How do you do it all?
Have you ever noticed it’s never men who get that question? It’s always women, whether it’s on a speaking panel or walking the red carpet or after simply making it to Target with a fully washed head of hair while juggling a toddler.
I’ve lost count of the times I have been asked “How do you do it all?” in reference to my work and being a mother. My husband has never been asked. Not even once.
Even though he does amazing things. Even though he also is raising 2 kids right alongside me.
But if you want to know how I’ve written multiple books while running a 7-figure company and raising 2 almost-adults. Here’s my honest answer:
I don’t do it all.
Not even close.
But because we are asked this question, it has a hidden message that too many of us take to heart: We should be able to do it all.
The truth is: Not a single successful person (man or woman) does it all. Not one.
You have to learn to pick and choose and let go of the rest.
And by let go - I don’t mean:
The big secret for how to do it all well? You delegate.
Delegation? Ugh. I Hate Delegation
I hear ya - you hate delegation because it’s just code for: I assign this to someone else and then I end up just doing it myself anyways. 🙄
Okay, let’s start with understanding what I mean when I’m talking about delegation.
Delegation is empowering your teammates through effective leadership.
Let’s break this down - the leadership? That comes from you.
The teammates? Well, that refers to any group you work with, so it could be your co-workers, the people you manage, or it could be your family.
Anytime you have a group of 2 or more people, ya got a team. We’ve all got multiple teams in our lives, but so you’ve got people who can share the load but a lot of people struggle to truly delegate. Usually it’s one of these reasons:
Not Enough Time
This is probably the biggest stumbling block, which is ironic since delegation (when done right) gives us more time! How many times have you said to yourself: I need to have my kids/spouse/co-worker/whoever do this task? And then immediately though: Nevermind, I’ll just do it myself.
Losing Control
Our old friend perfectionism likes to poke its head up every time we want to delegate and quietly whispers in our ear, “They’ll never do it as well as you!”
Guilt
We want to please everyone… well, everyone but ourselves. So we convince ourselves that we should do whatever this task is even if it’s wearing us out. Even if we hate it. Even if we’re not good at it.
So, how can I delegate so it actually gets done?
I’ve got ya covered; that’s what’s coming up next…
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