Learning to Delegate as a Perfectionist

Written By Graham Gallivan

Have you ever felt like you’re juggling at least five different to-do list tasks, your emails are piling up, your phone is ringing, yet you tell yourself you are handling it? If someone were to offer their help, you’d feel anxiety rather than relief. This is the reality that perfectionists live with day in and day out. To them, avoiding help makes perfect sense.

Perfectionism is often praised in professional settings, primarily because work is executed with attention to detail and little room for error. Unfortunately, this can also lead to a silent sabotage of your productivity, relationships, and your well-being.

To an outsider, delegation appears to be the obvious solution. For perfectionists, it’s a skill that falls outside the lines of comfort.

Why Perfectionists Struggle with Delegation

On the most basic level, perfectionist habits form from a need for control. In your eyes, if you don’t physically do the task yourself, it isn’t going to be done right. This idea of right is also very subjective.

There are many contributing factors to this mindset. Your industry sets high standards for performance. You have high personal standards combined with a fear of failure. Perhaps you've had past experiences where delegating didn’t work out in your favor.

Familiar narratives you may tell yourself include:

• Explaining the task will take longer than just doing it yourself

• No one will put as much effort and care into it as you would

• If it isn’t done perfectly, it’s going to reflect poorly on you

The irony of the situation is that perfectionism paints a picture of total control, when in reality it’s causing burnout, missed opportunities, and strained relationships.

The Cost of Not Delegating

Avoiding delegation limits your capacity and can stunt your personal and professional growth. Think about it this way. The time you spend performing every aspect of a task (times however many tasks you’re juggling) could be better spent on creative thinking, problem-solving in other areas, or strategic planning. You could even be using this time for rest and recovery to better equip the future you. See the missed opportunities?

Over time, this juggling act can lead to burnout, chronic stress, feelings of being unsupported in your efforts, micromanaging behaviors, and stagnation. Being able to effectively delegate isn’t solely about efficiency. It’s also about investing time in yourself where it matters the most and produces the best outcomes for growth and sustainability.

Reframing Delegation

The first step is reframing the idea of delegation. It doesn’t mean you have to lower your standards or produce lesser quality. Start thinking of delegation as the ability to expand your capacity. Not only can this new mindset be empowering for you, but for others as well.

Start small with something that is lower risk to you, where you won’t feel as uncomfortable letting go. Little steps will help build confidence and set the tone.

Set clear expectations for you and your team. Define what success looks like, what deadlines you have, and what type of check-in you want/need. Most importantly, be willing to accept sufficient work, especially in those more minor tasks. Good enough is exactly that — good enough.

As you adjust to the process of letting go, focus your energy on the outcomes and not on the process. Everyone works differently, so try not to let that variance deter you. After the process has come to an end, spend time reflecting on what went well and make any necessary adjustments for the next time.

The Role of Therapy

Perfectionism can be viewed as a personality trait, but it’s often a coping mechanism for anxious feelings. This is where therapy plays an important role. During sessions, we can get down to the root of these thought patterns and establish healthier strategies. Contact me to learn more about anxiety therapy and to book a consultation.

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