Have you ever found yourself working long hours on your online business, feeling like you can never take a break or delegate tasks to others? You’re not alone. As an online business owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to do everything yourself.
But the truth is, effective delegation is key to achieving greater freedom and success in your online business.
Why Delegation?

I remember when I first started my own online business. I was excited to be my own boss and work on something I was passionate about. But as the business grew, I found myself struggling to keep up with everything. I was constantly working long hours and sacrificing time with my family and friends. It wasn’t until I started delegating tasks to others that I was able to find a better balance and achieve greater freedom in my business.
Have you ever heard of the term, “Super hero syndrome?” It’s the belief that you have to do everything yourself, just like a superhero. Superheroes are often portrayed as lone warriors who take on the world single-handedly, but the reality is that even they have their limits.
In the same way, online business owners who try to do everything alone can quickly become overwhelmed and burnt out.
Business owners have a lot to juggle- managing social media, responding to customer inquiries, creating content, marketing, making the product, shipping the product out, and more. If you try to tackle all that on your own, eventually you won’t be able to handle it.
Learning to delegate effectively is a way to overcome superhero syndrome and build a strong, successful business with the help of a team.
Who is your team?
Who is on your team depends a lot on what your business is, and what your needs are. In this article we will split up your team into 2 sections- people and automated systems. Both are very helpful when it comes to delegating business tasks.
One of the biggest challenges of delegation is knowing when to delegate tasks to people or automated systems. Both approaches have their pros and cons, and it’s important to choose the right one for your business.
Delegating to People: What to Delegate and How

Delegating tasks to people is one of the most effective ways to free up your time and focus on what matters most in your online business. If you don’t have time, money, talent, skills etc. guess what, someone else does!
But what exactly does it mean to delegate to people? Essentially, it means entrusting certain tasks or responsibilities to team members or outside contractors, allowing you to shift your focus to higher-level tasks like leadership, vision, and growth.
For example, here at Watchman Advisors, one of the services we provide is article writing. Getting traffic from Google is an important part of running a business and getting you, well… business.
As a business owner it may be hard for you to find the time to sit down and not only write an article that could potentially get you the traffic you need, but also add images, optimize the article, and publish it to your blog. Just reading that list of to-dos may be overwhelming!
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you could delegate that task to us. That’s one major task the my team and I are experts in.
Delegating to people can be a powerful tool for online business owners who want to achieve greater efficiency, productivity, and success. However, it’s important to approach delegation in the right way to ensure that you get the results you’re looking for. In the following sections, we’ll discuss what types of tasks are best to delegate to people, how to choose the right people to delegate to, and how to set clear expectations and guidelines for effective delegation.
What Tasks Should Be Delegated to People
When it comes to delegating tasks to people, it’s important to focus on tasks that require human skills and decision-making abilities. This includes tasks that involve creativity, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication, as well as tasks that require specialized knowledge or expertise.
Here are some examples of tasks that are best to delegate to people:
- Social media management and engagement
- Content creation and curation
- Graphic design and video editing
- Customer service and support
- Sales and lead generation
- Administrative and operational tasks
It’s important to keep in mind that some tasks may be better suited to automation or outsourcing to a system or software. We’ll discuss this in more detail in the next section.
How to choose the right people
Here are some tips for choosing the right people to delegate to:
- Look for team members or contractors with the necessary skills and experience
- Consider their communication and collaboration skills
- Evaluate their work style and availability
- Ensure that they share your vision and goals for the business
- Provide clear guidelines and expectations for their role and responsibilities
By choosing the right people to delegate to, you can ensure that your delegation strategy is effective and produces the desired results.
How to delegate to people effectively
Here are some tips for delegating effectively:
- Clearly define the task or project, including goals, timelines, and deliverables
- Provide any necessary resources or tools
- Establish communication channels and frequency of updates
- Set expectations for quality and standards of work
- Allow for questions and feedback
Effective delegation is a collaborative process that requires ongoing communication and feedback. By setting clear expectations and guidelines, you can ensure that your team members or contractors understand what’s expected of them and can deliver high-quality work.
Delegating to Systems: What to Automate and How

