Tag: delegation

  • Get 10 More Hours Out of your Week

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    If you are a busy professional, then chances are you have more money than time. If you constantly feel like you need 30 hours in a day to get everything done then it is time to take a closer look at where you spend your time. What if I told you that you can get 10 more hours out of your week?  Get organized and be real about what can be done in a given day or week and you will stop the dread and get more done.

    The Law of Delegation. If someone can do the job 75% as well as you can, delegate it. This could apply to the office or your home. At the office, we often take the stance of it takes too long to train someone to do a task, so I will just do it myself. That is very short sighted. If you take the time to train a person, then that task will be off your plate forever. You can’t be penny wise and pound foolish with your time.

    At home it could be dry cleaning, mowing the lawn, making dinner, doing laundry, house cleaning, etc. House keepers, dry cleaning companies that pick up and deliver, yard service companies, personal chefs. They are available in all metropolitan areas to help you get these activities off your list. If you don’t need help year round, consider hiring help for just a few weeks or months to get you through busy times at work, during an illness/surgery or after the birth of a child.

    Time Blocking. If you want to get something done, it needs to be on your calendar. Most people have hopes for their week instead of a schedule. Everything that you do in a week should be on your calendar (except for maybe meals and bathroom breaks). You may even need to put sleep and exercise on your calendar to ensure that you are hitting your target amount.

    Daily To Do vs. Master To Do. Constantly looking at a long master to do list is daunting. If you have a day in the office (or at home) that you are dedicating to getting lots of smaller tasks done, I recommend creating a list just for that day. We always feel more accomplished when we get to cross things off a list and it will help keep you focused. Don’t put more on the list than you can reasonable get done in a day and don’t be aggressive. It feels much better to completely finish the list and pull more off the master list than to not finish.

    Keeping a master to do list of EVERYTHING that you need to get done will help take the pressure off having to keep all of that information in your brain. My master list has everything from fixing a dripping sink, buying lacrosse supplies for my daughter and sending a birthday card to making business calls and registering for a networking event.

    What’s for Dinner? That is the dreaded question of the day. Whether you have a family or not, this one seems to cause everyone stress. The biggest roadblock to healthy eating is poor planning. Take a few minutes to plan each week and do one grocery shop. If you are too busy, consider ordering groceries from peapod.com or hometownharvest.com. If even that is too much time, hire a personal chef like Shirlé at www.fourcornerscuisine.com

    Night before prep. Mornings set the tone for the day, so make them as stress-free as possible. Prepare your work bag, clothes, lunches and kid’s stuff the night before.

    Done, but not perfect. I love this mantra and I think everyone needs to adopt it (except for accountants doing tax returns). Don’t set yourself up for failure or waste precious minutes by trying to make everything perfect. Send the birthday card even if it is late, the recipient will still appreciate it. Bring store bought items to the picnic because you had a crazy week. Stop stressing about things that only matter to you!

    Say “No”. The main reason that we have too much on our plates is that we PUT too much on our plate. It seems simple, but it is the hardest thing to learn. Next time you are ready to say “yes” to something, consider what else in your life you are saying “no” to. I guarantee that you will feel better saying “no”, than you will only putting in 50% effort to the thing you said “yes” to.

    If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own newsletter or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Tara Rudo, Life Strategist, helps working moms and families focus on what’s important. Get our FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com.

    Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • I Can’t Do It All By Myself!

    My husband regularly makes fun of me for always having my ‘team’ of people that I need to run my life. My ‘team’ consists of quite a few people in various categories and I feel that their contributions make me a much happier and successful businesswoman, mother and human being. I have a chiropractor, acupuncturist, house cleaning duo, several babysitters, a virtual assistant, Terri (my right hand organizer), massage therapist (a.k.a. my mother), marketing guru, my group fitness instructors at the gym and probably a few others that I can’t remember off the top of my head. As far as I am concerned, my husband can make fun of me all he wants because I LOVE my team!

    In today’s hectic society, with two working parents who also want to have a life outside of their home, I feel that having a team is a necessity. I can’t do it ALL by myself! I have learned and embraced the Law of Delegation. I am not sure where I learned this and have searched to find out whom I should credit but have had no luck. So, here it is:

    The Law of Delegation: If someone else can do the task 75% as well as you could do it yourself, delegate it.
    The way I see it, there are two ways to delegate. You can delegate up. For example, hire a marketing guru, chiropractor, acupuncturist who is an expert in something you CAN’T do for yourself to tell you or teach you how to achieve your goals in the most effective and efficient way. Or, you can delegate down. For example, hiring a babysitter, house cleaning duo or virtual assistant to do something that you COULD do for yourself, but you choose to pay them to do it so you can spend your time and efforts elsewhere.

    You can’t expect perfection or to have something done EXACTLY the way you would do it, but it will be done and that is more important than perfect. I think that learning to delegate is a difficult skill for both business people and parents alike. You know that some things won’t get done well the first time. Accept that there will be a learning curve as you teach someone else to do these tasks. But, if you are a little lucky and thoughtful as to which tasks you delegate and which people you bring on your team, you can achieve amazing things. You can gain TIME. You can gain better health. You can gain a stronger marriage. You can earn more money.

    If you are a parent and choose to delegate to your children, you may gain some extra headaches in the short term while you teach and train them to take over tasks. But, in the long run, you will gain the knowledge and pride that comes from knowing that you are raising your child to be a self sufficient and responsible human. This is a slow process that starts with toddlers helping clean the playroom, sort socks and set the dinner table.

    My advice: Delegate early and often. The GAINS are worth it!

    If you liked today’s post, you’re welcome to use it in your own ezine or blog as long as you include the following blurb: Certified Professional Organizer, Tara Donohue Rudo, CPO, helps families, solopreneurs and mompreneurs focus on what is important. Get her FREE weekly tips and advice at www.NoMorePiles.com . Photo is courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net