Make a List

• List what needs to be accomplished. Include every task, large or small, that needs to be completed. Large tasks should be broken down into smaller steps. Perhaps the large task is not possible for one employee to accomplish, but several employees can work together on smaller steps to accomplish the larger task.
  
  

Evaluate the Tasks

• Identify the tasks to delegate. Circle or highlight every task on your list that someone else can do. There will be some tasks that only you can do, but challenge yourself to give away as much as you reasonably can. While you cannot delegate away your chief responsibilities, this will be an interesting exercise to judge exactly what it is that only you can do. And then, determine what tasks can be delegated.
  
  

Prioritize the Tasks

• Identify the tasks that are the highest importance and the most urgent to accomplish. Put these tasks on the top of your list. Then rank the other tasks according to your timeline.
  
  

Evaluate your employees

• Everyone is good at something, but everyone is not good at everything. What your employees are good at and what interests them is a good place to start. Give them the tasks that they will enjoy the most and especially tasks that are within their ability to accomplish.
  
  

Assign the Tasks

• Assignments are based upon employees' abilities, the nature of the task and the level of trust you have with your employees. If employees are novices or if the tasks are crucial, then you might need to monitor the task closely. If employees have more experience and have achieved a higher level of trust with you, then they might be able to carry the task on their own. By setting goals and following up with evaluation, employees can have the freedom to complete the task and you can have the assurance of knowing that the job is being done to your standards.
  
  

Train On-the-Job

• Give others room to learn and grow. While it might take a little extra effort from you at first, training others to execute tasks will ultimately be to your benefit.
  
  

Factors to Consider

• Don't shy away from delegating mundane tasks. Sometimes you think, "I hate doing that task. I wouldn't want to give something so trivial to someone else." That's exactly why you should delegate it. What you procrastinate on could be a task someone else will enjoy.
  
  Communicate your standards. Not every task will be performed to your level of satisfaction unless you have spent time clarifying your vision and standards with your employees. This will be a growing experience for you as well as for your helpers.