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The power of delegation is so underrated & it’s something I didn’t tap into for so long in my business. I feel like a lot of people out there also haven’t tapped into delegation yet so why not dedicate a whole post to delegation & the things that have made all the difference.
Delegating allows me to be more creative, focus on growing my business, & work ON my business instead of IN it. It also frees up time do things I really want to do, opposed to things that are maybe my weakness.
For instance, say you’re really good at creating content for your brand/blog/company, whatever. That’s your strong suit. Then once a month you have to go through expenses & do all this accounting bullshit. You hate it, it takes forever, & your time could be better spent doing what you do best- being a content creator. Doesn’t it just make sense to hire an accountant who is a total pro & can do all your accounting faster & better than you? Sure, it costs money & not all of us are in a position to outsource things. But if you can, I think you should.
Michael has a really good way of looking at delegation & basically asks himself, “do I personally need to do this task?” & if the answer is ‘no’ then the task is always delegated. He is focussed on growing Dear Media so it’s worth it for him to have a full-time assistant.
When Michael hired his assistant he spent 90% of his time training & OVER COMMUNICATING ( he says this key ), so that in the future he’s spending less time going over tasks & how he likes this done. This frees up his time to focus on the big picture & in turn grow the business & actually bring in more money than he would if his time was taken up by smaller tasks. Get it? It’s essentially all about maximizing time, which we’re always all about.
Anyway delegating certain tasks have been crucial to growing The Skinny Confidential, but it’s very hard to start. Below are 10 ways I delegate that I’ve found to be totally worth it.
10 Ways to Delegate: Having someone edit the blog.
You guys have met Hilary before, but just to recap, she’s a freelancer & been with TSC for about 6 years now. Hilary reached out to me way back & pointed out some mistakes she found on the blog, so I brought her on board asap. She’s been a godsend allowing me to let go a little so I can just write. She goes in & checks out all the formatting, grammar, spelling, photo alignment & more so I can put my focus elsewhere & I know she has my back.
Having my hair & makeup done.
This is something I usually do for events, but sometimes I get it done before a day of podcasting or meetings.
I feel like the days of GLAM being such a big deal are over. Now, with social media, there are efficient ways to get your makeup or hair done without it being overwhelming. It’s way more mainstream now.
I think people are afraid of it because it sounds intimidating, but it’s totally in reach for everyone now- especially if you find an amazing service. It’s totally doable, guys.
If I have to prep for a meeting or have a conference call or need to get ready for a meet-up, I like to have my hair & makeup done.
I call GLAM SQUAD. It’s an on-demand, in-home beauty service. They do:
♡ hair
♡ makeup
♡ nails
♡ weddings
( Sidenote: for my specific makeup & hair I like, check out this post. )
I batch a lot of my work so to be able to sit down, uninterrupted and get my glam done, it’s really a no brainer.
Hiring a Housekeeper
I have a housekeeper come once a week & it’s been LIFE.CHANGING. let me tell you. They wash our bedding & do laundry which helps so much. I still do laundry throughout the week so it doesn’t get crazy, but they help so much with folding & hanging. Obviously I’m a neat freak & super tidy & specific so we keep it together through the week, but having someone come once a week to do a deep clean ( floors, sinks, toilets, shower, etc. ) has been so helpful.
I do want to say though, that this is such a luxury. I was broke for a long time & there was no way I was going to spend money on housekeeping. However, now it’s so helpful & frees up so much time so I can work on TSC that I’m happy to indulge in this. This is something I’ll keep doing when the baby comes, so I can spend lots of time with our little girl.
Postmates
Huge Postmates fan. As you guys know, I spend money on time so I use Postmates a lot. I like to order bone broth & smoothies because they’re ready to go & I don’t have to unpack or make anything. My latest smoothie order is so specific, it’s ridiculous. Like, are you ready?
celery juice
1 oz of organic kale
1 oz of organic spinach
2 tbsp of grass-fed collagen
1 oz chlorophyll
1 tbsp spirulina
1/2 tsp of cordyceps
1/2 oz of organic lemon juice
1 dropper of iron
1/2 a banana
1 dropper of magnesium
no apple juice….PLEASE
Does it get more obnoxious than that?
Uber
Kinda considering getting rid of my car & only taking Ubers because I do it so much. I’m at that point. The amount of work you can get done in the back of a car is so nice & efficient. To just sit there & answer emails, DMs, post on Instagram, have a conference call, & return text messages is such a great use of time in my opinion.
If you aren’t into Uber because you feel like the drivers talk to much just get a podcast ready & throw in your AirPods. But be sure you’re pulling them out of the cutest little AirPods case ever.
Ok, sorry for this long sidenote, but this is why I love AirPods:
♡ you can use them & no one will annoy you: Like I said, if you’re in any kind of social setting where you need to be working on your phone. This enables you to have power over your time. In my opinion, time is money. To have control over putting my energy into the task that needs to be done, is really a powerful tool. If I have a deadline that needs to get done, I can have full concentration ( I primarily work off my phone, so this is a real plus ).
