'Quicker to do it myself': when that is actually true

Key takeaways

'Quicker to do it myself' is true for a task once and false for a task done every week. Explaining a repetitive task takes a fixed amount of time; doing it takes time every week forever. Compare the one-off handover time with the weekly time saved, and most tasks that recur weekly pay back within a month or two.

• Handover time is paid once; task time is paid every week.
• Break-even weeks = handover hours ÷ weekly hours saved.
• Weekly tasks usually break even within 4 to 8 weeks.
• Rare, changing tasks are genuinely quicker to do yourself.

Why does it feel quicker to do it yourself?

It feels quicker because you compare one explanation with one doing of the task. You already know the method, the exceptions and the systems, so this week's item takes ten minutes, while explaining it takes an hour. The comparison ignores next week, and the fifty weeks after that.

• How UK SMEs can use outsourcing to handle repetitive tasks
• How to delegate as a business owner

How do you work out the break-even?

Estimate the hours to document, explain and check the task during handover, then divide by the hours a week it will save you once it runs. In an illustrative example, a task taking you 2 hours a week needs 6 hours to hand over and 30 minutes a week to review. Saving 1.5 hours a week, it breaks even in four weeks. These are example figures.

• Handover hours: write, explain, parallel run.
• Weekly hours saved: task time minus review time.
• Break-even weeks: handover ÷ weekly saving.

• What is your time worth as a business owner?
• Standard times: how long should a routine task take?

When is it genuinely quicker to do it yourself?

It is genuinely quicker when the task happens a few times a year, changes every time, depends on relationships only you hold, or takes minutes with no errors. It can also be right during a crisis, when there is no time to explain. Note those tasks and revisit them when they recur.

• When not to outsource
• Task bundling: turn scattered small jobs into one role

What does keeping every task cost?

Keeping every small task costs your focus as well as your hours. Each interruption breaks concentration on higher-value work, and research summarised by the American Psychological Association suggests switching between tasks can cost as much as 40% of productive time. The cost of doing it yourself is rarely just the ten minutes.

• The cost of context switching in a small team
• Owner working too many hours? When to outsource

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: an owner keeps a dozen small tasks because each is quick. Bundled, they come to a full day a week, and handing them over as one block takes less explaining than the owner expected because they share systems and rules.

• See client work
• BPO Solutions for UK businesses

Quicker myself checklist

Ask these questions before you keep a task.

• How often does it recur?
• How long does it take each time?
• How long would it take to explain once?
• What is the break-even in weeks?
• What would you do with the time instead?

• Delegate vs outsource: which should you choose?

Next step

Send us the tasks you always end up doing yourself. We will help you work out which ones are worth handing over and which really are quicker to keep.