Use these tips to do more every day.
By Jennifer Paulson
When you own your own business, it’s easy to get bogged down in trying to do everything yourself and believing that only you can do all the tasks they “right way.” But that’s not a way to maintain your passion, let alone your sanity. Delegation is required to get more done. But how?
Do what you do best. Keep things on your plate that you excel at—and enjoy or find gratifying. Ask yourself, what do you enjoy doing? What’s the best use of your time? What do you do better than anyone else? Go through each daily task, and add those that check all three boxes to your own list of to-dos.
Assign what they do best. Just as you considered your own strengths and skills, do the same for your employees. Figure out what they do best, what they like doing, and then assign related tasks.
Give specific instructions. When assigning a task, give your help very detailed instructions concerning how you want the job done, what success looks like, and any pitfalls to keep in mind. When you’re all on the same page, it sets everyone up for success and keeps you from succumbing to the next point on the list.
Don’t micromanage. Offering guidance is one thing. Following around your employee and telling them everything they’re doing wrong is another. Not only will this strain your relationship with your employee, it eats into your time to do your own tasks.
Accept that not all tasks will be your favorite. We all have parts of our jobs that we don’t like. When deciding what chores to keep and which to delegate, think about spreading out the least liked tasks around the entire team, so no one feels extra put-upon.