♡ charges fast: Nothing worse than when your phone takes 500 years to charge. You G2G. Have no fear these babies charge VERY quick. So quick, you won’t believe it. I like that. I need quick in all areas. You plug them in & in like 15 minutes you’re out the door pretending you’re on a conference call so you can get your e-mails done!
♡ sound quality: Is on fleek!! It’s so clear. Especially when you’re listening to podcasts on the go. You can go grocery shopping or get your nails done while learning- efficient.
♡ convenient: I like anything that is grab-and-go, so to have something you can throw in your ears & listen to a podcast whenever, where ever is ideal. Most of all I think it is so convenient to be able to learn on the go ( some podcasts I like to listen to can be found here). A book on tape is always a good way to go too ( some books I am obsessed with here ).
♡ fits in your purse: I use them for: all my conference calls ( I like to walk while I do conference calls so this is perfect ), all my on-the-go podcast listening, chats with Dad, music, books on tape, etc. You get the drift.
Crazy For My Calendar
You guys know that I’m so psycho about my calendar that I hired someone to only take care of my calendar. Everything is scheduled. Even driving time, reading time, thinking time, & workouts are in my calendar.
Doing this has really helped with the flow of my business. For a while I was doing calls throughout the week while I jumped from task to task and it was really slowing me down. So, we decided Wednesdays are for calls. This totally feeds into batching & time-blocking– it just makes everything ( including your calendar ) so much more efficient.
Every single morning at 7:30 I schedule meditation. I do this for 15 minutes, then I do The Morning Pages. If you haven’t heard of The Morning Pages you have to read this post. Doing them has been LIFE-CHANGING! It’s so therapeutic and really clears the mind so you’re ready for the day ahead.
I like to make sure I connect and communicate with my team throughout the week, so we do a content call on Mondays or a SPRINT meeting where everyone goes around and shares their ideas about how to improve the business. Everyone speaks and shares their piece.
We always schedule photo shoots 2 weeks in advance. We have a content list, a shot list, location and props all ready. This way the team knows exactly what’s going on and what to lay out- it’s very organized. It’s taken time to get to this super organized stage, but it works so well now.
I also schedule my workouts and I schedule them a week in advance so they’re a priority. It’s not just about my body, it’s about my peace of mind and mental clarity. I think it’s really important to have workouts already planned out. I like to schedule these in the morning because it sets the tone of the day.
Lately, I’ve even been putting walking in my calendar. I like to take a break and get up to walk. Movement is key. I do a lot of walking on Wednesdays while I’m on calls. I call it passive multi-tasking. It’s like cooking while listening to a podcast, getting a facial while I answer DMs, answering emails while walking on the treadmill…. Efficiency, always. I like to do something that works my brain and is also productive. But I don’t want to do something like answer emails while I’m on a conference call. You get it.
When it comes to friends and family, I schedule that too. It’s so important that I know I’m taking time out of my schedule and making a point to see them and keep plans that we have. Having that on the calendar with them keeps everyone accountable.
I also plan my reading time- I like 30 minutes a night. It’s a huge priority and always in purple. When I don’t read every night I can really tell.
I also block off time for myself to chill and times for myself to create and write and deal with my Instagram account. I need to block off space for me to be creative and it’s always in red. Red means DO NOT BOTHER AT THIS TIME.
Having an organized calendar isn’t delegating per se ( unless you hire someone for it LOL ), but it can keep your really accountable, organized & free up a lot of time.
Having Someone Deal With The Backend of the Blog
You guys have heard about George a few times ( here & here ). He makes sure everything is on fleek with the backend of the blog. Because of George everything runs smoothly, he deals with SEO & makes sure the site is streamlined. He’s been on the team for a long time & is kind of a ‘jack-of-all-trades.’
Having someone like George on your team is very valuable. They do things when needed & can make almost anything happen.
Outsourcing Graphic Design
The Skinny Confidential uses 3 freelance graphic designers. Personally, I like having 3 at the ready because one of them is always ready to jump when we need help. These 3 designers are each so talented in their own way. They have all the fonts & colors & totally get the whole vibe of The Skinny Confidential. They all have different styles but in the end, everything is branded.
This is something that I used to do myself in the beginning. Taking photos, editing & adding a TSC touch takes time, so I’m so happy we have 3 pros who took over this task.
Utilizing Vistaprint For All Our Swag
Recently we started to use Vistaprint. For those of you unfamiliar with Vistaprint, it’s a place where you can get LITERALLY any marketing or office supplies you want branded & customized. It’s been a game changer when it comes to my new office space AKA TSC Dreamhouse. We have door hangers, postcards, hats & t-shirts, all with a very cool, millennial, hip feel.
