What to delegate, simplify or decline

Before taking on a task, check whether its result is needed and whether the scope makes sense. Then choose: do it yourself, simplify it, agree to delegate it or decline it. This makes room for work that needs your attention.

What to do

  1. Go through Offload. Mark each task with one of the four: do, simplify, delegate, decline.
  2. Ask "is this needed?" first. Delegating unnecessary work just passes your wasted time to someone else.
  3. Check three conditions before delegating. The person has time, skills (or a chance to learn) and authority to make the decisions involved.
  4. Remember the handover cost. Explaining and checking take time too; a one-off five-minute task may not be worth passing on.
  5. Share the purpose, not just the task. Why it matters – see How to define the expected outcome.

Example

Dmytro owns a small café and orders supplies himself every week, even though his barista Iryna knows better what's running low. He hands the ordering to her with a spending limit. He simplifies the weekly landlord report to three lines – which turns out to be enough. And he turns down a seat on a neighbourhood working group: it isn't a priority this year.

In Plynno

Agree on the handover outside Plynno, then create a task for your follow-up. Moving a task to Offload does not assign it to anyone.

Try this now

Take one task from Offload and ask: what would happen if I did it in half the effort?

Sources