A little delegation never hurt anyone! Delegation can be a powerful tool if you’re seeking to create time for yourself and lighten your load. But the question is, which routines are helpful to delegate? In this episode of the Routine and Things Podcast, I’m sharing a few routines that are simple to delegate to your family or others so you add back time to care for you. Tune in to begin creating your list of routines to delegate today!
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WORD FOR WORD
Ashley Brown 0:00
[Intro] Routines, my absolute favorite word, but you either love them or you're working on getting there. But either way, I strongly believe routines can be a springboard for improving your home, yourself and your life. I'm Ashley Brown. And this is the Routine and Things Podcast. In each episode, I'll share practical tips and simple ways to help you consistently live your happiest life, one routine at a time. And trust me, you're gonna want to keep listening, because you're well on your way to getting and staying happy.
Ashley Brown 0:49
Hey hey welcome back for another episode. It's your girl Ashley. And today we are talking about delegation. And the last episode that is still focused on the theme for February, which is self love. We're talking about delegation, because I truly feel like delegation is a form of self love. Do you think so? I think it is. Because by asking for help, which I feel like delegation just essentially is another way of asking for help by asking for help, by getting help receiving help. Receiving being the key word receiving help. This allows us to be able to love on ourselves, because it gives us back time. And it's just a way to really host true to your to your values and hold true to your boundaries as well. So delegation is really great. I learned a lot about delegation being a nurse, because as a nurse, we work in teams, and I would have to delegate and extra help from my co workers and my peers. And so I got really good at delegating. Although sometimes I still have to be like Ashley, you can delegate a bit more.
Ashley Brown 2:04
So I'm going to be sharing with you some routines that you can delegate, and the routines I'm going to be sharing with you today are routines I feel like are simple enough for you to delegate, right? Take what you feel, leave what you may, you know, I always say that, but I wanted to throw out some routines that maybe if you're not delegating, you could be thinking about delegating in the future, future being tomorrow. So that's what we'll be sharing with you today. When it comes to delegation, what usually comes up and what has come up for me in the past, and maybe you will resonate with this is, well, I could delegate but I want it to be done right? Yeah, does that occur with you? Do you feel that way? You're like, I don't want them doing this. Because they don't do it wrong. They don't, they don't know what to do, actually. And so with this is all about letting go of that perfectionism. Because done is done. Okay. And sometimes it's better for something to be done than to be perfectly done. If you feel me so making sure that you're thinking about is it really does it really need to be perfect versus does it need to be done. And this can help you in delegating more and more often.
Ashley Brown 3:22
Also, you might be thinking, or you may have had the thought of your family has never done the routine that you want to delegate. So you're like, I don't feel like taking out the time to teach them how to do this routine. And this is where recording your routines. So on the website routineandthings.com, I have routine records specifically because of this, because it gives you a space to write out the routine. Because by writing out your routines, you are able to then delegate a bit easier, because you have a reference that you can just hand over to your children hand over to your partner. And be like here, do this routine please. So that's why writing it out can be really, really vital. Because even if your family has never done the routine, if it's a routine that has a certain amount of steps that might be difficult for them to remember. Then writing it out for them can be something they refer back to instead of constantly bothering you to be like, what do I do next?
Ashley Brown 4:18
And then lastly, something that came up for me as well is and this was like huge for me for sure is I'm like but that person has a lot to do and they have a lot on their plate. So why am I delegating this to them? By I don't feel good. I don't feel right delegating this to them and asking them for their help when they have a lot going on. And if this comes up for you as well, then my solution for this is to outsource. Because if the person that you want to ask, you really can't ask because they have a lot on their plate. And first of all, when I say have a lot on their plate, it's like you know they have a lot to do not that you're assuming they have a lot to do. Okay. So if that is the case, you know, for sure they are, they're having a lot to do, they have much on their plate at a certain time. And outsourcing can be a beautiful thing. And so when I'm sharing these routines with you that you can delegate, I'm going to be sharing which ones I feel like, are pretty simple to outsource. So that you can take that route if you need to. Delegation is something that is so beautiful to use as a part of your life as a part of you just taking off some of the weight, right, releasing some of the weight and actually getting help, receiving help, you're going to feel so much better when you start to delegate because you're going to see time come back, and you're going to see that you're not as stressed and that you don't become overwhelmed as much. And your anxiety is low, like having people help is a beautiful thing.
