Last month, I talked about how to remove decision fatigue from your life so you can make better choices and free up your brain space to do things only you can do. One of the steps was to be aware of what and to whom you’ll delegate the tasks that you don’t need to do.

So this month, I thought we’d talk more in depth about delegating. It’s almost like a muscle that you need to constantly work. Or at least, work enough so it doesn’t atrophy and then you end up in decision fatigue all over again!

Here’s the thing, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to work for you. That’s why, while I am a fan of systems and processes, I always say it’s best to have a system that you can stick to.

That’s what we’ll chat about today – a simple system for delegation that you can flex to make your own or just use this as-is. Then, when you work with a Prestridge & Co Executive Virtual Assistant, you’ll be prepared to delegate tasks to them, they’ll know exactly how to execute them for you, and they’ll start to do things without you having to delegate because they’ve learned your system and process for it.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll just do this myself because it’s easier than showing someone else how to do it,” this is for you!

Why and When to Delegate

There are so many reasons why you’d want to delegate, but the biggest one is “So you can free up brain space to do your genius work that only you can do.” If you’re always bogged down with tasks, to-dos, and reminders, you’re missing out on crucial space your brain and your calendar need so you can serve your clients and do big-picture CEO thinking.

We say delegate before you’re ready. A lot of CEOs make the mistake of waiting too long, then it’s a huge mess that takes more time to dig out of. They feel like they have to have it all figured out first. That’s one thing we love to help you with here at Prestridge & Co. We are here to give you that big exhale of relief that comes with turning over all the tasks that have been weighing you down!

You may want to delegate when you…

• Notice things are falling through the cracks
• Feel like you’re always behind, no matter how much you work
• Have recurring tasks (like scheduling, responding to emails, and creating onboarding/offboarding materials, to name a few) that never seem to end
• Need more time to do the job well
• Come upon tasks that someone else could do just as well (or better than) you could do it yourself

How to Delegate to your EVA (and Teach Them How to Maintain Your Systems!)

Delegating isn’t hard, nor should it be. But it does take the first step of releasing control and realizing that someone else could be performing things better than you could. Especially when it isn’t your genius work, delegating to someone else will free up time, energy, and space in your brain so you can focus on what you do best.

At a minimum, we recommend these three steps when it comes to delegating to your Executive Virtual Assistant.

Decide What to Delegate

If you read last month’s blog post, you may already have this step done (or at least, you’ve thought about it).

There are a bunch of things you can delegate, but we’d suggest starting with…

• Recurring tasks
• Inbox management
• Updating software and/or programs
• Research (new apps, places to get client gifts, podcasts and speaking opportunities, restaurant recommendations…anything you’d be searching for)
• Finding leads to nurture
• Travel arrangements
• Onboarding/Offboarding Clients/Team

The main point is to offload tasks that someone else could do. We say to start with tasks that are internal. They’re usually the ones that just kind of run in the background and cause your brain to get overheated and crash, just like a computer. When you start with these tasks, it’s a “low pressure” way to begin delegating – and they’re things that need to get done and take up a lot of time on your part. Think of what you could do with that time!

Identify What “Done” Looks Like

When working with an EVA, they should be like your second brain. And they won’t know what “done” looks like unless you tell them. If you don’t share what your expectations are, they’ll have no idea how to complete them to your standard.

By telling your EVA what done looks like, you can delegate to them and teach them the crucial step of how you like to do things. Pretty soon, they’ll pick up on what your expectations are and fill them in for future projects without you having to say a word. Making sure they know how you expect things to look is important when teaching your EVA how to delegate for you.

Create SOPs

This is a crucial step when teaching your EVA how you like things done. Like we said at the top of this post, if you’ve ever been in that trap of I’ll do it myself because I know how to do it and it takes less time than teaching someone else, SOPs will change your life.

SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure. These documents serve as a recipe book for how you want things completed and how they should look when they’re finished. That way, you can create them once and they serve as a hub or “look here for answers first” type of rulebook for how you like things in your business.

SOPs teach your EVAs to think like you. Similar to telling your EVA what done looks like, this will show your EVA the steps you want them to follow and repeat. When you work with us, we’ll create SOPs for you and train your EVA so you don’t even have to think about this step!

How to Make Your Prestridge & Co EVA Your “Brain”

Your Executive Virtual Assistant will be your second brain, helping you to maintain order and standards in your business for yourself and your clients. When you teach them how to complete projects as you, you’ll see that they start to think ahead and delegate on your behalf.

That’s one of the great things about working with Prestridge & Co. Yes, having a virtual assistant is helpful and you can take it one step beyond having a task doer (whom you still have to tell how and what to do) when you work with us.

Our Executive Virtual Assistants are trained in our framework that has been honed by working with dozens of established, high-level service providers, like you. We’ve come to anticipate roadblocks and needs you’ll have in your business and work with you so you don’t have to deal with these issues – we’ll help you bypass them completely.

Another benefit of working with our agency is that we have a team of EVAs and other support positions that have all been trained in our S3 Framework so if your EVA isn’t available, we have someone who can seamlessly step in and pick up where you need them to. Plus, thanks to creating and following your SOPs that have been built on the S3 Framework, they know how you want to conduct business. All without having to train them on a single thing!

If you’re interested in working with an Executive Virtual Assistant to provide support, and you want to know what an EVA can do for you, click here to download The Ultimate Guide for Leveraging EVA Support or go here to learn more about working with us!