How to Delegate Effectively in Business (and Life!) - A framework for busy women entrepreneurs
My aim for today's episode and post is to help you get on board with delegating tasks at home and in your business so that you can do less but make more of an impact by doing the higher value, needle moving tasks that only you can do.
Delegating with confidence allows you the space and energy needed to build your business and enjoy life without burnout.
You likely have a really amazing vision of your successful life and business. You can see it, feel it, taste it
In this future vision you’re only doing the things you want to do and your business is still a huge success.
And, if you’re here, this vision may not match your current reality.
And that’s ok.
We’re going to explore:
· Why delegating tasks is so hard
· Delegation is not about losing control—it’s about freeing yourself to focus on the high-level tasks that only you can do
· I’ll take you through 5 Steps to help you identify things that may be creating unproductive busy work and could be delegated or dropped.
· You’ll have access to my super helpful resource “The essential guide for busy women – so you can achieve Household harmony with delegation and automation mastery”
How do you stop doing everything yourself?
Delegation can be hard for busy women who often run a household and a business.
Maybe you resist delegating because:
- You Fear you'll lose control
- Or you believe that you're the only one who can do it right
- Or you feel guilty for passing off tasks, especially when it comes to home and family responsibilities.
If you resonate with any of these, it's totally normal. Many women feel they have to "do it all" but that mindset will be destructive in your business and life.
It leads to burnout and overwhelm, and it stomps down all your beautiful creative genius that makes your business unique and magnetic.
How to achieve more while doing less: The 80/20 Rule of Delegation
Delegating is your way to achieve more while doing less so you can focus on the needle moving activities that only you can do.
The Pareto principal states that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes.
When you identify and focus on the top 20% of activities you'll drastically shift your work-life balance and this will have a huge impact on your business, health, relationships and self concept. You'll no longer feel frantic and scattered.
5-Step delegation framework for busy entrepreneurs
Step 1: List out all the business activities you do across all departments
- Marketing
- Sales
- Operations (If you’re not already using a CRM or productivity tool like Monday.com you’re likely wasting time doing unnecessary repetitive tasks
- Finances
- Business growth
- Client delivery
- Human Resources
- Physical premises tasks
Step 2: List out your Life Activities
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Child care
- Watering plants
- Gardening
- Taking care of pets
- Finances
- Household admin
- School/sports activities
- Supermarket shopping
Step 3: List your self-care activities
- Physical
- Mental
- Spiritual
- Social
I’m going to assume that list is a lot shorter than the other two
Now you have your lists can you see how much you have to be across?
No wonder you’re exhausted.
Step 4: Identify your unique value tasks
Ask yourself "how could focusing on my unique strengths amplify my impact so I can achieve more while doing less?"
With that lens, Which of all these activities can be delegated, automated, or dropped?
Step 5: The Two-Hour Rule
With this exercise you’ve done your first swipe, you’ve cleared some stuff that’s keeping you busy but unproductive.
Now, to really clear the decks…
If you only had 2 hours to work each week, which activities would you do?
This exercise, while quite shocking, allows you to hone in on the most important things.
How to successfully implement your delegation strategy
Your mission over the coming months is to start delegating, dropping and automating the activities that need to be done but not by you. Imagine the freedom you could gain by taking just one task off your to-do list?
You could hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) or Online Business Manager (OBM)
You could start automating repetitive tasks in your workflow using Monday, Zapier and Make
Understanding your energy and delegation style
Now, so you don’t cram that newly opened up time with more busy work, I encourage you to add activities to your schedule that create more joy and balance in your life so you stay motivated and have loads of energy.
Block off time to do anything but work.
This is easier said than done.
If you’re used to working hard, you will likely struggle with the concept of doing nothing, relaxing, or doing something fun and joyful, even if it’s just 30 minutes a week.
Expect that your brain will panic at this new development because it’s unfamiliar.
Speaking of energy, I’m a manifesting generator in Human Design so I have heaps of energy. I also have a constant flow of ideas, I get super excited about things and love doing things quickly and efficiently.
But I’m not meant to continue doing things long after I’ve lost interest.
However, I’ve been conditioned to push through and get things done no matter how I feel.
So, this is something I’m working on in my own business.
Rather than pushing through for the sake of it, I’m learning that when I feel my energy dwindle, I can choose to pivot, drop them completely, or delegate them to someone else.
The benefits of effective delegation
Where could you practice delegating so that you retain a high level of energy and continue to get great results in your business?
Download "The essential guide for busy women – achieve Household harmony with delegation and automation mastery"
Discover what kinds of tasks can be outsourced and how to outsource mundane household tasks that keep you stretched thin, conserving your energy and creativity for activities that truly inspire you.
And if your brain hurts just thinking about all this and it feels like hard work and you’d like my support, in the show notes you’ll see a link to book a call with me so I can help you find more clarity and ease in your business and life.
You don’t have to keep pushing so hard and you don’t have to do it all yourself.
When you delegate effectively you’re able to:
Focus on what matters most
Avoid burnout and exhaustion.
Create more time for creativity, strategy, and the big-picture work that drives your business forward.
So to Recap:
Delegating with confidence allows you the space and energy needed to build your business and enjoy life without burnout.
Delegation is not about losing control—it’s about freeing yourself to focus on the high-level tasks that only you can do
It’s about trusting others and letting go of perfectionism.