If you’re reading this particular blog, I’m sure you’ve asked yourself, “How am I going to get all this work done?” on more than one occasion. Believe it or not, there’s a better question you could be asking yourself, and that is, “How is all the work I’m responsible for completing going to get done?” Asking the question this way allows you to consider more options when thinking about how to accomplish everything, including delegating. Everything doesn’t have to be done by you and you alone. However, delegating doesn’t often come naturally for those with ADHD.

Many people tend to think only in terms of delegating as it relates to the workplace. You might think of people who manage others as being the ones having the authority to delegate, for example. However, it’s helpful to think of delegation in broader terms as well.

Delegating really is something most people can do when they think of it in terms of assigning responsibility and authority to someone in order to complete a clearly defined and agreed upon task while retaining ultimate responsibility for its success. According to this definition, when you delegate you are by no means abdicating responsibility. It’s still incumbent upon you to follow-up to make sure everything is on track and being done according to the standards established.

As I mentioned above, delegating can be a challenging task for ADHD adults. However, this is something that is necessary to develop since it is near impossible to accomplish everything in your personal and professional life without assistance.

Let’s dive in!

Why is Delegating Essential to Being Productive for ADHD Adults?

Ultimately, the purpose of delegating is to accomplish what you want to get done in order to be productive. Being productive means doing what is essential to you and engaging in activities that bring meaning to your life, not just doing random tasks.

The first step in achieving productivity is to decide which  activities bring meaning. This helps to focus your energy and time. Subsequently, this minimizes the ADHD tendency to pay attention to ALL the things.

The second step you’ll need to take is to figure out the best way to achieve these essential tasks or projects. By doing this, you’ll need to think about what kind of help you need to accomplish the task. And, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, this is where delegating comes in.

Doing what is essential does not mean doing every related task yourself. That’s impossible. Have you ever taken on an entire project on your own, refusing to bring anyone else in on the project for fear that it won’t be done to your standards? How did that work out for you? Did you find yourself stressed out, unable to get everything done, and overwhelmed at the number of tasks in front you? Did you complete the project on time and up to standards? Maybe you hit a roadblock that kept you from bringing your vision for the project to fruition.

Most people would find themselves overwhelmed at having to tackle an entire project on their own, but for those of us with ADHD it’s all that much more challenging.

Delegating is essential to being able to accomplish – and complete – tasks simply because we can’t do everything ourselves. Delegating is one way in which you can get rid of those roadblocks.

Delegate What Feels Right

Running a business is one of the most obvious cases for when delegating is helpful.

As a business owner, I love dabbling in all areas of my business. However, in order for my business to be successful, I have to rely on others to help as I absolutely cannot do it all on my own. I continuously need to decide what tasks to delegate because I either lack the knowledge, or more likely, the motivation because it doesn’t hold my interest – a typical ADHD trait. 

Most of my time and energy is dedicated to working with my clients, which is what I truly enjoy doing. In addition, I also carve out time to develop and grow my knowledge of ADHD, as well as ways to make our ADHD work for my clients and myself, as well as investing time in building my business.

To have the time to focus on my clients, to grow my knowledge of ADHD, and stay on top of my business, it’s imperative that I delegate certain aspects to others who both know more than I do in a certain area, and who find it to be something they enjoy. 

For me, the biggest challenge is social media. While I may enjoy scrolling through it and seeing the comments we get, taking the time to write all the content, put it into an attractive format, and then post is just something I’m both unskilled at and don’t particularly enjoy doing. I love finding the topics, but putting them in the right format for social media just isn’t my forte.

Thus, I am fortunate to have a wonderful social media manager that I’ve delegated this task to who takes my vision and makes it a reality. Nothing goes onto our social media without my having approved it first, so I have not abdicated my responsibility in this situation. I’m ultimately responsible for everything that goes out in the name of my business, and it’s important to me that it accurately reflects my viewpoint as well as my voice. Just because I’ve delegated the task doesn’t mean I’ve taken my hands off the wheel. By handing over the reins to my social media manager to do what needs to be done, I free up time to spend with clients and dive into the topics I enjoy.

