Whether you are a working professional, a business owner, or a stay-at-home parent – there are daily activities you enjoy more than others, as well as tasks that utilize your skill set the best, and some that may not. As you craft your daily routine, and write down what an ideal week looks like for you, you must consider with each task – is this something I should be doing, or one that I can have someone else do?
As Dan Sullivan puts it in his book “Who not How”, your Unique Ability is “the essence of what you love to do and do best. It’s your own set of natural talents and the passion that fuels you to contribute in the ways that most motivate you. When articulated, it describes the “you” that makes you who you are.”
What do you love to do, and that you are also skilled / talented at?
Is that Unique Ability currently at the centre of your day? Why not?
I encourage you to give this some thought. Depending on your situation, you may not be able to delegate absolutely everything that is outside of your Unique Ability – whether due to personal circumstances, finances, etc. However, freeing up even just one or two of those tasks can create a better quality of life, and if you are a business owner or working professional, could also increase your income. Either way, delegating can decrease your working hours, so you can spend more time with your family and to do the activities you care about most.
Some examples of this that I’ve applied in my home life, is that I prepare dinner each night. I enjoy cooking, I am (relatively) skilled at it, and it takes me less time and effort than it would for my husband. Because of this, he takes on other household tasks that he finds more enjoyable and utilize his skills best. And in my business, I have outsourced bookkeeping, graphic design, and pay for admin support.
When it comes to your personal finances, you may decide to invest on your own, instead of working with a financial planner. For those that are tech savvy, have an interest in learning about the stock market, have a relatively simple situation, and want to dedicate a moderate amount of time to monitoring their accounts and learning about personal finance, this could be a great idea.
However, some people value partnering with a financial professional to limit their day-to-day involvement, especially as their situation becomes more complex or their lives get really busy. A financial planner can show you ways to automate some aspects of your financial planning. They can also have a more thorough discussion on risk vs reward than an online questionnaire would, to ensure your money is growing when it needs to. It's also great to have someone to call when faced with decisions on big purchases, a great money "win", or unexpected changes to your pension plan.
Outsourcing the financial expertise to somebody that does this every day can also relieve anxiety and second-guessing on which financial strategy to use when there is so much “noise” on financial forums and websites.
What is your Unique Ability? What are you looking to stop doing yourself? Please share in the comments!