Four Strategies For Clearing Your Plate To Make Room For Your True Passions

Work-from-home conditions and the broader economic situation have left many business leaders more stressed out than ever. In fact, one recent survey found that 77% of leaders in the tech industry surveyed specifically are feeling more work-related pressure than before the pandemic. From my experience coaching business leaders and entrepreneurs in all kinds of industries, I’ve seen a common reason leaders tend to get overworked and overwhelmed across the board.

Leaders tend to ‘should’ on themselves to no end: They believe that because they’re responsible for leading the company, they’re also responsible for everything that happens within it — and they are. They feel that they should work 60 hours a week to check off every task and they should go more than above and beyond for the company. All these expectations leaders hold for themselves can trap them in a cycle of justifying overworking even if it makes them unhappy and, quite frankly, not very productive. Leaders can forget how to live in the now instead of living for their idea of what they should do to be better in the future.

Part of living in this moment is finding what you love doing now. Ground yourself in what you want to do and stop focusing on what you hate but think you should do.

The Artistry Of Delegation

Getting rid of the tasks you hate and just doing what you love might sound irresponsible, selfish or even impossible. But with the right approach, it’s none of those things. Actually, it can give you the energy you need to be a better leader. The right approach is called delegation, and it’s a strategy that can help you focus your work on your passions, drive your business to success and be less stressed out in the process.

While no two people are alike, these tactics can help you master the art of delegation to free up more room for the passions that truly energize you:

1. Map and categorize your responsibilities.

When trying to identify responsibilities best left to others, it’s important first to identify the things you’re best at and interested in. Start by creating a visual representation. Map out your responsibilities, then sort each task into one of four categories: those you’re best at and enjoy, those you’re decent at and like, those you’re good at but would rather not do, and those you’re neither good at nor enjoy.

Once the tasks are categorized, estimate the time it takes to complete each one and calculate how much time you’d save by delegating the activities in the last two groupings. Look for employees who might find more enjoyment in these tasks and shift the responsibilities to them. In turn, look for responsibilities of theirs that you can move to make room on their plates as well. You can improve outcomes for the entire team by strategically leveraging strengths throughout the organization.

2. Schedule one or two great delegations per quarter.

Not every business will have the budget or luxury to staff a large enough team to take on the tasks in the third and fourth categories. But just offloading a couple per quarter can offer huge relief for anyone feeling overstressed or overworked. For both leaders and employees working to climb the ladder, detaching from at least one unwanted responsibility every few months can revamp energy and motivation to keep pushing forward.

3. Recognize the difference between delegation and abdication.

I was brought up in a sink-or-swim world. If I didn’t understand something, it was up to me to teach myself. I was homeschooled, and there was only so much I could learn from my folks. I even spent one summer mowing the neighbor’s lawn just to buy a book to teach myself calculus.

This sort of fend-for-yourself attitude shaped my early entrepreneurial years. I’d throw things at people and say, “Good luck, buddy.” I’d simply abdicate work — which I soon learned was a recipe for failure. As I matured, I began to appreciate the true meaning of delegation. Don’t let go of responsibilities until you’re certain the other person understands the task at hand. You want team members to perform the same if not better than you with any delegated activity.

4. Establish a stringent timeline.

Letting go can be difficult for leaders, even if you’re trying to let go of tasks you don’t enjoy. For example, I once decided to delegate my entire business to my partners. I spent 10 years building that business, and it was successful — at the time, the revenue stood at about $30 million with nine companies. But I wasn’t getting a return on the energy I put in. Instead, I felt drained — everything was difficult and it was sucking the life out of me.

This business was all my net worth and my only source of income, but I knew I needed to move on to pursue work I felt truly passionate about. I set a timeline and dedicated myself to sticking to it. I set a date when I would no longer receive any cash flow from the business, so I knew I needed to delegate every task before then. A deadline can be the motivating force you need to move from push to shove.

At the end of the day, work is about energy management. Pay attention to how you feel after work: Are you energized and looking forward to the next day, or do you go to bed exhausted? If you’re burnt out, it’s time to shift your energy around with careful delegation.