Every great time management book or article you read has a primary rule- delegate, delegate, and delegate! However, these articles as well written as they are, are all aimed at large corporations or departments with what seems to be overabundant staff. They make it seem so simple to just grab the nearest person and delegate an assignment or project over for them to handle. But, what do you do when you are a single operation department or a small business owner or any department with a very limited staff to choose from?
The first rule of thumb – stick to being who you are and do what you do best after all this is what allowed you to be in this position in the first place. Really think about your “core” business. Are you a painter and you really need to spend your time painting, but you have bookkeeping, marketing, etc. to do? If you are an artist, you probably love the painting part but find all of the other business-related activities frustrating or daunting because it’s taking time away from what you love to do. In addition to taking time away from what you love it’s probably costing you money by attempting to complete all of these tasks yourself. Do some quick math – if you can sell a new client how much will you earn (true profit), now think about not having the time to devote to the development of that client because you are tied up with the “paperwork” end of the business.
Now – let’s get to the point and delegate some duties to free up your time so you can get back to the first rule of thumb above. OUTSOURCING or in this instance called delegating. Struggling (spending too much time) with bookkeeping – hire a third party CPA. Need Marketing assistance – hire an agency or look for a summer college intern. Thinking that these resources may cost you too much? Look for a retired bookkeeper who simply wants to get out of the house a couple days of the week. Are you growing, and you need support with hiring, payroll, and benefits – find a human resources consultant or payroll company to work with. The opportunities are endless if you get creative, use what resources are actually out there which in turn allows you to get back to rule number one – doing what makes you be the best of you.
