Sort Before You Solve

In my last note, I challenged readers to list responsibilities that repeat themselves. I indicated that each item needs to be categorized for efficiency.

That's usually when I hear, "My work can't be delegated."

I understand why it feels that way. Most people think of delegation as handing someone a responsibility and walking away. That's fine if you have a highly skilled (and expensive) employee, or if the task is simple. In reality, responsibilities can be broken down into smaller bites. Sometimes delegation means:

• AI creates a first draft

• A virtual assistant gathers the information

• A team member prepares the majority of it and you review it, give feedback, answer questions, and approve the final result

You're still involved. You're simply contributing at a different stage of the process, where you add the most value. That alone can be the difference between spending 30 minutes on a task vs. five hours.

Try this:

Go back to your list and clarify the categories:

❗Only I can do this.

👤Someone else can do this (with training and oversight).

⚙️This should become a documented process.

🗑️This probably doesn't need to exist anymore.

Once you've sorted everything, look at your "someone else could do this" items and choose one. Ask yourself: What's one step of this that someone could do before it gets to me?

Don't hand off the whole responsibility if you're not ready. Just move your starting line.

→ Try it and observe the results. In the next note, we'll look at why work often finds its way back to the owner's desk, and the simple change that helps responsibilities stay where they belong.