This post is sponsored by HelloFresh.
I'm a BIG proponent of delegation, to the point that several conferences have invited me to speak on the subject. I'm even writing a course about it! My lovely assistant comes to my house to help with studio tasks in-person each week while remote consultants wrap up the digital stuff I need done. It's wonderful. In business, however, there are fairly clear-cut lines between what a manager should do and what someone else should take care of. Delegating domestic stuff is a whole other ball game, especially during this festive season of crafts and gifts and baubles and bows!
When I'm trying to pick holiday things to delegate, I ask myself a simple question: what do I actually enjoy? This is the litmus test for what should stay on your own plate versus what you should have someone else do (or let go of entirely). I love frosting sugar cookies, but I'm not a fan of the mess from homemade dough. Store-bought dough to the rescue! I can't stand shopping, so I get it over with by making a brief list of people in my life and the things they'll enjoy. Then, my assistant can scour the internet for a good price OR I can just buy it at my favorite store and call it a day. I have friends who get really excited about the whole Black Friday/Cyber Monday situation, but it makes me anxious and I've decided it generally isn't worth the cost savings. Obviously, delegation involves personal decisions that will vary from family-to family. Priorities have to be factored in.
Sometimes, you have to get over the idea of how things look to everyone else and instead focus on the value of tranquil time and memories. I've let go of having a perfect tree in favor of letting my boys take over the task of decorating. We wind up with large gaps, and certain branches are crowded with a half-dozen ornaments, but it's done and I'm happy.
I pay someone else to put paper on our gifts, and then I add my own unique touches like handmade ornaments, ribbons and twine. The dressing up part is what I personally enjoy, not the time-consuming taping and cutting and sealing.
Another area I delegate to maintain sanity during this busy season is dinner. We use HelloFresh to have meals delivered. For me, this company is the perfect foodie answer to my delegation litmus test, because there are certain things about the meal preparation process that I do deeply enjoy.
The feel of slicing through a fresh vegetable and simmering some meat in a pan is actually quite calming to me, but I don't like the mental load of thinking through portions and accompaniments and planning what to make each week. HelloFresh does ALL of that for me and delivers a ready-to-cook set of meals to my porch so that I'm left with just the part of this task that I actually like.
I open the fridge, pull out my selection and delight in the fresh ingredients at my fingertips. There are even photos on the recipe cards so that I feel totally confident that I'm making our food correctly. HelloFresh has done everything they can to take dinnertime from anyone's list of “non-enjoyable tasks” to something fun.
HelloFresh lets me pick the delivery day and pause or restart based on my busy schedule. They have a variety of chef-curated recipe plans to fit our family's tastes for less than $10 a meal, and they all take about half an hour or less to cook.
HelloFresh does the shopping, planning and delivery and walks you step-by-step through the recipe so all that's really left to do is enjoy.
Oh, and decorate! Decorations do still have to go up one way or another. For that, I keep things simple by displaying a few family heirlooms, things that the kids have made in school, and an easy printable from Pinterest. Once in awhile, I get inspired and make my own printable…but only because it's something I really, genuinely enjoy.
You can print this FREE “Hello Jolly” sign in an 8 1/2×11″ format to trim down and plop in an 8×10″ frame. Simply click on the photo above. It makes for a great pairing with a HelloFresh holiday meal!
Finally, you can sit down together as a family and enjoy a peaceful dinnertime. My boys always love the food we make with HelloFresh, and we've enjoyed trying tastes and flavors that I wouldn't think to make on my own. Our days are still busy, but it feels good to end them feeling satisfied, happy, and fulfilled.
And then I delegate the dishes to the kids!
Are you looking for ways to delegate more stuff in your life? For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit hellofresh.com and enter LEARN30 at checkout.