Time management books always suggest that we save time
by delegating such jobs to others. (Note that this doesn’t actu-
ally “save” any time. It simply shifts the time from one person
to another.)
Unfortunately, this option is open only to bosses. If you have
no one to boss, you have to answer your own phone and open your
own mail. This time management book is for you, too, so let’s
explore two other options.
2. Swapping
One program assistant loves to file and fill out forms but dreads
answering the telephone. (I believe that phonephobia is much more
prevalent in the workplace than any of us would like to admit.)
Another program assistant, working in the same office, hates
the paperwork but loves answering the phone.
Not surprisingly, the first assistant doesn’t do a very good job
with callers, while the second is invariably courteous, cheerful,
and helpful.
Neither assistant has the authority to delegate work to the other.
But they might be able to arrange a trade, with their supervisor’s
approval, of course.
3. Letting Go
Some folks don’t let anyone else open their mail or answer their
telephone because they won’t, rather than because they can’t.
This may stem from a lack of trust in the subordinate, of
course—a bad situation for a variety of reasons, but the inability
to let go may not have anything to do with anybody else. Some
folks just have a terrible time delegating. Even if they do assign a
task to someone else, they find themselves “supervising” so much,
J U S T D O N’ T D O I T!