As a solopreneur/micro business owner, you usually have to wear too many hats. Well no more, it’s time to take some of those hats off! Say it with me – DELEGATE!
This post is for all of you that have brilliant ideas, all of you that take on too many responsibilities, say yes far too often, micro manage every task, or worse, complete every task on your own, and every one of you (excuse me, US) that needs to make a dramatic shift in the way we go about our business!
Here’s my plan of attack to deal with every single goal, opportunity and task that I face. This plan has only 3 options, it’s a short list that commands decisive action. I’m committed, and I’m sharing it. Feel free to embrace it as your own. One, two, three… we can do this!
Option 1: Do It.
Look at everything that you have to do and just get it done. Embrace the challenge, roll up your sleeves, suck it up, and just get stuff done. It’s exhilarating to dive in and make headway on those projects that seem to have taken up permanent residence on your to do list. Those projects aren’t going away, so why not make a plan of attack, and chip away at them one bite at a time.
Whether you spend an hour a day, a week, or a month on your ad-hoc projects, you have to make the first steps. If you don’t start something, you’ll never finish it. Heck, throw in a reward for yourself if you have to.
Option 2: Delegate It.
No one said you had to do everything yourself. Are there tasks that you know you need to get done, but you seem to never get to them, or you simply loathe them and thus you procrastinate? Of course there are. How to handle these? Delegate!
Don’t say you can’t afford it, that’s no excuse. How can I say this? Because there are too many options available for you to complete those bothersome tasks.
Write a description of the task, find an independent contractor on any number of outsourcing websites, such as Fiverr, Upwork, etc., and cross off those tasks, one by one.
Option 3: Ditch It.
Stop floundering, wasting time on those projects that don’t prove fruitful. Stop accepting invitations and commitments that you know in your heart do not foster your personal or professional growth. It’s okay to say NO, to yourself and to others. Saying NO can be a liberating experience, you should try it sometime!
Ditch the busywork, ditch the fluff and stuff, and by all means, ditch all the naysayers who don’t support your dreams!
So there you have it, three simple options, and a plan to assign every task, brilliant idea, and pesky to-do a home.
Make a list of all those never ending to-do’s and brilliant ideas you’ve come up with, and apply an option to each one of them. Some may need to be postponed until date tbd, and that’s just fine. Stick those on your “wishful thinking” list. At least you’ll quit staring it in the face everyday.
Now it’s time to take that decisive action, and get stuff done. Do it, delegate it, or ditch it! Are you with me?
Ciao,
Miss Kemya
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Very Informative!
But at Option 2: Delegate It.” If you could mention few more freelance platforms it would be helpful for users like me. I used to hire people on Elance, but now it is upwork, For some reason, I didn’t get/find right candidates from upwork. So I started researching marketplaces to hire freelancers, After a lot of research now I’m hiring freelancers on https://www.fieldengineer.com. Overall I’m satisfied with this website. But if you could provide more info users like us know more about it. Its just a suggestion 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Divya! I updated the post with a few more sites that I use. I’m glad you found a site that works for you. It looks you are in a specialized niche, and LinkedIn may actually come in handy for you. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for the great reminder!
I admit I have been putting something off in my Business which is the most important thing to where I am now and I know that when I get involved in the task at hand I feel motivated and committed to getting it finished.
Thank you for the inspiration, I have just got started on that task!
Have a great day and lovely to meet you 🙂
Ana
Way to go Ana, take action! And it’s lovely to meet you too!
[…] Use these job descriptions and tasks as a guide for outsourcing short projects on sites like Fiverr, Elance, Craigslist, etc. Learn and practice the art of delegation! […]
I have a tough time ditching things but I love to delegate! Anytime I can call someone to get some help I will. I think most people don’t think it will be done right if they don’t do it their self. My thought process is if I at least get someone to start the project I can finish it. Thanks for this post it is really needed by most!
I’m getting better at ditching, but I need to embrace delegating, like yesterday! You make a good point, we’re not confident in others’ skills. But we need to get over these assumptions, that’s the only way can grow. We have to push things off our plate. Thanks for commenting:-)