How To Delegate
Save At Least 50 Hours a Year with this One Delegation Tactic.
Admittedly, learning how to delegate effectively is not something learned overnight. If you are good at what you do, you've likely mastered your craft and have found some ways to be good at other areas of your business. Learning to let go - and the fear of losing control - is real for many entrepreneurs. Delegation takes practice, refinement, and updating. But you have to start! Let's dive in to see why delegating is so effective and ways to get started in learning how to delegate.
Let's Start With A Delegation Example
If you're in business, you're collecting money. (Last time I checked you had to be making some money to be in business.) So let's start here and discuss one small area of your workweek in collecting payments.
Let's say you've mostly automated your invoicing, reconciling payments, etc. You've got it down to a science and you can do all the manual invoicing or reviewing of this in just 12 minutes a day. That's just 1 hour of your week, not bad, right? I want to show you how delegating this one simple task can save you over 50 hours this year - and hundreds more over the course of your life.
Let's Do The Math
But wait, you say! "It's just 12 minutes a day - I can afford to just knock out this task on my own," you say. "It would take much more time to train someone my system of what I do." Let's assume you're at the top of your game. Working within your sweet spot, your time is worth about $100/hour. So, this one small task is taking up 1 hour weekly. Add in a couple of weeks of vacation and this is costing you $5,000 a year just to send out or reconcile some invoices. And you don't even like doing it!
What If You Learned How To Delegate This Task?
Now, you can find any number of virtual assistants, executive assistants, project managers or even bookkeepers to do this same, menial task that you don't enjoy. Of course, it has to get done and needs to be done right. You can find very skilled helpers on Upwork.com, Fivrr.com, etc.
One of my first virtual assistants was proficient in English with a Master's equivalent education, lived well in the Philippines and charged just $5/hr during our first work together. Taking this example - by learning how to delegate this task to her - I saved over 50 hours a year (500 hours of the next decade of my life!). Financially, with my time worth around $200/hr and paying her $5/hr I saved $9,750 that year and $97,500 over the next decade! How many more decades of your life will this get done - you saved all that time and money! WOW! She was happy with the work - and more proficient than I was once I trained her on my system.
OK, But HOW?!
Set aside time to teach and instruct your exact method of how you do this task. The keyword here is EXACT. It should take no more than 10x the amount of time of the task to train someone well on your precise method. In this example of how to delegate your invoicing and reconciliation, it takes you 12 minutes, so plan on 120 minutes - just 2 hours - to effectively train.
If you can work on two screens at the same time, this is best. Now open up the software, program or site you use for this task in one window or screen. In another, open a new document like Google Docs, Pages, or Microsoft Word. Title it as you wish, maybe something like "Process for Invoicing".
Next, you'll need a screen-capture and screen recording tool. I like to use the Google Chrome plug-in Awesome Screen-shot and Loom.com
Select the screen you want to capture to show your step by step process of how you invoice. Record with either just the screenflow or make it more personal by also capturing your computer video of you talking and walking through this process. (Again, I use Loom.com for this.) Show the exact steps you take on video of how you complete this task. Don't' leave anything out. You are "downloading your brain" in this exercise to this new person you're delegating to. So look at and consider this task from every single angle you can imagine. Be thorough.
Now What?
Take this video, save it and then upload the video into the Google Doc you created. Post the video at the top of this document. Next, transcribe this into text. You want a video and auditory option for those that learn best that way. Plus, you want a visual and text instructions for those that follow along best with that method. I like to use Temi.com to transcribe my video or audio files. It's a ridiculously low $.10/minute and AI-based. Many of my videos are less than 10 minutes. For a dollar, I can get a pretty accurate transcription. Once Temi transcribes this, you'll have a text version of your video tutorial. Copy and paste that into your document.
Next, go through the text and break it out into a numbering system to teach the method of your task. For example, it would look like this:
- Open up xyz website or software program
- Log in with these credentials:
- Click 'Create New Invoice'
- ETC
Explain in detail each step using your video tutorial as a guide. Now you have a complete guide on how to work this process. You're ready to hand it over to your VA, contractor or employee!
Now Move to the Next Task You Want to Learn How to Delegate
In this one, simple 12-minute task example, you just saved 50 hours and nearly $10,000 this year alone - just because you took the time to delegate. What are the next tasks you need to delegate? This is going to get addicting and start saving you hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars. What will you do with your newfound time freedom? Work more in your zone of genius to create more meaningful work? Spend more time with your family? Finally take that vacation you've been wanting to go on?
I hope this helps as you've learned how to delegate a simple task. Move on to more and watch as more fulfillment in life brings more creativity and happiness. I share many more tips, tools, resources, tutorials and step-by-step instructions on delegation in my signature course+ coaching program, the FREEDOM Business System™.
