The Fine Art of Delegation - Part 2 |
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By: Kathy Wilson Posted: 2008-08-28 06:39:57 |
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How do you decide when to ask for help and when it's best to do it yourself? Here are some indications that it may be time to for you to delegate:1. Anytime you feel resistance when you think of performing a particular chore or task.
2. Anytime that you think you probably can do the work, but are not proficient at doing it 3. Anytime you feel compelled to do work you're not competent in and there's a huge learning curve. 4. Anytime you feel your energy being dragged down when you even think of doing the work. 5. Anytime you think you can save money doing something that you've never done before and, if it weren't for saving the money, you'd never even consider doing it.Another tried and true method to determine if you should let someone else do the work is the Time Versus Money Test. It's a simple three step process. Here's how it works:1. Estimate how long it will take you to do something, including the time spent learning how to do it if you don't already know how, and multiply that times what you earn at your livelihood now. 2. Get an estimate from a professional. 3. Compare the two numbers.Here's an example of how it works. My neighbor can change the oil in his truck. It takes him two hours (including the time to go to the auto parts store and get the oil and filter) @ $25 per hour, which is his current wage, plus the cost of the oil and filter, which is about $30. Two hours of his time equals $75 plus $30 for materials is a grand total of $105. OR he can take it to the Quick Lube place and have it done in 15 minutes for $35. Obviously, he takes it to the Quick Lube place. The numbers don't lie.Delegation is another way of prioritizing. The difference is that when you're delegating instead of prioritizing, you're prioritizing the person who is the best to do that particular piece of work - you or someone else. Prioritizing means that you'll be doing the work, and you're choosing the order in which you'll do it.Here's an exercise I designed to assist you in deciding what to delegate and what to do yourself. While you're doing the exercise, don't be concerned about who you're going to delegate to. You can deal with that at a later time when you're prioritizing.1. List on a sheet of paper up to 15 things that are on your "to do" list.2. Below this list, create two columns and title them "I can do this" and "I'll delegate this". Go through your "to do" list item by item and, using the Time Versus Money Test, decide if each item is something you can do or if it's something you'd be better off delegating to someone else. Put each of the items in one or the other of these columns, being honest with yourself about your capability to actuallydo the work in each item.3. Create another two columns and title them "I want to do this" and "I'll delegate this". Using the items in the previous column entitled "I can do this", choose which ones you really want to do and which ones you'd rather not have to deal with. Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you WANT to do it. If you don't want to do something and you try to force yourself to do it, even thinking about doing it will make your energy level fall down to your ankles... or lower. Better to delegate those items and keep your energy high for the things you want to do.That whittled the "to do" list of yours down some, didn't it?Understanding and using the art of delegation is a very important way to reduce the loads - both physical and emotional - so that you can travel lightly on your path of doing the work of your destiny - your life purpose.Kathy Wilson helps people get their life unstuck using a multi-faceted approach. She and her clients utilize life coaching, spiritual consulting, NLP, vibrational healing, and teaching... whatever is in her client's highest and best interests. She's a Certified Professional Coach, spiritual teacher, Reiki master, vibrational healer, and author of An Inner Journey: Living Your Life Purpose.For information about her products, services, and classes, visit her websites: http://www.under-one-roof.net and http://www.aninnerjourney.com |
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