The ABCs of Delegating

What’s on the iPod: Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks

It feels strange taking time off right after having a month lost to surgery and recovery. However, there’s a very good reason why I’m not here this week — I’m in Maine to attend my stepdaughter’s wedding. It’s going to be a great celebration, and I’m honored to know these two. My stepdaughter is a sweet, smart, and thoughtful girl who’s been through it (much of it self-inflicted), but has emerged as a talented, loving adult anyone would be proud to know. She’s marrying her perfect match — he fits her perfectly.

So while I’m out restoring my work/life balance (nice segue into this month’s theme, huh?), I wanted to leave you with some thoughts on how to beat burnout before it beats you.

One of my favorite ways to get to my writing and not be sucked in by the mundane is to delegate. This past month as been a lesson to me on why I need to delegate and how to do it without guilt. For example, I can’t lift anything heavy for the next three weeks. That includes laundry, vacuum cleaners, and shopping bags. So I learned to ask those around me for help. Even with the gardening, which I’m eager to get back to (it’s a royal disaster right now), I asked for help. Since I wasn’t able to bend from the waist for three weeks (probably not yet, either), I would stand and pull out what was high enough (told you it was a disaster). In a few cases, I squatted down and pulled out weeds, making sure to keep the torso upright.

But what to do with the weeds since I can’t lift or push a wheelbarrow?

Ask for help.

We writers don’t do that, do we? We allow things to encroach not just on our free time, but on our work time. We don’t ask for help. We assume we’re the only ones who can do the job right.

Ah, we’re so slow to learn sometimes.

Here are a few things in your day you can delegate so that your writing and your personal life don’t burn you out:

Admin stuff. When my daughter interned for me, I let her deal with the piles of paper on my desk. I let her sort them any way she wanted as long as she had a clear system that I could understand. Why not employ your kid, or even a virtual assistant, to help with the time-sucking stuff?

Banking. Okay, not so much a delegation, but if your bank is like mine, they’ll be offering check scanning and automated deposits. Why drive to the bank when you can do it all without leaving the house?

Collections. Every writer has had to chase at least one invoice. If it’s been three months, get yourself a collection agency. For a small fee, they’ll do the chasing for you.

Dinner. Who says you have to cook every night? Unless you live by yourself, let someone else handle dinner. That lets you stay in the flow of the writing, or maybe read, walk, or get some down time. If you’re living alone, why not make a few meals one day and eat them all week?

Freelance work. If it’s okay with your client, go ahead and pass off some of that work to your writing network. Make sure to match the person to the project, and don’t hire someone you’ve not vetted. I was able to pass a project off to a fellow writer last year, and it saved me a ton of stress. He knew the subject and was able to get the job done without my lording over him or managing him. Make sure you hire someone whose work you love and whose work ethic you love even more.

Groceries. If your kid can drive, give them somewhere to go. Arm them with a list and some cash. Then trust them to get it done. So what if they come home with more ice cream than vegetables? Learn to surrender control and let it go.

Handling phone calls. If you’re busy, don’t answer. Employ the answering machine instead.

Invoices. If you hire an accountant for your taxes, find out how much it would be to have them send your invoices. Or maybe get  your virtual assistant to do it (probably cheaper).