Ashley Brown 5:50
All right. When it comes to delegation, though, before we get into this, I want you to understand that delegation of your routines can be done at a certain time, you can delegate for good or you can delegate certain routines and hand them off for good to to your family. Or you can just have them chip in whenever you need them to. And like I said, that's when writing down your routines for a reference will be super helpful. So this is really up to you. But I'm gonna be sharing these routine and just talking through why I feel like these routines are really great for you to delegate, which is going to add back so much more calm, peace, groundedness and time to your days. Let's go ahead and dive into these routines.
Ashley Brown 6:37
So the routines that you can delegate, first laundry routine, okay, laundry routine. So simple for you to delegate. If your family does not currently do laundry, because I know you're gonna be like they don't do laundry actually, if they do not currently do laundry, a way that you can delegate the laundry routine is one just handing it off and teaching them how to do their laundry routine. How to actually put the laundry detergent in there correctly, depending on the amount of clothes, how to fill it up, how to then put in the dryer, set the dryer, set the washer, you can teach them how to do those things. If it's like your spouse, your partner, they know how to do laundry, or even your kids and like they already know how to do laundry, but you do the laundry anyway, you can then delegate for them to do their own laundry. And that's a way to give you back some time. Because you're going to be doing your laundry, they are going to be doing their laundry and it's going to be a great thing. So that is the first routine I like to share that you can definitely delegate, the laundry routine. This is also a routine that you can outsource that a lot of people don't really understand or know about is that you can outsource your laundry. You can have someone come pick up your laundry and go take your laundry to the laundry mat and actually have them wash your clothes. That is a thing. Okay, especially in certain areas. So you want to make sure that it's in your area. But if it is, that is a routine that you can definitely outsource.
Ashley Brown 8:09
Next is the kitchen routine. So this is a beautiful one to delegate as well. Having your family help with the kitchen routine, delegating it to your children, delegating it to your partner, whoever just you're not doing it, right, delegate it. And maybe it can be delegated on certain nights of the week. And maybe it is certain parts of the routine that you want to delegate for a certain day because you're not going to be able to do it. Kitchen routine is one that I feel like everyone especially when your children get to a certain age can help out with.
Ashley Brown 8:45
The next routine is a bathroom routine. And I know for all you moms out there who you're like, girl bye, my children can't clean this bathroom because they will leave it messy and nasty. You may even be saying that in the back of your mind about your husband, I'm just saying. So if you feel like you do not want to give the bathroom to, you don't not want to delegate the bathroom routine to your family then this is another one you can outsource. Okay, you can have cleaners come to clean your home. You can definitely have that happen even now during the pandemic because they will wear the mask and you can just stay your distance. But that is something that you can have happen and they can come clean your home weekly. If you feel like the bathroom is something that takes up your time you are constantly cleaning it, having it outsourced or at least trying to delegate it to your children and to your partner, your family, whoever is living with you. This is a good routine to think about. And it can also be a great teaching moment because if you feel as if your family does not know how to clean a bathroom appropriately, then show them, teach them this. "You need to get behind this toilet, you need to get to the bottom of the toilet. You need to take this part off and actually clean it." Those are teaching moments, especially for your kids. You don't want them growing up with nasty bathrooms and then they spouse looking at them like, why your mama ain't teach you nothing. Anyway, I'm about to go off on a tangent. But the bathroom routine is really great.
Ashley Brown 10:28
So next is a meal planning routine. This is one that I've actually delegated to my husband a few times. And it is figuring out what our daughters are going to eat for lunch during the week. This is one that I will delegate to him frequently and be like, Can you figure out what they're going to eat? And can you actually buy the food? I'm not doing both? Or can you go look in the fridge and see what we have in the pantry and then figure out what they're eating for the week. This is a really easy one for you to delegate meal planning. You get ask you children to do this. What do y'all want for the week, go look in the cabinets, go look in the kitchen, see what we have, and figure out what meals you want for this week. Or you could just have them write them down for you. That is a really good routine that you can delegate.