In contrast, I could easily delegate many aspects of running my business, but I enjoy and thrive at everything related to back end operations – so I want to do that myself. I’ve chosen to handle all those operations, in spite of the amount of time it takes, because it brings me joy.

The bottom line is, when it comes to delegating, it’s important to make the choices that feel right to you. Even when those choices might not make sense to others.

Why Delegating May Be A Challenge for ADHD Adults

Here’s the bad news.

While delegating can help you be more productive, many ADHD adults shy away from doing so. In part, it may be that while it seems simple in theory, it can be hard to do in practice. It requires you to utilize executive functioning skills that can be a challenge, thanks to our ADHD. For instance:

• Making decisions about how and what to delegate
• Planning enough in advance to allow the person to whom you’re delegating enough time to do the work.
• Taking the time to explain everything about the task that needs to be done (we may as well do it ourselves).

If you struggle with decision making and planning, as many with ADHD do,  you may end up forcing yourself through it, trying to do too much work on your own even when you’re not the best person for the task. If you could make the necessary decisions and do enough planning, you could delegate some of those tasks. Sounds easy, right? Uh huh, sure. 

Those of us with ADHD know that there is nothing simple about trying to make our executive functions work the way we want them to. The antidote may be getting support in order to upgrade those executive functioning skills in the areas where you have a deficit now. Then, as you become more competent in the skills related to delegating, you’ll be able to take more off your plate.

I Should Do It Myself

In addition to upgrading your skills, you may also need to examine possible faulty thinking patterns. This in particular, the idea that you should do the work yourself, is a dangerous pitfall that will definitely keep you burdened down with ALL the things. You may feel the need to prove yourself, which comes from feelings of shame and inadequacy that are likely partly as a result of your experiences with your ADHD. You may feel like the time it takes to invest in enabling someone else to do a task would be better spent by just doing it yourself.

To prove yourself and counterbalance these feelings, you may take on too much, thinking, “I should…” I can’t tell you how strong my aversion is to the word “should”. Should can be incredibly damaging when it comes to those with ADHD. We both know and are frequently told what we should be doing – it just simply isn’t that easy.

As a result of everything you feel you should do, you:

• Agree to take on projects even though your plate is full.
• Say “yes” when asked to volunteer before you even figure out if you have the bandwidth to fulfill the obligation.
• Undertake a project that you’re not even sure you have the time or knowledge to do.

Then, when you become overwhelmed, you might start to avoid the project altogether. That leads to feelings of guilt, frustration, and even more shame because you’re not following through on your commitments.

In these instances when things go haywire, it’s because you are adhering to rules about how you think you should behave. There is that word again…”should”. Even though those rules are not serving you. You’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. 

Sound familiar?

There is an alternative. You could examine your “shoulds” and decide if you are willing to break away from these self-defeating rules about which tasks you need to do yourself. Consider whether delegating might be a better option.

If I Give It To Someone Else It Won’t Be Done Correctly

When you’re deciding whether or not you are the best person to perform a task, it’s important to be clear on the outcomes you hope to achieve, whether directly related to the task or not. Question whether your thinking is supporting or hindering you in reaching those outcomes.

You may be hesitant to delegate in these instances because you don’t want to take the necessary time to explain everything and answer possible questions so they can more likely meet your expectations. Think of it in terms of an investment. By taking the time now to put in the work of explaining and answering questions, you are set up for that task to be seamlessly taken care of in the future without any input on your part. What you’re investing now will pay off in dividends in the days to come.

Even after you’ve given a thorough explanation and the person has been able to practice, they still might not do it exactly the way you want it. In these situations, it might help to ask yourself, “Can I let go of my expectations a little and accept the finished product as good enough?”

