#131 Delegate your work to your colleagues (08/12/2024)

As the year draws to a close, I left Hong Kong last week to try and relax, but I still couldn't let go of work. In the end, it seems better not to have left Hong Kong. Now that I'm in my twenties, my company isn't big enough, and I still have too many things to do. It seems I can't really leave. I hand over all my work to my colleagues, but I still have to do too much myself. In the end, I can't let go. No matter where I go, my mind is still on work. It's really better to stay in Hong Kong and work.

Lately, I've been consciously delegating some of my work to colleagues. Previously, they would often call me with questions, but now I'm intentionally letting them find suitable solutions themselves, rather than constantly asking me. This frees up my time for more important tasks, such as devising solutions to larger company problems. These are things you can't think of if your mind is constantly preoccupied with routine operational matters. Recently, a senior colleague had a long phone conversation with me, offering valuable advice, which I can't go into detail about here. One key point was that if I want to break through bottlenecks, I need to learn to delegate tasks to colleagues, freeing up my time to do things they can't handle – a very wise approach. Therefore, my first step now is to reduce my involvement in routine support details – this requires careful consideration, because being detached from the daily situation will create another problem. A senior colleague suggested that one approach is to have colleagues report their weekly activities, which allows for a better understanding of the company's daily operations and is a good method. However, as with all advice, every company's situation is different. Running a company is like running a person; just as everyone faces their own current problems, companies also have their own issues, some long-term and some short-term, all of which need to be addressed. Furthermore, appropriate policies need to be developed based on the company's strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the details of application require time to test and refine, but this is what I'm currently working on.

Actually, I've received similar advice from senior colleagues more than once. They've suggested that I gradually delegate more work and not try to do everything myself, because doing so would make me the biggest obstacle and bottleneck for the company, ultimately hindering its continued development. I understand this reasoning perfectly, but for me, the biggest problem is that the company's resources are tight, and business is currently unstable. Hiring more people would incur costs, and I'd also be responsible for them. Therefore, I have no choice but to shoulder the burden myself for now. However, if possible, I could delegate some work to existing colleagues, which would also be a solution. I'd have to learn as I go.