Arguably, the most precious commodity we have is time. Most of us are trying to make the most of the time we have. We want to spend more time building our businesses, learning new skills and enjoying our families. We develop systems to manage our moments and invest in time-saving shortcuts at home and in the office. But, have you considered there are entire categories of work that you just don’t have to do? Like, you CAN delegate to save time all the things you can’t get to, or just plain don’t want to do. Yes…I give you permission! And you should too!
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What is most time consuming for you?
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Is there something that you just hate doing?
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Does it sit there on your desk because you can’t even stand to think about it?
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Is there something you’re just not very good at or that takes you away from the tasks in which you really shine?
Think about these tasks now and consider getting someone else to do them for you! Your time is precious and it should be spent tackling tasks and building relationships that benefit your business and make life easier. Once you determine which tasks are time zappers for you, look for solutions on how to get these jobs done. This will increase your profitability and productivity. I use the site Upwork for research and writing tasks. While I am focused on building my business, someone else can look up the statistics that make my next presentation shine, or design the flash presentation for my next meeting.
Another fabulous and fun site I love is fiverr. For five dollars there are independent (and self-proclaimed) experts out there that do just about everything. From composing and performing a jingle for your YouTube videos, to writing a love poem for your spouse, they do it. (The latter isn’t something I actually recommend.) So before you spend hours in front of your computer learning how to edit a song, consider paying five bucks to have someone do it for you.
Figure out your cost-value per hour and make sure you optimize your time. Invest your energy and time in tasks that mean something to you. What are you really good at? Focus your time on the areas in which you excel. Then, rely on the expertise of others to tackle the problem tasks. You don’t need to be an expert at everything, but be excellent in the things that matter!
Here are a few other great sites to leverage your time to focus on more important tasks:
- Odesk – Manage a team of outsourcers ranging from designers, programmers, copywriters, etc…
- 99Designs – Crowdsource your design projects from amazing designers all over the world
- Crowdspring – Great for getting content done
How to you delegate to save time? Comment below!
Thanks for the awesome links! I never imagined such services even existed. This is going to be a HUGE time (and sanity) saver for me!
I find this true for simply doing things around the house! Sometimes it seems just easier to do it myself. Then I think…I will take the time now to explain and show my children how to do a particular chore around the house. Then I can delagate these things to get done. When it comes to things like making the bed – it is important to remember “It does not have to be perfect.” Show your child how to do it and then let them go at it! I get to take something off my to do list!