Time & Delegation

November 9th, 2005 · No Comments · Articles, General, Quips & Musings, Time Management

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Life is finally getting to normal – wait…is there ever a “normal?”

Legend is hanging (literally) out with me right now. He’s in the Baby Bjorn infant carrier. I get so much more done with this nifty gadget – housework, business work, exercise. It’s great!

I’m amazed at how quickly time flies. It’s been four weeks and I’m already working on hiring a mother’s helper/nanny to assist me on a part-time basis next month. I really can’t resist working and as a business owner there is also the basic fact that if I don’t work on my business, the revenue (i.e. my paycheck!) could dissipate.

This whole issue of time is interesting. I’ve been reading Julie Morgenstern’s latest book Never Check Email in the Morning and it’s helping me shed some poor time management habits, namely in the area of prioritization and procrastination. It’s a great read and I strongly suggest you check it out.

The chapter on “Master Delegation” is especially interesting, where she starts by suggesting we break the habit to total self-reliance. This is tough stuff for a recovering control-freak and fiercely independent woman, but a very powerful lesson to learn indeed.

I’m definitely trying – kind of. My husband, who has been a tremendous help, is doing more but I think it was mostly because I wasn’t as mobile for the first couple weeks after having a baby. Even up until the day I went into labor, he rarely asked how he could help me.

Anyway there are two things I’m thinking about here:

1) You can’t wait for someone to ask us if we need help. You gotta just ask when you need it. I’m learning that my husband, and no one else I know for that matter, is not a mind reader. What’s up with that?!

2) Communication is essential. For example, I keep wondering how long my husband will be so willing to help me. He’s been dropping the girls off at pre-school in the morning and I can’t tell you how helpful that is for me. I mean heck, he’s the one walking out the door in the morning for work…I just need to stroll over to my home office. I’d always wanted him to drop the girls off, but never asked. Even now, as he continues to do this enormously helpful task, I sit in the background secretly hoping he won’t notice he’s doing it and just continue without question. Really…it would be best for me to just let him know how helpful it is and ask him to continue.