Get Started

Two Power Questions That'll Help You Delegate

Barnaby

Barnaby Lashbrooke

Founder and CEO of Time etc, author of The Hard Work Myth

4 minute read

Psssst...want a free copy of my book The Hard Work Myth?

Share this article now to get your instant download:

Many entrepreneurs have an incredible habit - the ability to see a challenge in our business and jump straight into fixing it. 

It's how most of us started and grew our businesses from scratch into what they are today.  This habit has a serious downside though - it directly prohibits us from delegating to others.

Thankfully, as productivity expert Charlie Gilkey says, there's a way you can transform the habit of doing things yourself into something far more productive as your business grows - and it's as simple as answering these two questions:

  • Who else can do this?
  • Who else can do parts of this?

The idea behind asking these two similar questions is that, together, they reveal small parts of tasks or projects that you might not have previously realised where things you could delegate.

Instead of looking at a task or project on your list and thinking "I have to do this myself" you can instead break it down a little further and perhaps delegate part of it - gaining an instant time saving.

Here are a couple of examples to help you understand how it might work on a real basis:

Your inbox


Someone else does:

  • Deleting unimportant emails
  • Moving emails into priority or subject folders for you to process later
  • Respond to meeting and information requests
  • Answer basic queries and questions
  • Qualifying sales queries

You do:

  • Answering important or critical emails from your customers or team

Your blog 

You do:

  • Create short bullet point list of what you'd like your latest blog post to be about

Someone else does:

  • Turn your bullet point list into a full blog post
  • Source images to insert into the post
  • Proof read the post 
  • Publish the post to your blog
  • Promote the post via social media

You can see from these two simple examples that tasks that seem like they can't be safely delegated to someone else can actually be broken down into tasks you can get help with - with you maintaining that all important control over critical aspects but benefiting from a huge time saving through delegation. 


Achieve your best, every day

Free Trial

Do more, earn more and achieve more by delegating the tasks that waste your time to a Virtual Assistant.

A Virtual Assistant acts just like an executive assistant but at a fraction of the cost.

Join more than 22,000 entrepreneurs who have discovered that a Virtual Assistant can help free their time, focus on what matters and grow their businesses.

Start Your Free Trial Now

About the author

Barnaby
Barnaby Lashbrooke is the founder and CEO of Virtual Assistant service Time etc as well as the author of The Hard Work Myth, recently recommended by Sir Richard Branson. Barnaby is a Forbes Columnist on productivity and is also an accomplished entrepreneur, selling more than $35 million worth of services.

Psssst...want a free copy of my book The Hard Work Myth?

Share this article now for your instant download:

Free Trial

Achieve your best, every day

Start doing more, achieving more and earning more with a Virtual Assistant.

Start Your Free Trial

Join 29,000+ of your peers

Regular insights on how to achieve more, sent to your inbox

Recent articles

5 Tips To Reset Your Attention Span In A World Full Of Distractions

In today's world, it's becoming increasingly difficult to focus and stay productive. While distractions won’t disappear, your ability to stay focused can be rebuilt.
#Achieve More #Distractions #Focus #Productivity

11 minute read

How ‘First Principles Thinking’ Can Help Founders Stay Focused

Whether you're navigating a crowded market, refining your product, or deciding where to invest your time and resources, this approach can help you build a business that’s rooted in clarity and purpose rather than guesswork and trends.
#Achieve More #Decision-making #Focus #Founders

10 minute read

6 Focus Hacks From The World’s Most Successful Founders

Find out how some of the biggest names in business have cracked the code on staying laser-focused on what truly matters—and how to work it into your own routine.
#Focus #Founders #Hints and tips #Productivity

11 minute read

What’s Feeding Your Stress? The Worst Foods for Founders Under Pressure

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but the foods and drinks you consume can either help you manage it or make it worse. For founders under constant pressure, understanding the worst foods for stress and anxiety is essential for effective stress management.
#Diet #hack #health #Stress #Wellbeing

11 minute read