Work-Life Balance: The Art of Delegation

November 15, 2021|Blog

The past couple of e-PA: Wellbeing articles have seen us discuss the benefits of a work-life balance, and the harmony and equilibrium it brings, along with ways you can incorporate elements of this improved way of living and working into your life and business. If you missed these articles and would like to learn more, be sure to check them out on our page.

This entry is going to look, in detail, at a vital practice that is essential to adopt (or improve on), in order to achieve a better work-life balance; Delegation.

“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.” (John C. Maxwell)

The dictionary definition of ‘delegation’ is “the assignment of authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. It is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person.”

If you regularly find yourself always working, even when you are supposed to be at home relaxing with your family or enjoying time spent with friends and other loved ones, you are lacking that all-important work-life balance, which is negatively impacting work performance and your health, and you need to start delegating more.

Why Delegate

Delegating doesn’t just decrease the number of tasks on your ‘to-do’ list, each day. It also removes your mental responsibility for certain tasks. A common example could be, if you regularly find yourself having to handle after-hours calls or correspondence, you could easily delegate that task to an employee, or outsource to a specialist company. You will then be no longer obligated to think about these after-hours enquiries, meaning your mind can relax, and you can feel more at ease when not at work, but safe in the knowledge the task is not being neglected.

Another huge benefit of delegating is that it gives other individuals in your company a chance to learn new aspects of the job, they may otherwise have never had the opportunity to. This way, if you are ever sick, or want to go on vacation, you can rest assured there is a capable person looking after things, while you are away.

Tips for Delegating

Yes… it’s completely understandable… your business is your baby. Giving up control can be an extremely difficult and daunting task. Here are some great tips to help, that should make delegating your work easier:

Make your expectations clear, and thoroughly explain the task to the chosen employee/team. Give them the chance to ask any questions that they may have, before starting the task.
Once the employee to whom you are delegating knows what they are doing, give them the authority to complete it. If you make them check back in with you too often, you will still feel the mental burden of having to do that work.
Check over work periodically. This will ensure that your employees stay on the right track. If you do discover problems with the work being done, point them out and then help employees to correct them.

Start by making a list of tasks you don’t mind delegating. Then, next to each task, write down the name of the employee you plan on delegating that task to.

If your work-life balance is really suffering, it may be time to hire someone new, so you can decrease your workload. No matter how much you love your job, delegating is a necessary step to keep your life in balance. It makes you a more effective leader, improves your business’ performance, efficiency and promotes growth, empowers others on your team and, most importantly, positively impacts your life, health and well-being.

Whether it’s ensuring your telephone, email, social media and live-help chat enquiries are answered, or more repetitive (but essential) tasks, such as taking payments or booking appointments and managing diaries, delegating tasks to e-PA’s highly-professional and experienced teams frees up your time to focus more on growing your business, as well as giving you the freedom to spend time enjoying the things you love. Contact us today to find out e-PA can help you achieve the work-life balance you deserve!