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The Three D’s: Delegate

Jan 18

Posted by Laura in Mindfulness, balance, clarity, performance, planning, time | No Comments

There is a task management mantra that many people swear by (including me, and some of my clients). If you are feeling overwhelmed, start implementing the three D’s: delete, defer, and delegate. Write it across the top of your week or month in your planner or calendar, so you are reminded of it as you review your tasks.

I’ve used and recommended this technique for while, and it seems fairly simple, but there can be surprising depth in this simple process, so I have decided to explore it in a short series of blog posts. I’ve previously discussed the first D (delete) and the second D (defer).

The third D: delegate. If a task cannot be deleted or easily deferred until later, consider delegating it to someone else. I find this option to be a little harder than deferring, but not quite as difficult as deleting. Here’s why: delegating a task to someone else means letting go of it. Sometimes, letting go feels like relinquishing responsibility, and that can engender some guilty feelings.

Instead, look at it this way: if you delegate a task, what does that free up for you? Letting someone else do it will create more space in your planner and your life. What could you do with that time and space?

A good example: last year, I met and then hired a virtual assistant to help me with office work a few hours a month. I’m still learning to think in terms of delegating tasks to her, which is a challenge. What I have found is that when she completes a task for me, she does it in about a fourth to a half the amount of time I would take to do it. This frees me up to do higher-level billable work and creative thinking. As I tell people, she works ON my business, so I can work IN my business. Because of this, I am learning to thing bigger and my creativity is flowing, because I know she can handle the smaller details that distract me!

Some other places one can delegate (even if you don’t have underlings at work!):

  1. Hire a CPA (worth every penny)
  2. Get a cleaning service
  3. Find a virtual assistant
  4. Get a personal organizer (extremely helpful)
  5. Assign the kids more chores

What are some creative ways to delegate tasks?

The Three D’s: Defer

Jan 12

Posted by Laura in Goals, Mindfulness, Uncategorized, balance, performance, planning, time | No Comments

There is a task management mantra that many people swear by (including me, and some of my clients). If you are feeling overwhelmed, start implementing the three D’s: delete, defer, and delegate. Write it across the top of your week or month in your planner or calendar, so you are reminded of it as you review your tasks.

I’ve used and recommended this technique for while, and it seems fairly simple, but there can be surprising depth in this simple process, so I have decided to explore it in a short series of blog posts. I’ve previously discussed the first D, delete.

The second D: defer. If a task or appointment cannot be deleted, consider whether it can be deferred until later. If it can be easily moved and will significantly help you out, go for it. Reschedule it!

This choice, in my opinion, is the easiest to make. Deleting an item entirely can be difficult to do, but deferring it until later is much easier on our consciences. It’s often easier to defer than to delegate, and thus “let go” of a task we have claimed responsibility for. I think many people (myself included) defer most of our to-do list when necessary (rather than deleting or delegating).

When deferring a task, it would serve us well to defer it only briefly and only once, so it doesn’t linger until it becomes a house-on-fire-must-handle-immediately task later on down the road. It can be far too easy to get in a vicious circle of moving from one crisis to another, putting out fires on a daily (even hourly) basis. That adrenaline rush lifestyle, however, is ultimately not sustainable. After a while, we end up crashing, hard, and doing nothing at all simply as a way to recuperate. Then we are at the extremes of either doing everything all at once, or nothing at all, neither of which serves us. The truth is, we all have to find an optimal mix of important, urgent, not important, and not urgent things to fill our time.

It’s also far too easy to defer all the fun things in favor of not-so-fun things. How many times do we cancel lunch with a friend, “date night,” or goofing-off time because other things seem “more important?” When looking at your planner and deciding what to defer, think hard before deferring these items that might bring some delight (the fourth D?) into your day. It may seem super-easy to cancel that lunch date with your pal, but consider this: Do you want some levity and fellowship in the day? How important is that meeting to your friendship? Would it give you some balance?

If you defer something more than a few times, you might need to check in with yourself: Why is this task constantly deferred? Is it truly important? If it is, why haven’t I done it yet? What would it take to get it done?

