I can't seem to say this enough: you need to stop doing things in order to grow in your career. This applies to everyone. How do you know when to stop doing something, outsource it, delegate it, or ignore it completely? Here are some potential indicators.
Signs it's time to stop doing a task
- You're exhausted, burned out, a piece of toast.
- You're spending more than 50 hours per week at the office and bringing work home.
- You're spending more than half your day doing low-value work. For example, if you bill roughly $50 per hour, you're spending much of your day on tasks worth $8–$49 per hour.
- You're regularly doing other people's jobs. That usually means there's no clear standard operating procedure (SOP) or defined benchmarks for the role.
- An important opportunity in your career is dormant. You know there are exciting, profitable things to pursue, but you can't get to them.
- You're bored and fantasizing about quitting. When that happens, it's time to identify what excites you and delegate the rest to reach that position.
- You're not meeting ownership expectations because you're mired in nonessential, nonstrategic work and not contributing to the bottom line as expected.
In coaching HR executives, I stress that finding the first five hours a week to delegate is the easiest step. Put it this way: if you were placed in a life-or-death situation that required you to stop doing five hours of work, could you do it? Of course you could. Delegation is about choices.
Start by identifying five hours of low-denominator, nonessential, or "uncool" tasks you do — then delegate them, outsource them, or stop doing them altogether. You can probably reclaim at least another two hours a week by cutting time spent on social chats, online shopping, checking scores, texting, and similar distractions.
Make sure delegated work is done properly. Don't give it to someone already overwhelmed, lacking the talent, or without a clear understanding of how to do the job right. Treat delegation as a process, not a one-time event.
Once you've freed your initial five hours, aim to delegate one additional hour per month for the rest of the year. By year-end you'll have made up to a 16-hour-per-week difference in your task load. Keep two to three of those hours for focused work that adds more value to your career and to the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I identify low-value tasks to delegate?
Track your time for a week and flag tasks that take a long time but produce little value relative to your role; those are prime delegation candidates.
Who should I delegate tasks to?
Choose someone with the capacity, the required skills, or the ability to learn, and provide clear instructions and benchmarks before handing the work off.
How do I ensure delegated work meets quality standards?
Document the process, set measurable expectations, offer training or a trial period, and give timely feedback to reinforce the right results.
What if I can't find anyone to take the tasks?
Consider outsourcing the work to a contractor, automating the task with tools, or negotiating to stop doing it if it truly adds no strategic value.