For most of us the “To Do” list is long and seemingly endless. It also is undisciplined and unorganized. Whether you rank your task by importance, due date, or by whom, there is a next step many people fail to take. That is asking the questions, “Should anyone do this job?”, “Who else could do the work?” and finally, “If I do it, how and why?” This in simple terms is the delete, delegate, or do criteria.
I love the delete key. It has such finality. It removes the nagging feeling you get when you constantly see a task you know you will never do, shouldn’t do, or have finished. There is the temptation to hold on to information “just in case.” Guess what? If for some reason you actually would need it, it’s sitting in your delete file, probably in the send file of the author, and on the desktop of the ten other people who received the same memo. The truth is you often won’t miss it.
Before you pawn it off on someone else or add it to your list, ask yourself the question, “Should anyone be spending time on this?” Try hard to let it go. I’m also a big fan of unsubscribe. We become accustomed to seeing certain e-mails and regularly scroll past them. They’re like the neighbor you drive past often who you will never have a relationship with but think you should.
Take particular note with items that have just become habit or are merely CYA activities and/or others. Be a ruthless delete and unsubscriber.
Most of us are poor delegators; some are totally resistant or avoidant. Is it the need for control, fear of mistakes, lack of risk-taking, the need for power? The “why” is too complicated for this article; however, try to accept it might be your reality. Delegation works best when you look at every task or responsibility, and ask if someone else can do it better, faster, cheaper, or with less stress. Using that simple criteria will place a large number of items on your list into the “Done by Others” column. In fact, listing all of your to dos with the ability to immediately decide who will address the project makes it difficult for you to take it on. Fair warning. If you have not been delegating, some of your staff will be surprised, others resentful, a few grateful. People adapt to change with fear and hesitation, so engaging them is essential. Delegation can be presented as an opportunity for the new task master to enhance skills, gain insight into aspects of the business they might not have had, and obtain the satisfaction of helping another.
And finally do. For me there are a few categories that are sacred — finances, marketing strategy of my business, what might be considered private, and most important, working with my executive coaching clients. Not that I trade all my stocks or decide how much cash I should have in my portfolio but I do decide my risk tolerance, control my budget, and am the ultimate decision maker. Of course people create my website but that doesn’t mean they determine the content or the strategy, and of course there are some things, like a will that are just no one’s business. I do all the interaction with coaching clients because they are the core of my business, they want to interact with me, and deserve confidentiality. Each of these areas is very important and only I could know or should know the tone, direction, and execution. That said, many tasks don’t and shouldn’t fall into the “do” area.
I occasionally like to get back into an area I have delegated for years — just to take a glimpse — looking for newness or efficiencies. Sometimes it’s just plain fun.
Paying attention to what you delete, delegate, or do involves time and energy management. It helps you focus. It raises the responsibility level of your staff and gives them authority. It helps in succession planning and talent retention. It allows you to work at your level and manage up. It helps you lead rather than manage.
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