The most efficient delegation method is using your voice, which is 2-3 times faster than typing. By sending voice notes to an assistant between meetings to capture takeaways and action items, you can process work in real-time and prevent tasks from accumulating into a daunting end-of-day list.
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The primary reason people fail to delegate is the correct belief that they can do a task faster and better themselves the first time. The key is to accept this initial time cost as a necessary investment in long-term leverage and compounding efficiency, rather than a reason to avoid delegating.
Instead of antisocially typing on a device during meetings, activate ChatGPT's voice mode out loud. This social hack frames the AI as a transparent participant, retrieving information for the entire group and reducing friction for quick lookups without disrupting the conversation.
When a prospect's voicemail directs you to text, structure your message for reading, not listening. Start with relevance about them, not your name, because they will likely read a transcript. This optimizes the message for the medium they've chosen.
In partnerships, tasks are often shared, leading to no clear ownership and constant follow-up. The "Fair Play" card system forces explicit assignment of both physical tasks (e.g., garbage) and invisible mental tasks (e.g., planning appointments), creating true ownership and freeing up mental bandwidth.
Effective delegation isn't just handing off a task. It's about codifying your personal preferences and decision-making process into a repeatable algorithm. This allows an assistant to replicate your desired outcomes autonomously over time, moving beyond simple task completion to genuine leverage.
The high-volume feedback during a mastermind "hot seat" can be overwhelming. A simple solution is to record the audio, run it through an AI transcription service, and generate a structured document. This creates an actionable summary, ensuring valuable insights are captured and not lost after the event.
Friday afternoons are often low-productivity. Use this window for a high-leverage task: triaging your calendar for the upcoming week. Proactively cancel unnecessary meetings, shorten others, and delegate tasks to free up prime time before the week even begins.
For professionals who find phone calls demanding and texting too superficial for relationship building, voice memos offer an effective middle ground. This asynchronous communication method allows for the nuance and personality of voice, fostering a deeper connection without the pressure of a real-time conversation.
Don't wait for a large budget to learn delegation. Start with inexpensive tools like ChatGPT to practice offloading tasks and articulating needs. This 'ladder of leverage' allows you to build the core skill of delegating, making you far more effective when you eventually hire human assistants and chiefs of staff.
It's a misconception that ambitious people hire assistants. The reality is often reversed: gaining leverage by delegating small tasks frees up mental space, which in turn unlocks a higher level of ambition. As you offload the daily annoyances, you naturally start thinking bigger about what's possible.