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Task Delegation Basics

Writer's picture: Barbara MaheshwariBarbara Maheshwari

Essential information on task delegation for first-timers deciding what to delegate.


How to identify tasks for delegation?


Step 1: Create a list of tasks you perform weekly.

It might look like this...


  • Driving my kid to school daily Mon to Fri

  • Making breakfast for my family on Wednesdays

  • Publishing 3 posts per week on social media

  • Writing and publishing 1 blog

  • Creating and sending out one newsletter per week

  • Speaking and mentoring students at XY University

  • Writing my book

  • Attending business networking event

  • Saving expense receipts to drive

  • Invoicing consulting clients for my services

  • Ordering groceries

  • Taking out trash

  • Going to gym

  • Replying to emails

  • Reaching out to potential clients on LinkedIn


Step 2: Mark the tasks that don't require your personal attention.

If you could assign it to someone equally competent, freeing up more personal time for crucial matters, what tasks would you delegate?


  • Driving my kid to school daily Mon to Fri

  • Making breakfast for my family on Wednesdays

  • Publishing 3 posts per week on social media

  • Writing and publishing 1 blog

  • Creating and sending out one newsletter per week

  • Speaking and mentoring students at XY University

  • Writing my book

  • Attending business networking event

  • Saving expense receipts to drive

  • Invoicing consulting clients for my services

  • Ordering groceries

  • Taking out trash

  • Going to gym

  • Replying to emails

  • Reaching out to potential clients on LinkedIn


Step 3: Take a moment to estimate the time required for each task you're considering delegating, and calculate the total

  • Publishing 3 posts per week on social media - TIME: 20 minutes per post, 1 h per week

  • Writing and publishing 1 blog - TIME: 2.5 h per blog

  • Creating and sending out one newsletter per week - TIME: 45 minutes, 0.75 h per newsletter

  • Saving expense receipts to drive - TIME: 15 mins per week, 0.25 h

  • Invoicing consulting clients for my services - TIME: 1 h per week

  • Ordering groceries - TIME: 30 min per week, 0.5 h

  • Replying to emails - TIME: 5 h per week

  • Reaching out to potential clients on LinkedIn - TIME: 3 hours per week

TOTAL: 14 hours per week or 4x14 = 56 hours per month


Now, with our task list and time estimates in hand, let's check if there's anything we tackle monthly that we might want to include.

I will add "communication with accounting" to my list - that makes it total 57 hours per month.


Great job! Now you've got a list of tasks and their estimated time. You are a brilliant, unique, resourceful, and capable entrepreneur. Be prepared for the fact that if you delegate these tasks to an assistant, it is normal for them to take 10-20% more time than it would take you to do these things!


Task Delegation
Remote Bob Team

What other materials and instructions do we need to prepare for handing over these tasks?


  • What tools are you using to perform these tasks? Let's create a list of tools.


Buffer to schedule social media posts, Wix to publish blogs, LinkedIn to send out Li messages, Xero for invoicing, Mailchimp for newsletters, Google drive to save documents, Waitrose webshop for groceries, Gmail for emails - and let's start using Clickup or something similar to keep track of tasks and hours.


  • Prepare Log in details for all these, and share access to Google Drive.

  • Prepare all important links, and materials that you would like your assistant to review - it might be more about your services, about your target audience, previous blogs, examples of newsletters

  • List of topics for blogs or social media, if you have already planned them.

  • Schedule of tasks - is it important for you that blog always gets published on Thursdays, and social media posts on Tuesdays and Saturdays? Call with accountant should happen on 30th day in the month, every month. Make a note of this.

  • Communicate the expected outcome for each activity and set clear goals. For example, if your social media channels are currently experiencing a 10% increase in followers every month, that is the minimum expectation when you delegate this task. Also, on average you were getting 4 new leads from LinkedIn outreach monthly - so this will be aim for Li outreach activity.


Checklist - Double check if you have everything ready?

✔ List of tasks to delegate (with schedule, on which days they should be done)

✔ Estimate of hours required

✔ List of tools that your assistant will have to use

✔ Log in details for every tool (You can also use LastPass for giving access) ✔ Links of website, social media, examples of blogs, and newsletters

✔ Topics for upcoming blogs and posts

✔ Goals for every activity / What result you expect


Book a Free Delegation Session

Let's prepare instructions for your VA together!

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