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Delegate your way to balancing business and your life.

We all know managers or owners who find it hard to delegate. Perhaps you’re one of those people, believing everything will fall apart if you’re not in charge. The inability to delegate can create unnecessary problems for you and your business, however. Employees might feel you don’t trust them, and you probably feel over-stressed most of the time. Even when you’re not working, you’re worrying about work, which can make it impossible to enjoy your free time.

Delegating isn’t a sign of weakness or an admission that you can’t do it all. It’s actually a quality of a good leader. Empowering employees to manage tasks on their own and accomplish goals creates a stronger team in the end. Learning to delegate will ultimately help your business grow and flourish, too.

How can you learn to delegate in order to find a better work/life balance? We’ve put together 7 tips to help ease the burden.

#1. Learn when to let go.

Delegating starts with understanding your priorities. According to a Forbes article, “You should be using your time on the most critical tasks for the business, and the tasks that only you can do. Delegate what you can’t do, and what doesn’t interest you.”

Another key piece of advice is to take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses. Here’s a hard fact… there are some tasks that someone else will actually do better. Yes, it’s a difficult concept to embrace, but a valid one. Assigning someone who has a particular skill that you lack will help ensure a better outcome.

#2. Write your processes down.

In order for tasks to be completed – and done to your specifications – you need to write down all the information and processes your employees will need in order to accomplish tasks. It might be difficult to put the things you do down on paper, but it will help everything run better.

#3. Choose wisely when delegating.

When choosing who will be assigned a specific task, you must consider the skills of your employees. Some are going to be better at certain tasks, while others might have more experience in a particular area or the job is simply better suited to a certain personality. A good leader pays attention and learns the strengths and weaknesses of his/her team.

#4. Learn how to trust.

We all know trust is the cornerstone of any relationship. If there is no trust, things will eventually fall apart. If you delegate a task, then do your best to get out of the way and let the employee do his/her job.

#5. Be upfront with instructions and set realistic deadlines.

If you assign a task, make sure you clearly outline what needs to be done without going overboard. According to Forbes, “The key is striking the right balance between explaining so much detail that the listener is insulted, and not explaining enough for someone to grasp what is expected.”

It’s also important to set a deadline that works for everyone. In between, it’s fine to check in to see what progress is being made.

#6. Develop a system to get give and receive feedback.

There are always ways to make improvements, especially when you’re delegating tasks. Of course, you’ll want to provide feedback to the employee, whether it’s praise or ways he or she can improve. However, it’s not just employees who need the feedback. You need it, too. According to Inc.com, “Invite your workers to share their thoughts on how you’re delegating – it’s a critical chance for you to determine whether you’re providing enough information, or whether you’re assigning the right tasks to the right people.”

#7. Allow employees sink or swim.

One thing is true about delegating tasks… the employee will either complete it or they won’t. If he or she doesn’t feel comfortable with the job – or if they try to pawn off the work onto someone else or back to you – it may be they are not the right fit for the job and you need to find another employee.

Use these 7 tips for better ways to delegate so your business can grow, along with your personal life.