Not only have we been able to create a ton of different pieces with Vistaprint, we’ve also been able to do it on our own terms. We are able to use our own graphic designers so fonts, logos & pictures all go with my aesthetic. We upload them to Vistaprint’s platform & get them in literally a week. This is just so fucking efficient & streamlined. & FAST! Not only is this a great way to delegate it’s also so good for marketing your brand. Let me go off for a sec:
This is amazing for your business, or to just get your team excited about the company they work for. It’s so exciting to see The Skinny Confidential team rock up to the office in a hot pink visor with my brand’s name on it, or see a reader open a package that has a custom hand-written postcard from me thanking them for their support. I really believe these tiny details make a huge difference & I feel like this kind of branding & customization is very Kris Jenner-esque.
So with that, let’s talk about 5 fun ways you can brand the EFF out of your office with Vistaprint…
♡ Business Cards (duh) & Postcards:
Biz cards are so obvious, but let’s take it a step further. It’s so important to be super inclusive of your team & they want to be proud of what they do. So for them to have their own business cards with their handles & emails on them is a must for me. Each person on my team has their own business card in a lucite holder on their desk. We decided to design our business cards super Barbie & cheeky because our new office is very pink everything so it just made sense. You should also know that the ones from Vistaprint slide into your wallet super easy too. Like they really glide in & don’t catch.
As for the postcards- they’re for the audience. I love to send out giveaways & goodies & surprise TSC readers with presents. So to have a branded postcard where I can hand write a special note to add to each package is really special. We have TSC tissue paper & wrapping paper too because I think every detail matters, down to the presentation & unwrapping. ( So many of you have shared your presents on Instagram & I’m eternally grateful. It gets me so excited ).
Sidenote: if you want a package from me, tell me one of your best branding tips below & I’ll send a very special package to one of you!
♡ Door Hangers:
This is something that has been so fun around the office. We had these door hangers made with a pic of me sleeping with my mouth open with a pink background. They’re all over the doors of the office & it’s just a funny way to brighten the office. People love it. We also got these big stickers that say The Skinny Confidential & we decided to go with a black & white checkered background for these. Again, the little details make all the difference. They’re also a really fun thing to giveaway.
♡ Notepads & Pens:
But OF COURSE! Everyone needs notepads & pens. I am a fan of handwriting things- there’s something about it that tells my brain to get busy. These are both branded with everything TSC. You should know we also did postcards so when we send out giveaways or TSC merch, the receiver gets a nice note that is signed by me. Added touches are everything. And I can also tell you that all of the team has the notebooks on their desk with their pen ( that writes like a dream ) out on display. Tiny details like this brighten up the office & make the culture of the office a FUN environment. Say goodbye to grey & brown- we’re getting flirty over here! ( FUNNY NOTE: even my friend, Westin, who works with us loves the notebook- he has 3. LOLZ- it’s so cute ).
♡ T-shirts & Hats:
This one is obvious, but the reason I want to talk about it is it’s very millennial. Millennials love swag. You guys know I love to protect my face from the sun & so does my time so to have visors & hats is a MUST. & who doesn’t want a fun t-shirt.
We didn’t want some boring t-shirt though, we wanted something on the pulse & relevant. It’s funny, black with a pop of pink & has the same pic of me as the door hangers- you know, catching flies. You could even put your Instagram handle on the back of it.
♡ Mouse Pads:
Here is another detail that makes all the difference…mouse pads. This is probably one of the cuter things we did with Vistaprint.com. The whole team has purple or pink mouse pads that say The Skinny Confidential on them. The mouse pads at Vistaprint are super good quality, too. They look SO CUTE WITH THE PINK MOUSES WE HAVE OMIGOD. I love including the whole team in things like this & a mouse pad is something everyone wants & needs. It makes the desk space look VIBEY.
Let’s Talk Slack
Slack is a tool that makes delegation so easy. If you aren’t familiar with Slack, it’s an instant messaging system that is just so good for your whole team. You can send messages, graphics, links, & also have certain ‘channels’ set up.
For instance, you can set up a channel with only certain people who are involved in a certain project. You can have a channel for your ENTIRE team. You can have a channel where you only send graphics… you get it.
It’s such a great way to communicate in house & really ( & I mean REALLY ) takes the pressure off your inbox. Also you can easily see all the messages. You know sometimes when you send an email, & then you just forget about it, & then someone replies & you have to go back to see what you wrote about? Well, Slack just has all the instant messages laid out perfectly so you can see that there’s context to the conversation. You can think of something in the middle of the night & quickly message your team. We all love it. Highly recommend.
To round it out guys, it’s basically all about maximizing your time, identifying where you’re bottle-necking, knowing your strengths & weaknesses & those of your team too.
Michael is so so so good at delegation & he has some really good tips. He taught me how to do it & really helped me ‘let go.’ Maybe it would be cool if he came on & did a whole post? Let me know!
If you have any delegation tips or anything else to add, weigh in!
With that I’m off to grab a cup of hot mushroom cacao & hop into bed. I’m going to bed so early these days it’s embarrassing. If you’re going to try this mushroom cacao, be sure to add a squeeze of lemon- it’s like a warm hug from your grandma.
x, lauryn
+ if you like this post, be sure to scope 14 ways to work smarter.
++ for other business related posts check out this page.
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