It’s normal for an entrepreneur or professional to want to control all aspects of work. You’d want all tasks to be done your way or the highway. The problem with this approach is that it can make you the bottleneck in your organisation.

Enter Marie Forleo, a life coach, author and motivational speaker. In one of her videos, Marie shares several useful tips on how control freaks can delegate. But why would you want to do this?

Two reasons. If you don’t delegate, you’ll:

1. Struggle to get things done.
2. Keep your output low and your business small.

Marie’s tips are as follows:

Tip #1: List everything you do

Write down all tasks you need to do to keep your business afloat. Marie didn’t mention this in the video but having a to-do list helps you:

• Organise your tasks
• Prioritise tasks effectively.
• Feel productive, especially when you cross off a finished task.
• Reduce stress.

Tip #2: Isolate certain tasks and delegate them

Marie notes that the easiest virtual assistants to look for are admin-related and customer service. In fact, when Marie hired her first VA, she delegated the following tasks:

• Work with calendars
• Schedule appointments
• Handle client intake forms
• Customer service
• Publish newsletters

Tip #3: Create instructions for each task

Whether those are written instructions or video training, make sure you get your step-by-step procedure down. The goal is to create a process – a repeatable system that anyone can follow – to help you run your business.

In case the first person you hire a) gets promoted to another role or b) doesn’t work out, you’ll have to look for someone else while having training materials in place so the next person will know exactly what to do.

Tip #4: Train and give feedback

Don’t assume your VA will do everything correctly when they start out. You’ll need to do some hand-holding and overseeing while expecting some mistakes.

For example, if you assign your assistant to handle your emails, you can have her CC you in all communications so that you can oversee her language and how she’s responding to people. You can then tweak her approach to ensure she’s communicating on point with your brand.

If you have a VA working with you on a larger project, encourage them to come back to you throughout the process for feedback and seeing they’re on the right track.

Note: Training someone new can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months or even more, depending on the complexity of what you want them to do for you.

Tip #5: Set clear expectations

Never give anyone an assignment without giving them a clear deadline. Once you start with one VA, you’d probably want to grow more, so you’ll need a tool to help you stay organised, and keep all deadlines, communications, projects and files in one place.

Marie recommends Basecamp, a web-based project management software; it’s what her company uses. Other similar tools you can use include Trello and Asana, both of which come with free options.

Here’s Marie Forleo’s complete video:

Delegate your tasks to high performers

Once you’ve decided to entrust tasks to a virtual assistant, do it with Remote Workmate. Unlike freelancing marketplaces where you do everything yourself, we handle all the heavy lifting for you, including processes like screening, recruitment, and payroll.

In fact, you can choose from our pool of notable candidates right away. Simply visit our Hotlist at: https://remoteworkmate.com/hotlist

You can browse a wide range of profiles on our Hotlist page. Once you find a qualified VA, simply fill out the form at the bottom of the page, and we’ll get in touch with you ASAP.