Okay. You might be thinking, “Automated Systems? What do you mean?”
I’m glad you asked!
In online businesses, an automated system is a tool or software that performs tasks automatically without requiring human intervention. Automated systems can help save time and improve efficiency by delegating routine and repetitive tasks to software.
When it comes to delegating tasks to automated systems, it’s important to focus on tasks that are repetitive and don’t require human decision-making abilities. This includes tasks that involve data processing, scheduling, and other routine administrative tasks.
What tasks should be delgated to systems
Here are some examples of tasks that are best to delegate to automated systems:
- Email marketing and automation
- Social media scheduling and automation
- Customer support and live chat
- E-commerce order processing and fulfillment
- Inventory management and tracking
- Analytics and reporting
- Payment processing and invoicing
It’s important to keep in mind that some tasks may be better suited to delegation to people as discussed in the previous section. Basically, if something is repetitive, relatively easy to do, and doesn’t need human interaction it could be helpful to delegate it to a system.
How to delegate to systems?
Here is a step by step list on how to delegate to systems
Identify the task:
Determine which task you want to delegate and assess whether it can be automated.
Choose the right tool:
Research and select the right tool or software to automate the task. There are many tools available for different tasks, so it’s important to find the one that meets your needs.
Set up the system:
Once you’ve chosen the tool, set it up according to your needs. This may include configuring settings, creating templates, and integrating the system with other tools.
Test the system:
Before fully delegating the task, test the system to ensure it’s working properly and producing the desired results.
Monitor and adjust:
Once the system is up and running, monitor its performance and adjust as needed. This may involve tweaking settings, changing templates, or switching to a different tool if necessary.
How to choose the right system
Here are some tips for choosing the right systems to delegate to:
- Evaluate your current technology use and identify areas where automation can help
- Research different automation tools and software that specialize in the tasks you want to delegate
- Look for systems that integrate with your existing tools and platforms
- Consider the costs and benefits of each system
By choosing the right systems to delegate to, you can ensure that your automation strategy is effective and produces the desired results.
What tasks and jobs are best to delegate to people long term vs a system?

While automated systems are great for delegating routine and repetitive tasks, there are certain tasks that are better suited for delegation to people, especially for the long term. Tasks that require decision-making, creativity, and critical thinking are better handled by humans, as they are better equipped to handle ambiguity and complexity.
Here are some examples of tasks that are best delegated to people long term:
- Leadership and vision setting
- Strategic planning and decision-making
- Creative content creation and design
- Personalized customer service and support
- Human resources management
- Sales and business development
On the other hand, tasks that are repetitive, data-driven, and require little decision-making are better suited for automation. These tasks can include email marketing, data entry, social media scheduling, and other routine administrative tasks.
When deciding whether to delegate a task to a person or an automated system, it’s important to consider the nature of the task and the skills required to complete it. By delegating tasks effectively, you can free up time and resources to focus on the core aspects of your online business.
Balancing Delegation and Control

As a busy business owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to do everything yourself. This is often driven by the desire for control, the fear of delegating important tasks, and the belief that you are the only one who can do things right.
However, this approach can lead to burnout, stress, and ultimately, a lack of growth.
On the other hand, completely relinquishing control can also be problematic. It can lead to a lack of oversight, poor quality work, and missed deadlines. This is where balancing delegation and control becomes essential.
By delegating tasks to others or automated systems, you can free up time and focus on the bigger picture aspects of your business. At the same time, It is important to maintain a level of oversight and control to ensure that tasks are completed to a high standard.
Super hero syndrome can also play a role in delegation and control. Some business owners may feel that they have to be involved in every aspect of the business, believing that no one else can handle tasks as well as they can. This can lead to a lack of delegation and ultimately, burnout.
By finding a balance between delegation and control, business owners can achieve their goals without sacrificing their health and wellbeing.
It’s important to trust your team, set clear expectations, and communicate effectively to ensure that tasks are completed to a high standard.
Conclusion
Delegation is a crucial skill for online business success. By delegating tasks to both people and automated systems, you can free up your time and focus on the core aspects of your business. However, finding the right balance between delegation and control can be a challenge.
By acknowledging these challenges and learning to delegate effectively, you can achieve greater success and maintain your well-being. Remember that delegation is a skill that takes practice, but with persistence, you can become a master delegator and take your business to new heights.
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