The Three D’s: Delete

Jan 5

Posted by Laura in Goals, Mindfulness, Uncategorized, balance, clarity, confidence, planning, resistance, time | 2 Comments

There is a task management mantra that many people swear by (including me, and some of my clients). If you are feeling overwhelmed, start implementing the three D’s: delete, defer, and delegate. Write it across the top of your week or month in your planner or calendar, so you are reminded of it as you review your tasks.

I’ve used and recommended this technique for while, and it seems fairly simple, but there can be surprising depth in this simple process, so I have decided to explore it in a short series of blog posts. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

The first D: delete. This is fairly obvious–get rid of those things on your calendar or to-do list that you can really do without. Sometimes it can be surprisingly difficult to make this cut. We find it much easier to defer until later, or delegate to someone else. We tend to overcommit, we like to be involved, we want to say “yes” to everything. Suddenly, our calendar can fill up with the usual assortment of appointments, get-togethers, parties, meals, and all kinds of other events. If we do a lot of business networking or are self-employed, the list of appointments and tasks gets even longer. Suddenly the days are chopped up with a lot of busy-work, and not enough real meat to the day. Ever feel like you were running around a lot, but not really accomplishing anything? I know that feeling well. It leads to burnout, where you then end up doing nothing at all just to recuperate.

“But wait,” you might be protesting, “if I put a task on my calendar or in a list, then clearly I need to do it, I must do it, and therefore I can’t possibly delete it.” How can you approach your task list with an eye for removing some items?

You can, of course, begin by asking yourself question like, “Is it truly necessary? Does it have a big/immediate payoff? What’s in it for me?” Those can help you do a preliminary cull (or figure out what to defer or delegate).

It’s more enlightening to ask yourself something like “If I say NO to this task, what does that open up for me?” and “What do I want more of in my life? What am I willing to trade off to get it?” These kind of questions work particularly well if you look at standing commitments–things you do every week or month, or even just once or twice a year.

For example, I used to volunteer regularly at my local classical music station, every time they had a call-in fundraiser. At the time, I listened to the station a lot while I was working, and I like giving my time to help out, even when it took a significant portion of my workday. After a few years, I realized I was only agreeing to volunteer because I felt bad saying “no”–even though I no longer listened to the station! I was able to decline the next request to volunteer and reclaim a bit of my schedule.

It is difficult to say “no.” However, if you have thought through your needs and desires and can say “no” from a place of wholeness and love, you will open up new possibilities for your personal growth and joy. You will allow yourself to be your best because you can choose and commit to things with intention and mindfulness.

How do you cut items from your list or planner?

>Shedding weight

Dec 2

Posted by Laura in Inspirational quote, balance | No Comments

>As autumn leaves fall and the sky turns grayer for winter, my thoughts turn to what I can shed in my own life. Autumn is a great time for taking stock and figuring out what you can let go of so that you are lighter, freer, and ready for new life (spring). Saying “no” to something, when it comes from a place of centeredness and surety, can be a powerfully good thing. When we say “no” with peace and love, we open opportunities for new and amazing things to happen in our lives. Remember: Life balance isn’t about saying “yes” to everything and fitting it all in to our schedules, it’s about knowing when to say yes and when to say no.

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.” –Glenn Clark
What can you shed now to make room for something new and wonderful?

>Shedding weight

Dec 2

Posted by Laura in Inspirational quote, balance | No Comments

>As autumn leaves fall and the sky turns grayer for winter, my thoughts turn to what I can shed in my own life. Autumn is a great time for taking stock and figuring out what you can let go of so that you are lighter, freer, and ready for new life (spring). Saying “no” to something, when it comes from a place of centeredness and surety, can be a powerfully good thing. When we say “no” with peace and love, we open opportunities for new and amazing things to happen in our lives. Remember: Life balance isn’t about saying “yes” to everything and fitting it all in to our schedules, it’s about knowing when to say yes and when to say no.

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.” –Glenn Clark
What can you shed now to make room for something new and wonderful?