Summer is approaching, and I love to do less in the summertime.

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer? I’m not a fan of the hazy or the crazy (unless it’s “fun” crazy)…but the lazy — sign me up!

I’m not ashamed to say that is how I want to spend this sunny season. Lazing around on a hammock or inner tube, soaking up the sunshine, doing next to nothing. I design my August so I have lots of free time. I bunch my client calls to have a few longer work days with more days off between. And no extra work related tasks.

I intentionally plan my year so that can happen. This means some forethought and planning in advance. And yes, my May and June can be a bit crazier in preparation. 

How do I accomplish this? I do something simple – I delegate.

The Sweet, Glorious Gift of Delegating

Delegating is exactly what you think it is. In a nutshell, it’s giving a task or responsibility to someone else so you don’t have to do it. You find someone capable of doing the task and you ask them to do it. 

You can delegate just about anything. Laundry, cleaning your house, setting up your website, monitoring your inbox, cooking your food, etc. 

If it is a task that you legally do not have to do, you can delegate it. 

And what are the benefits? Oh so many.

• Delegating frees up your time. If you ever wished you had a clone to get your task list done…this is your answer. 
• Stuff gets done faster and if you’re wise, even better. One of the best parts of delegating is finding someone who can do what you need to do even better than you. 
• You can relax knowing things will get done. You can let it go and then let it go.

It’s simple really but many of us struggle because our delegating skills suck. 

We avoid it because we think we are saving money (yes, you need to often pay people to do the tasks). The truth is, it wasn’t until I started hiring people and delegating that I started making a lot more money. Now I can focus on what I’m best at and other people do the rest. 

We have a hard time finding the right, reliable people or communicating how we want the tasks done. This is the hard part. Especially with ADHD we have to be smart about this.

Or we think no one can do it as well as we can. Yes, giving up control is so very hard. 

And ADHD often makes it harder. Delegating effectively takes a bit of planning and thought. Not easy for our impulsive, shoot then aim approach to life. Picking people to take lead on the tasks makes all the difference. My delegating motto is that I don’t want to be the most organized person on my team!

Luckily delegation is a skill you can get better at. A skill you can learn.

Five ADHD Delegating Tips

So how do you become better at delegating if you have ADHD? 

• Be very intentional about delegating. Think it through – know what you’re delegating. The major steps and desired outcomes. Make sure you delegate the things you avoid as much as you can.
• Give enough time. Our ADHD tendencies can snag the process especially if we are procrastinators. Delegation requires giving the person enough time to be delegated to and getting the task done.
• Decide what you can delegate by looking at where you procrastinate, tasks that you feel less confident doing or dislike. Letting go of what isn’t working is a lot easier than relinquishing your favorites.
• Be smart about who you delegate to. Make sure the person has the skills you need and is reliable. Can track tasks and keep you on track. Choose someone ADHD friendly who may understand how your brain works. 
• Communicate clearly what you want accomplished and if their actions are not following how you’d like it, tell them right away in a constructive manner. People can’t read your mind and it may be a bit of trial and error until things are right. And if you change your mind, tell the person right away.

So that’s my secret to taking August off. I plan ahead in May and June and I delegate to a fabulous team who step in while I’m away. 

Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to let my team upload this blog as I go search for fun things to do this August! 

Want some other tips for a fun ADHD summer? Check out these tips to survive your ADHD summer!

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