you ’ ve got bigger problems than an out-ofcontrol to-do list .
I know it can be tough to let go of tasks you ’ ve been personally managing for a long time . But if you want to buy back your time , it ’ s possible , and the results are worth the effort .
To find those key activities only you can or should be doing , the Delegation Hierarchy will help you get a clear picture of which activities truly deserve your time and energy — and which don ’ t . We ’ ll start with the tasks you probably hate doing the most .
“ I know it can be tough to let go of tasks you ’ ve been personally managing for a long time . But if you want to buy back your time , it ’ s possible , and the results are worth the effort .”
Priority 1 : Drudgery Zone . The Drudgery Zone is made up of tasks you have no passion or proficiency for . Hopefully you ’ ve eliminated or automated most of the tasks in this zone . Any tasks left here are prime candidates for delegation — and it ’ s important to hand these activities off as quickly as possible .
When exploring options for delegating your Drudgery Zone tasks , don ’ t feel guilty about handing off your most-hated chores to someone else . Just because you hate doing something doesn ’ t mean everyone hates doing it . In fact , someone else ’ s Desire Zone could be made up entirely of tasks in your Drudgery Zone . Consider housework , for example . You may dislike cleaning the house and folding laundry , but those things could be at the top of someone else ’ s Desire Zone . Same with accounting , or design , or marketing , or anything else .
For my coaching client , Matt , his professional and personal life were transformed when he stopped asking , Can I do this job faster , easier , and cheaper ? and started asking , Should I be doing this job at all ? One obstacle for him was delegating Drudgery Zone tasks . “ Well , I just need to do it ,” he would say . “ Why would I want to hand it off if I don ’ t enjoy doing it ?” It felt arrogant or rude to assign work he didn ’ t enjoy . What changed ? “ Finding out that my Drudgery Zone isn ’ t someone else ’ s Drudgery Zone . When I ’ m withholding that assignment , I ’ m actually keeping people from doing something they enjoy doing .” The real arrogance isn ’ t delegating work we don ’ t like ; it ’ s assuming everyone likes and dislikes what we do .
By passing off your Drudgery Zone tasks to someone who loves doing them , you can free up hours per day to focus on things that really matter to you . Plus , getting rid of things you hate doing will give you a new burst of energy you can direct toward your Desire Zone activities .
Priority 2 : Disinterest Zone . The next target for delegation is anything that ’ s in your Disinterest Zone . Just because you ’ re good at something doesn ’ t mean you should do it . Continuing to do tasks you ’ re not passionate about is going to drain your energy from the things you are passionate about . I know how to do the basic accounting for my business , and I did it competently myself for years . However ,
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