Delegation Feels Impossible? Why You Struggle to Hand Things Off

Have you been feeling like delegation is impossible? In this blog, I'll share why you struggle to hand things off.

When we look at business, people hand off work all the time. So why, as solopreneurs, do we struggle with delegation? Are we just making it hard for ourselves?

There might be a feeling of panic when someone offers to help you, and your brain screams, "No!" It's almost like delegating feels like handing your baby to a stranger for the first time – you're nervous and wondering if they'll be able to take care of them properly. Will they handle the task correctly? Will they be able to reply to emails from your leads or clients? Will they make things look how you want them to look?

Your Delegation Kryptonite

If you're a high achiever, a perfectionist, or a recovering control freak, this is your kryptonite. This mindset is:

• Stopping you from scaling
• Preventing you from getting time off
• Slowing down your progress toward goals
• Keeping you stuck in low-income, low-impact tasks

You need to be working on the great things that bring your business forward and help you increase your income.

The Delegation Cocktail

It's basically a cocktail of issues:

1. Trust issues – "Will they actually do it right?"
   
2. Perfectionism – "They won't do it my way, the right way, exactly how I want it."
   
3. False efficiency – "It's faster if I do it myself. I'll delegate later."
   

But spoiler alert: "Later" never comes. You end up doing everything yourself, all the time.

One small task passed off that can be repeated daily, weekly, or monthly will give you relief, more time, and allow you to focus on your zone of genius.

What Delegation Is NOT

Sometimes when we think we're delegating, we're not. The first time I hired someone to write my blog and create social media posts, I failed… I would rewrite it or change my mind or not use it. That's not delegation – that's babysitting. You're passing off work but then doing extra steps.

If you've ever said, "Please do this" and then ended up doing it yourself or spent tons of time editing it, you're not truly delegating.

Side note: Ready to delegate? I do have a program called "Virtual Assistant Made Easy" where we match clients with our team of virtual assistants from the Philippines. You get your own vetted Dynamic VA, and I share my systems, processes, training videos, and checklists so you can delegate with ease. 

The Coffee Metaphor

Imagine delegation like teaching someone to make your morning coffee. At first, it's frustrating – they don't know where things are, which mug you like, or how you take your coffee. They might add sugar when you don't take any, use milk instead of cream, or hand you lukewarm coffee.

But over time, they learn your style and preferences. Eventually, they anticipate your needs, handing you your perfectly made coffee at the right temperature in your favorite mug – all while you're still in your robe!

That's when delegation starts to taste amazing.

The Hard Truth

I keep meeting people who say they're writing a book, creating a program, updating their website, or planning a vacation, but months later, nothing has happened. Why? Because THEY are the bottleneck.

When you refuse to delegate, you're not being efficient, even if you think, "It's faster when I do it myself." What's actually faster is someone else doing it for you while you focus elsewhere.

By not delegating, you're:

• Capping your income by not leveraging others' work
• Limiting your creativity by staying in the weeds
• Risking burnout for "fancier spreadsheets"

The Joy of True Delegation

The joy I personally experience is that I get to show up and record this content – whether you're watching on YouTube, listening to the podcast, or reading this blog. I get to speak, share my thoughts and ideas, and talk to you.

What I don't have to do is:

• Edit the video for YouTube or the audio for the podcast
• Write the show notes or descriptions
• Make thumbnails
• Post on platforms
• Transcribe and format the blog
• Design images for social posts
• Write captions for social
• Write the newsletter

All of this is done for me. Imagine if you could focus on just the creative part and pass everything else off!

Peace of Mind

True delegation gives you peace of mind because you're able to work faster and smarter, knowing someone has your back. You cannot and won't scale when you're hoarding all the tasks – you'll just burn out.

If you're saying, "It's fine, I'll just do it" through gritted teeth, if you're hanging on by a thread, staying up late at night, or not seeing the income you want, you need to delegate.

And if you have someone, but you're secretly redoing their work, that's not moving you forward either. The key is to delegate and then work with them to ensure they reach the point where they can anticipate your needs – like that perfect cup of coffee.

Your Next Steps

This week, think about what tasks in your business you need to pass off. If you've never delegated before, what's the first thing you could hand over? If you're already delegating, what else can you let go of?

Delegation isn't giving up control – it's choosing where to put your energy where it actually matters. You're not lazy for having help. You're not taking the easy road. You’re a smart CEO.

If you think you can't afford someone, consider trading in the beginning, hiring for just a few hours, or even using a credit card to get started. Work hard, sell your products or services, and get to the point where your assistants pay for themselves.

Stop stepping back. Start stepping up. Start stepping forward into where you want your business to be. Scaling isn't about doing more – it's about systemizing and doing less, better, because you've passed off work.

What's your takeaway today? I'd love to hear it! Shoot me a message at [email protected] or comment on whatever platform you're on right now. 

Read my other blogs:

1. The Change Is Coming
2. I Kill Myself Trying to Do Both
3. My Coach Shifted Me