Ashley Brown 11:13
And what goes along with this too is grocery shopping routine. That's one you can delegate too. My husband goes grocery shopping. Yes. And the grocery shopping routine is one that you can also outsource. Instacart boom! I freakin love instacart I use it all the time, especially during the pandemic, just even before the pandemic I used to when I think about it. But definitely during the pandemic I have used Instacart so much because sometimes I don't feel like going to the grocery store having to put on mask and all this and that. So I use Instacart. They are so quick too is what I love about them. They are quick, they will come in like less than two hours to your home. And you have your groceries to your door without having to step foot outside of your home and use that time for yourself or something else that you need to do in your home or in your day. So if you want to try Instacart and get free shipping on your first order over $35, you can do so by clicking the link in the show notes. And that is there for you. But Instacart is a great one. And this grocery shopping routine is so beautiful to delegate or outsource.
Ashley Brown 12:27
And the next routine that you can delegate is the haircare routine for your kids. If you're doing your children's hair frequently. And this is something that you can actually delegate to another family member to do when you can right. It doesn't have to be people in your home, you can delegate this to someone in your family who loves to do hair. Or you can outsource this one. Outsource your children's hair care. Because I know for me, I've outsourced this to their cousin who loves to do hair. Also, if you can outsource your children's hair care do so. Or if you have someone in your family that you could delegate this to. Asking for the help is a beautiful thing.
Ashley Brown 13:07
Lastly another thing that you can delegate is your children's routines. And this is more so focusing on the morning and bedtime routines that you can delegate if possible. Your children's morning or bedtime routines. And this routine is more so delegated to your partner, to your partner or to your spouse. If you co parent it can be delegated to them on certain nights, like it just depends. And so this is one that I don't want you to forget about because sometimes we will take on, especially as moms we will take on both where it's like were getting them ready in the morning and we're putting in the bed at night. But no, how about y'all switch. How about your husband or your partner starts putting the kids to bed at night and you just do the morning. This is one to think about your children's morning bedtime routine.
Ashley Brown 13:59
So those are the routines I want to share with you. And like I said, these are pretty simple routines so I can really help you and add in bedtime for you to care for yourself and bedtime for you to love on you. And they are not hard routines. And if you need to teach your children, your family how to do these routines, then do it because even the upfront time it takes you to teach them is going to give you so much time on the back end. And so don't be afraid to teach and to educate because it's going to save you when it comes to you releasing a lot of doing in your life.
Ashley Brown 14:38
So just a few points before I actually wrap up this episode is for some of these routines you can modify the routine a bit for your family so that it is not the entire routine. If that helps you if you're like you know what Ashley I don't know if they're going to be able to do this entire routine, then modify it for them. odify it for them slightly because it's just helping you in a certain way, right? It's just help. And so if you feel like they can't do the entire routine, just be like clean the bathroom tub, just clean out the toilet bowl. Just go and put the dishes away. Now, it doesn't have to be the entire routine, if you can delegate parts of the routine as well. So I want to share that with you. And lastly, I want to share, be sure to try this this week. Delegate either a part of your routine or the entire routine. And then watch that time come back and you're gonna be delegating over and over again. So delegate. Begin to delegate. It's going to really help you in your life.
Ashley Brown 15:39
And as we wrap up this episode, I want to share some routine wisdom with you. Delegation over doing, delegation over doing. Don't always do everything, delegate that stuff, girl. Delegate, okay? All right. That's it for today's episode. I hope that this was extremely helpful for you. Let me know which routines you're going to start delegating or that you're going to delegate this week. Hit me up on Instagram, tag me at routineandthings. Let me know that you're delegating a certain routine. Show me that you actually going to bring back some time for yourself. Love on you. That's it for today. I hope that you continue to enjoy wherever you are, whatever you're doing, stay happy, and I will talk to you next week.
Ashley Brown 16:28
[Outro] Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, take a screenshot and share it on social? I would love to know you're listening. And for tools to help you start maintain and enjoy your routines. Be sure to head to routine and things.com. Here's to staying happy.