It’s Just Easier To Do It Myself

This is one of the most common statements I hear from clients when we’re discussing what I can be doing to help them. In fact, many of them feel guilty delegating tasks to me…and they’re paying me to do exactly that. 

To be fair, this may be true – in the short term. In the short term, it really might be easier in some respects to simply handle something yourself so you don’t have to go through the hassle of an explanation, any planning required to set the other person up for success, or following up to make sure it’s done. With ADHD, we tend to think in terms of “right now”, but what about in the long term?

What if you could prepare another person to take over the task, so that eventually it would no longer be your responsibility? Might it be worth it in these instances to take the time now to help someone develop their competencies in areas where you are currently responsible? 

Once that task has been taken off your plate, after that initial investment, imagine the amount of time that will free up for you in the future that can be used to do what it is you actually enjoy doing!

I’ll Just Have to Redo It

One of the most important factors in the act of delegating is to do so to the right person, as well as take the time to make sure they know what you expect from them. While follow-up may not be your strong suit, you may also need to have regular check-ins at agreed upon times to make sure they’re on track. Delegating still takes some time and effort, no doubt. 

Finding the right person to delegate tasks to is vital. You wouldn’t want a personal trainer trying to balance your financial books. Thankfully, there are so many options available now to choose from that you can continue to look until you’ve found the person who most seems to understand your vision and the way you work and function.

Finding someone who specializes in working with those who have ADHD allows you to rest assured that not only are they capable of completing the kinds of tasks that you ask of them, but they will do it in a way that makes sense to your ADHD brain.

When and What Do I Delegate?

Deciding what to take off your plate can be hard, for sure. It will vary from person to person depending upon capacity, needs, and preferences. You should definitely do the task when you are the best person for the job, and therefore able to get the outcome you desire. However, keep in mind that this includes completing it – which ADHD adults are known for not doing. 

In some cases, you might be the best person to do the task, if you had the time. But if you don’t have the time, delegating might be a better option to ensure that the work gets done. Below are a few other scenarios that demonstrate when delegating might be the better option.

As an adult with ADHD, it is much easier to follow through on tasks that interest us. Of course, the more of these you can have on your plate the better. Whenever possible, have someone else – in other words, delegate – do the tasks that do NOT interest you.

In some cases where you might have a great interest in a task, even though someone else could do it more efficiently or effectively, if you have a full plate already, you may consider handing off these tasks as well. While we want to keep as many of the tasks we love as possible, it’s also important to be realistic about what we have the bandwidth to handle.

Then there are the times when you could do the task, but you decide that the frustration involved isn’t worth your time and energy. Save yourself from the negative emotion overload and consider passing along these tasks to someone else.

4 Ways To Delegate

Delegating comes in many forms. For example, you might provide some relief to yourself by:

1. Asking someone you manage to do it.

2. Hiring someone to do all or part of the task.

3. Bartering with someone who is willing to do the task in exchange for you doing something for them.

4. Negotiating a division of labor that entails delegating all or part of a task you are currently responsible for.

Delegation – In Summary

Delegating is definitely an important skill for adults with ADHD to have in their toolbox. To do this effectively you’ll need to:

• Be aware of the challenges you may face in effectively delegating.
• Develop workarounds for these challenges.
• Decide what to take off your plate and who you want to delegate it to.
• Follow up as needed to ensure the take is completed and up to par.

Delegate to Us!

Delegation is a key topic for the VAs at The Ambitious Assistant. We work with you to find the specific tasks and projects that cause overwhelm, frustration, and boredom, so we can encourage you to delegate them. Anything we can remove from your plate, we will do. 

Our ADHD specialized VAs know how to work with neurodiverse minds and how to most effectively get things accomplished in such a way that brings nothing but vast relief to our clients.

If you are interested in learning more, please click HERE to schedule a brief call to see if we might be the “right” person for you to delegate to!