How to Let Go of Dreaded Tasks in Your Business | The Profit Roadmap

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Chris Volpe, resident business optimizer, talked with us about how to clear the Brussels sprouts, green beans, or "whatever vegetable you hate off of your plate.

You know it's true: the tasks you hate wind up on the backburner. Those backburner tasks frequently find their way through cracks, despite our best intentions.

At The Profit Roadmap, we encourage you to find one of those tasks TODAY and get it off of your plate. Slide those nasty, but necessary vegetables onto an employee's plate. Here's how:

Write Down Your Process

This doesn't have to be a blow-by-blow of how to do the task (A, B, C, etc.) You want to jot down the high points, the things that are fundamental to getting the task done.

You don't need to write down specific instructions for using a measuring wheel or tape measure. Here's what you need: trust the employee to figure it out (or to ask for help when they get lost).

If an employee asks a question, add the answer to the notes for next time. You need to fill gaps, don't cover every question that could ever be asked about a task.

Delegate That Task - Today!

Identify an employee who can take that task off your hands.Office assistants and operations managers can handle paperwork and documentation. If you're still in the field, start trying to hand those duties to team leads and field employees. Give them the tools to rise to the occasion, they'll surprise you.

Don't get caught in the trap of "If I want it done right, I have to do it myself." This mindset belongs to the perpetually small-time "job owners."  Business owners delegate or their business stagnates and then starts to fall apart. Businesses can't stay in one place. They grow or they start to die.

You. Can't. Do. Everything. You need help. You need to process, automate, and delegate. Get rid of your biggest stressors and work on things that will improve your business in the long run.

"Summon the Rawk" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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