The Art of Delegation is saying, ‘You’ve got this,’ while quietly hoping they really do.
We have 32 teeth. Fewer if, like me, you had an overeager dentist growing up—but that’s a story for another day. Now, think back to everything you ate yesterday. How much of that could you have managed to consume if you relied solely on chewing raw ingredients with those 32 teeth? Aside from that mushy apple (maybe), probably not much else.
That’s where the magic of cooking, fire, blenders, knives, and countless other tools comes in. These tools transform raw, inedible materials into something delightful (and hopefully nourishing). They’re extensions of our abilities, examples of how humans thrive through delegation, outsourcing, and innovation.
So why do we resist doing the same in many other aspects of our lives? Why do we believe we must carry every burden, learn every skill, and solve every problem ourselves to succeed? Then, we get stressed and overwhelmed when we struggle to get stuff done.
The answer is that we believe we have to do it all because we’re the only ones who can do it perfectly.
Trying to stitch clouds together
Whether it’s the order in which you clean your kitchen, how you fold your clothes or even more important pursuits like running your business or raising your kids, the perfectionist mindset tells us that no one else can do it quite like we can.
We think things will fall apart if we don’t handle every little detail ourselves.
But here’s the catch: perfectionism is a trap. It’s a one-way ticket to burnout and frustration. Being overly nitpicky or obsessed with mastering every detail often stalls our forward momentum. And let’s be honest, there’s always too much to do.
The reality is that letting go and trusting others is not only freeing, but it’s often the very thing we need to do to make any sort of progress.
Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.
You can do anything, but not everything. David Allen, Getting Things Done.
Just as fire and knives extend our culinary abilities, delegation extends our capacity to achieve. It starts when we truly appreciate the difference between perfect and good enough.
Think about how much time you’ve spent tweaking one small detail until it takes up hours of your day. Meanwhile, you’ve missed out on completing other tasks that, while not perfect, could’ve pushed you closer to your goal.
Good enough doesn’t mean settling—it means getting the job done without spending unnecessary energy on things that don’t move the needle.
Delegation is the art of recognizing that you can’t—and shouldn’t—do everything yourself. Here are some ways to embrace the philosophy of letting go:
Stay focused on your core strengths
Writing comes naturally to me—and it’s something I really enjoy doing. But when it comes to maintaining a website, fixing errors, or obsessing over SEO, that’s a different story. While those tasks are part of having an online blog, they can potentially consume far too much of my time and energy.
Sure, I can go down the Google search rabbit hole and might figure out how to troubleshoot website errors, but every minute spent on that pulls me away from what really matters: creating content.
This is where delegation comes in handy. True, I definitely don’t have the budget to hire the country’s top web design firms. But with a little creativity and networking, we can find ways to leverage resources to help bridge our gaps.
Embrace the beauty of imperfection.
As I wrote in an earlier blog post, we’ll do better to embrace the Wabi-Sabi wisdom—imperfection is inevitable and inherently beautiful.
Wabi-sabi encourages an acceptance of imperfections and flaws. Instead of setting rigid and unrealistic expectations, consider embracing the idea that progress is more important than perfection and allow yourself time and space for setbacks and challenges. They are a natural part of the journey and don't diminish the value of your efforts.
Finally
Delegation isn’t about shirking responsibility; it’s about optimizing effort. By freeing yourself from unnecessary details, you gain the bandwidth to excel where it counts.
So, take a page from your 32 teeth (or fewer). Use the tools at your disposal. Let go of the things you don’t need to do yourself. Reserve your perfectionism for things that truly deserve it.
And remember, success isn’t about chewing through every challenge alone—it’s about savoring the journey with the help of a few well-chosen resources.