Tag: delegating tasks

To-Do Lists And Delegating Tasks

I’m a big believer
in to-do lists.

I list the important tasks
I should complete
each day
and I cross those tasks off
the list
as I complete them.

It keeps me organized.
It gives me
physical proof
I’m making progress.

And it makes it easier
for me to delegate tasks.

If I’m ill
or I have an emergency
to deal with,
I can often
give
my to-do list
to someone I trust
and THEY will complete
as much of it as possible.

If they have limited skills
or knowledge
or time,
I can quickly scan
my to-do list
and assign some of those tasks
to them.

To-do lists help
with delegating tasks.
Use them.

The Best Time To Delegate

The best time
to delegate tasks
is BEFORE we need
to delegate tasks.

It is VERY challenging
to delegate tasks
when we are super busy.

Why?

Because delegation,
at first,
sucks up more time.
We have to train the person
taking on the task.
We have to quality check
their work.
We have to assure them
they’re doing a great job
and answer their questions.

Delegate
BEFORE you have to delegate.

Your future self
will thank you.

Delegating And Perfection

I’m extremely busy
right now
so I asked a loved one
to help me
with my holiday shopping.

Did he get
the exact presents
I would have gotten?

No.
But he did d@mn well
and I think our loved ones
will love the gifts.

When you delegate tasks,
they won’t ever
be completed
exactly the way
you would have completed them.

Embrace that.
Accept that.

Then move on.

The Easy Mode

When I need to quiet
my brain,
I often play
a solitaire-type game online.

I have it set
on the easiest mode.

Why?

Because the rest of my life
can be extremely challenging.

I’m building businesses
and trying to make the world
a better world.

I don’t need challenge
in my entertainment.

There are quite a few
‘easy modes’
in life.

We can do things like
pre-authorize bill payments
or outsource snow removal
or rideshare
instead of driving ourselves.

Every aspect
of your life
doesn’t have to challenge you.

Pick the easy mode
on some activities.

Set Up Auto Reminders

One of the pain in the a$$ tasks
a project manager
has to complete
is reminding team members
to do their d@mn jobs.

This task sucks
a LOT of time.

What I suggest
is setting up
automatic reminder emails
at the beginning of the project.
Base this
on the original project timeline.

Then adjust the delivery dates
as the project timeline changes
and delete future emails
when project members complete
their tasks.

These automatic reminder emails
save time
and it also saves aggravation.

Set up automatic reminder emails
for the tasks
and team members
you manage.

Delegate That Task

I delegated a blog blitz
to a third party.

The third party didn’t contact
many of the blogs
I would have contacted.
They didn’t craft the promo images
exactly the way
I would have done.

At one point,
I was tempted to take it
back from them.

But I resisted that urge,
allowed them to handle it
their way,
and you know what?

It was a raging success.
Books (products) were sold.
New readers (customers) were obtained.

They didn’t need me
or my input.

And it allowed me
to write more words
on the next story
(work on the next product).

Seth Godin
shares

“It’s easy to use
our indispensability
as fuel.
Fuel to speak up
and contribute.
That’s important.

But it’s also possible
for that same instinct
to backfire,
and for us to believe
that if we don’t do it,
it won’t get done right.

That’s unlikely.”

Delegate tasks.

They won’t be completed
exactly the way
you would have done them
but they WILL be done,
freeing you to do other things.