your social media.)
- Virtual Assistant (My favorite resource is Elite Virtual Assistants)
- Friends (Do you have a friend that is looking for some part-time freelance work? Maybe she loves to proofread and could look over your next blog post, eblast or press release.)
- Colleagues (Divvy up the workload – why duplicate efforts?)
- High School Kids (Many want some want practical experience before going to college – and who is more tech-savvy than a teenager? Or maybe deliveries, packing products, landscaping, etc.)
- College Kids (They have awesome tech skills and often are looking for practical experience)
- Interns (Many times will work for free just to learn from a professional in their field. Check with your local college. One of my clients has his intern creating processes for everything in his office.)
- Retirees (An often underutilized source of knowledge and resource for delegation)
- Office support (Are you using your current support staff the most efficiently?)
- Specialists (web designers, bookkeepers, accountants, landscapers, cleaning service, chef, party planner, etc.)
Plus, here are some additional online resources . . .
- Upwork.com (hire freelancers online)
- Fiverr.com ($5 jobs)
- 99Designs.com (create a contest for your design work – pay the winner – great for logo/biz card/apps/book cover/postcards)
- internships.com (A resource for finding an intern)
- Zirtual.com (Virtual Assistant)
- TimeSvr.com (Use for 15 min tasks)
Hopefully – this list gets you started thinking about resources you can delegate to. I urge you to jot some ideas down now . . . while you are in a “find the solutions” frame of mind.
I invite you to post your favorite delegating sources in the comment section below.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the recommendations here, I have used a couple of these online resources before although you also list a few I have not heard of before. Thanks for sharing!
Jason –
So glad I could offer a few new ideas for you!!! What is your favorite delegating resource??
Lisa
Lisa,
Up till now, I have only used Odesk.com and Fiverr.com.
How did those interactions go?
You have created an amazing resource here for delegating. I have been using a virtual assistant now for 2 months and the results have been awesome. Now tonight I have to delegate cleaning the house to my family. LOL
Joanne –
I love my VA!! I can’t remember my life before partnering with her! I agree with the delegating of the house cleaning! I’m with you! Let’s make a pact – I’ll delegate a household chore this weekend – will you?
Lisa
I’m sure this is good advice but it’s waaaaay harder than it sounds because it’s so difficult to find someone you trust. (And I mean business wise not cleaning the house lol)
I tried hiring a publicist for my last book launch and seemed to spend all my time chasing them up.
How frustrating! I believe in asking LOTS of questions and talking with a few former clients before hiring anyone in a support role of my business. Plus – clear communication of my expectations and their expectations is crucial prior to starting any work. If we aren’t on the same page, I’m certainly not saving any time! If you could have a “redo” what would you change?
Oh if I could redo I wouldn’t hire them. I thought I’d asked lots of questions and they seemed to be recommended but I fear their ‘recommendations’ were from their friends who were more forgiving of their excuses.
And boy, did they find some original excuses why things weren’t happening on time.
Problem was, they were very professional throughout the negotiation stages but then unprofessional when it came to the work.
At least I know who not to hire next time.
Suzanna
Grrr . . . frustrating when you do your due diligence and something still slips through! Do you have any “additional” questions to add to your list for the next time you hire an outside source? Or a late penalty / unsatisfactory work fee? Or something? I’d love to think you were able to pull some learning out of this process!
Lisa
Thanks you Lisa . You have created a pretty good delegating resource list. Now we have to try it. :)
AHHH . . . implementation! It’s a tough one, but so worth the effort!!!
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