5 Systems and Tools to Help You Delegate More Effectively In Your Business
One of the biggest challenges I see online business owners face when it comes to delegating effectively is not having the right systems in place to support them.
When we think of delegating, we typically focus on the what (the tasks we’re delegating) and the who (the team member or support person we’re delegating to). But not a lot of thought goes into the how—the systems and tools that make delegation work.
At the end of the day, delegation is meant to make your life easier and your business run smoother. If the thought of delegating feels intimidating to you (or like more trouble than it’s worth), you aren’t alone.
It can feel scary to surrender an important piece of your business to someone else. Just like any new skill, delegation takes time, practice, and the willingness to make mistakes.
But with the right systems and tools, it becomes a whole lot easier. Delegation tools can help you:
Communicate the projects you want to delegate more effectively
Set clear expectations and avoid micromanaging
Create a clear workflow that works best for everyone involved
Get things out of your brain and onto “paper” that may be cycling in your brain, stopping you from doing any single thing
I’ve used all of these tools at some point in my business to manage client tasks and delegate to my team. I hope you find them as helpful as I have!
Delegation Tool #1: Toggl for Time Tracking
Toggl is a time tracking tool that can help you streamline your delegation process in a few ways:
It can help you figure out which tasks or projects you need to delegate most
It can help you set realistic expectations about how long those tasks are going to take
Time tracking is a super effective and simple way to get a bird’s eye view of all the projects and tasks that make up your business. It can help you identify inefficiencies and see how long it takes to complete specific tasks.
With this information, you can make more strategic decisions on how you’re spending your time, and set realistic deadlines for your team.
With Toggl, you can categorize tasks by projects and by clients. If your business involves client billing, you can even mark tasks as billable vs. non-billable. Plus, Toggl integrates with popular project platforms like Trello and Asana, making it easy to manage all your task management in one place.
You can also use Toggl to manage and collaborate with team members. Add team members to your business workspace, have them log their hours, and easily view/approve their time sheets.
You can run reports each day, week, month or quarter to see where your time was spent most. The app even provides insights to learn which projects are bringing in the most revenue.
Have I convinced you to try Toggl yet? Whether you’re a team of one or a team of 16 like me, Toggl is a great way to keep track of how time is spent in your business.
Delegation Tool #2: An SOP Database to Provide Structure
When it comes to delegating, think of SOPs as the structure and framework holding up your business foundation.
An SOP, also known as a Standard Operating Procedure, is a step-by-step instructional guide that outlines how a task or a project is meant to be done. This helps ensure it’s completed consistently and efficiently each time, no matter who is working on what.
When you have a library of well-documented SOPs, your team knows exactly what’s expected of them. If you struggle with micromanaging (we’ve all been there), SOPs can provide the security blanket you crave while handing over tasks to someone new.
This not only saves you time having to explain things, but it also empowers your team to take ownership of their responsibilities and feel more confident in their work. And you’ll get more consistent and quality work from them as a result!
You don’t need any fancy tech tools to create an SOP database. I store BizMagic’s SOPs in my Notion business hub, but Google Drive works too! You can create a simple Google doc outlining how each task should be done and organize them into folders.
If writing isn’t your thing, there’s a great Chrome extension called Tango that records your screen as you work on a task and creates an SOP for you.
You can also use video tools like Loom (more on that below) to record yourself doing the task, verbally explaining each step involved. Visual walkthroughs can be a great idea for more complex or tech heavy tasks that are harder to explain on paper.
If you need help creating SOPs for your business, download my free SOP template here!
Delegation Tool #3: Loom for Tutorials and Feedback
Whether you’re delegating to a new team member, or explaining something to a client, Loom is going to be your new best friend!
Loom is a video recording software that allows you to film screen recordings of your computer. It’s great for:
Creating tutorials
Providing feedback to your team
Reducing unnecessary meetings
Recording SOPs
I don’t know about you, but explaining something out loud is a lot faster and easier than typing it out sometimes. That’s why Loom can save you a ton of time and stress when it comes to delegating.
The ability to share videos with a simple link makes communication more efficient, and team members can rewatch videos whenever they need clarification. Additionally, Loom’s time-stamped comments feature allows for direct feedback on specific parts of the video, making it ideal for collaborative projects.
The free version of the platform allows you to store up to 25 videos at a time, and the Chrome extension gives you easy recording access right on your browser.
Learn more about Loom on their website here.
Delegation Tool #4: Asana for Project Management
A project management tool like Asana is crucial for effective delegation, even if you’re still a team of one.
I see a lot of entrepreneurs still relying on email as their main communication tool for delegating. Here’s why that can be a problem:
Without a centralized platform to organize tasks, track projects, and assign responsibilities, things can quickly become chaotic.
Delegating tasks via email leaves too much room for miscommunication and missed deadlines. Email threads can easily get lost amidst a sea of email spam and clogged inboxes, increasing the likelihood that someone will miss your email.
Plus, there’s no way to set deadlines or track progress in an email thread other than manually asking for updates. That method of communication can become tedious for you and your team members, leaving too much room for error.
A project management tool provides clarity and structure to the delegation process, ensuring that everyone knows what they need to do, when it needs to be done, and how it fits into the larger picture.
Asana is one of the easiest and user-friendly project management tools, especially for beginners. You can break bigger projects down into tasks and subtasks, assigning them to specific team members, adding clear due dates and priorities.
The visual layout options—like the list, board, and calendar views—help you visualize your workload in a way that works best for your brain.
If you’re not a fan of Asana, you can also check out Trello, Monday, Basecamp, and Notion as alternative solutions.
Learn more about Asana’s features here.
Delegation Tool #5: Slack for Communication and Team Building
Now that you know which tasks to delegate, you’ve created your SOPs, and you’ve organized everything into a clear project management system, it’s time to communicate with your team!
One of the most underrated aspects of effective delegation is building relationships. I've been delegating in the business world for 20 years, and the best work has always come from team members who communicate well, actively show up, and are comfortable being themselves.
Vice versa, I’ve learned that I’m a more effective leader when I communicate honestly and authentically—without getting defensive or making unhelpful assumptions about the other person. But that can only happen when you build trusting, healthy relationships!
Your business should have a space for team members to ask questions, provide feedback, and connect with one another in real time.
And that’s where Slack comes in.
Slack is a direct messaging tool where you can chat back and forth with team members in a group or one on one. You can create separate channels for different projects or teams, ensuring that conversations stay relevant, private, and easy to navigate.
The BizMagic slack account has a few different channels that make delegation and team building easy, including:
An important updates channel to communicate important information and timely updates for all team members
A task-request-and-help channel for team members to get help, ask questions, and delegate tasks amongst each other
A watercooler channel for all the fun stuff! We share memes, celebrate birthdays, and get to know the people working behind the screen
I strongly encourage you to use a tool like Slack instead of sharing personal phone numbers. This can help you and your team members set boundaries around communication and separate your personal life from your professional life.
If you want to give out your personal number for specific circumstances, that’s fine. But make sure you communicate with the other person about when and how it should be used.
And that’s all I’ve got for you today!
The 5 delegation tools we covered today are foundational in helping you delegate more effectively, and become a stronger leader in your business.
If the idea of creating systems and using new tools feels intimidating, just remember that these tools are meant to help you, not make your life more complicated.
Give yourself the time and patience you need to get comfortable learning new tech, and before you know it, you’ll be a delegation pro!
If you’re looking for more tech platforms that can make your business hum, download the BizMagic Online Business Tech Guide here, or schedule a free consult with me to get support setting up the right systems for your business and brain.
