The holiday season is upon us, and chances are you’ve got a lot on your plate. Whether it’s your first year as a business owner or you’re getting ready for your tenth year of managing the office, delegating tasks can help you get more done in less time.
From hiring a virtual assistant to using technology to streamline processes and save time, there are many different ways to delegate tasks at this time of year. So let’s take a look at how we can make our lives easier while making ours—and our clients’ lives easier too!
Start with a process map.
- What is a process map?
A process map is a visual representation of the steps involved in a given task. It allows you to see how many steps there are, where each step takes place, who does what and when (and sometimes why). A good example of this could be an executive assistant who uses their own process map as a reference when answering emails on behalf of their boss.
By seeing the whole picture at once—from beginning to end—they can quickly identify which tasks they should take over or delegate entirely so that they can focus on what’s most important: getting stuff done!
- Why is it important?
It’s important because it forces you to think about what your role actually entails, who can help with each part of it and how much time each step takes (or should take). This will allow you not only to see potential gaps in your workflow that need filling but also to prioritize which ones need filling first.
Identify your opportunities to automate, delegate, or eliminate.
When you’re delegating, you can take a few steps to make sure your delegation strategy is as effective as possible. Here are some tips for delegating effectively in the time before the holidays:
- Identify your opportunities to automate, delegate and eliminate tasks from your workload.
- Automate things that don’t require human decision-making (like scheduling social media posts), hire a virtual assistant for repetitive tasks, and get rid of anything that isn’t absolutely necessary in the short term (like sorting through old files).
- Create a checklist so you don’t forget anything important during this busy time of year!
Write down the tasks you’re delegating and what you need from your assistant.
Before you start delegating, it’s important to make a list of all the tasks you want to delegate. Then, write down what you need from your assistant. It can be tricky to figure out what exactly you want someone else to do for you, so take some time and think about your requests carefully. Remember: the more specific your requests are, the better your results will be!
Next, make sure that both yourself and your assistant know exactly what the other person expects before delegating any tasks. This is an essential step if things are going to go smoothly during this process!
Decide whether to use a freelancer or an agency.
- Freelancers: If you’re looking for more flexibility and control over your new hire’s schedule, freelancers are a good choice. They can work on their own time, with little to no oversight from you.
- Agencies: Agencies are great if you want someone who will always be available at the same time of day to take care of certain tasks. They’ll also make sure that your new employee has all the resources they need to get things done—from company policies and procedures to appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment).
How to choose a VA that’s right for you.
- Look for someone with the right skills. Before you even start looking for a VA, make sure you know exactly what you need them to do and that they have the skills to get it done. If not, then don’t hire them—it’s that simple!
- Check their background and references. Once you’ve found someone who seems like a good candidate, check their background so you can see what kind of jobs they’ve had in the past and if anyone else has hired them before.
Also, take a look at their references: Do they seem legitimate? Do they say anything about working with your potential VA? Any red flags here should be caused you to reconsider hiring this person—and don’t feel bad about it either!
It’s better to pass up on an opportunity than jump into something without knowing all its details ahead of time because no matter how great it might seem now down the road when something goes wrong it’ll only end up hurting both parties involved (and possibly others too).
Prepare for onboarding.
Once you’ve identified what tasks will be delegated and have the right tools ready to go, it’s time to prepare for onboarding.
Here’s a checklist of things to do before your virtual assistant starts work:
- Make sure you know exactly what will be delegated. This is important so that your VA can get up-to-speed with the project as quickly as possible. If there are multiple team members involved or people working remotely, make sure they’ve been included in these discussions.
- Check whether your VA has the right skills and experience for this project. Once again, this should be done ahead of time so there aren’t any surprises later on when it comes time to start delegating responsibilities.
Create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for all tasks.
I can’t stress enough the importance of having Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all your tasks.
SOPs allow you to delegate tasks to someone who isn’t familiar with your business, or even if it is a task that has been delegated multiple times in the past. This way, if somebody else does the same thing as has been done before and makes a mistake, they’re not going to cause any harm because it was previously stated in an SOP how things should be done.
Not only this but having SOPs will also ensure consistency across all areas of your business – meaning no matter who is doing what job they will follow through with the same method each time so quality is maintained.
Test-run tasks with your virtual assistant before delegating them.
It’s important to know how well your virtual assistant will perform the task you’re delegating. Before you hand off any project, test runs it with your VA so you can see how they respond to the request and if they understand what needs to be done.
This is also a great opportunity for them to ask questions about their role in the project and whether there are other people involved in order to help them better understand their responsibilities.
Save time and get more done by delegating this holiday season!
Delegating is a great strategy for the holidays. It helps you get more done, and it will save you time. Your virtual assistant (VA) can take over tasks that you don’t enjoy doing, so you can focus on what matters most!
For example, if your VA is willing to handle the details of shipping gifts or organizing holiday cards, then let them do it. You’ll be amazed at how much more time and energy this frees up for you so that you can focus on making sure everyone gets all their presents in one piece!
Conclusion
We hope that this article was helpful in giving you an idea of how to use a virtual assistant (VA). The holiday season is a great time to start delegating so that you can focus on spending time with your family and friends while your VA takes care of the rest. We know you’re busy so don’t feel like it has to be perfect!
There are many ways to get started: create a process map, write down specific tasks and responsibilities, and decide whether or not it’s worth hiring someone new or using an agency such as ours at Your VA Partner – all these things will help guide the way towards success!
