Wealthy People Delegated These 11 Tasks Way Before They Could Ever Afford To
Wealthy people prioritize the things that truly matter.
Jacob Lund / Shutterstock Many people who regularly “buy time” by delegating tasks, offloading household labor, and hiring help at home live happier and more fulfilling lives than those who don’t, according to a PNAS study. Not only does having the free time to actually do what they want, rather than offering childcare or doing chores, make a difference in their motivation, discipline, and productivity, but it also sets them up for better physical and mental well-being.
From household chores to low-effort administrative tasks, wealthy people delegated these tasks way before they could ever afford to, and now, they’re happier, financially more stable, and more thoughtful about how they spend their time. Even if you’re struggling to make ends meet or fearing the time it takes to change your lifestyle, start with delegating the small things and focusing on the things that truly add value.
Wealthy people delegated these 11 tasks way before they could ever afford to
1. Household chores
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Household chores are one of the things wealthy people delegated way before they could ever afford to. They view their time as just as precious a commodity as money, so when it comes to preparing their schedule every day, the focus is on the things that matter and provide the most value, whether it’s work, building relationships, or learning new skills.
Even if it’s simply delegating chores within the household, ensuring that one partner or person isn’t handling all of the chores or invisible labor, that can free up tons of free time for people to focus on other tasks.
2. Administrative tasks
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According to a study commissioned by Brightpearl, the average adult spends nearly five and a half years of their life on random administrative tasks, from managing their calendar to organizing events, and even responding to emails. Think about the kind of projects you could invest in or the amount of career growth you could achieve by delegating administrative tasks to other people.
Instead of draining their energy on these non-negotiables, wealthy people delegated these tasks way before they could ever afford to. Whether it was leveraging automation tools or hiring administrative assistants to handle this work, they focused on the things that really mattered, boosted their careers and free time, and made them money.
3. Running errands
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Many people don’t feel like they can put their all into their jobs or spend a few extra hours at work every week for more progress because they have a laundry list of things that require their attention. From grocery shopping to picking up the kids from school and bringing their car to the mechanic, wealthy people delegated these tasks way before they could ever afford to.
They spent their precious time doing things that added value to their lives, promoted more productive time at work, and actually made them money a lot faster than their low-income counterparts, who wasted time on errands, chores, and practical habits.
4. Taxes
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According to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the average person spends nearly $300 and around 13 hours completing their taxes every single year.
That’s why wealthy people delegated these tasks before they could ever afford to. Especially considering hiring someone to do your taxes costs about the same amount as people end up spending on their own, why not reclaim those 13 hours for something that could make you more money and boost value in your life even more?
5. Email management
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Like many other administrative tasks, many people, whether they’re in a corporate career or not, spend a ton of time managing their inboxes and responding to emails every single day. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, the average worker spends nearly 30% of their workday reading and responding to emails.
That’s why wealthy people have made such an effort to offload these tasks. Not only are they typically mindless, as they can be done by anyone with the right introductory information, but they also save people a ton of time and energy in the grand scheme of their workdays and lives.
6. Website building or branding
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Many people who don’t know how to design things are spending so much time trying to learn Canva and flex the creative muscle they don’t have. They’re wasting time and previous energy trying to build a website or create branding materials, only to have them flop when nobody is visually intrigued by them.
Whether it’s starting your own business or trying to amplify your presence on social media, don’t skimp on the branding and marketing if you have the space to offload. Not only will the assets be complete in so much less time, but you’re also setting yourself up for far more productive time and tons more success when people actually appreciate the professional design elements.
7. Meal prep
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According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average person spends nearly 40 minutes a day preparing food and cleaning up. Even if it seems subtle and insignificant, wealthy people delegated these cooking and meal-prepping tasks before they could ever afford to. Even if it meant overextending themselves for a bit, it offered them nearly seven hours of extra time during the week that they could focus on career, money, or side hustles without guilt.
Imagine what you could do if you had nearly seven extra hours of free time every single week.
8. Pet care
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While working from home with a pet can have many benefits, it also tends to be distracting for the majority of workers, causing disruptions to their productivity and resulting in lost time throughout the week.
That’s why pet care and walkers or doggie daycares are things wealthy people delegated way before they could ever afford to. They’re not only saving time, energy, and focus, but they’re also preventing themselves from coping with the guilt of not being able to play with or walk their pets every single day.
9. Project management
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Whether it’s hiring someone to handle the budget or to oversee timelines, wealthy people delegated these tasks way before they could ever afford to. Whether they were making a creative business or growing their career, offloading some of the more time-consuming and emotionally draining tasks helps them to conserve their time and energy.
While they might’ve struggled to pay these bills right away, the energy, intention, and passion they had to feed into their projects and work often rewarded them financially much faster than people who try to balance it all.
10. Mental health support
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According to a study from the Applied Health Economics and Health Policy journal, a person’s poor mental health is often consistently associated with worsened productivity and career success. When they’re not taking care of their mental health, addressing emotional distress, and protecting themselves from burnout, it’s their free time, productivity, and long-term success that’s at risk.
That’s why mental health support is something that wealthy people delegated early on, whether they had the money to afford it or not, rather than trying to take it all on themselves. Whether it was therapy or a mindset coach to help their career success, they made an effort to protect themselves from unnecessary losses of time and energy.
11. Legal work
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Whether it was drafting contracts while starting a business or negotiating before taking a job, wealthy people delegated these legal tasks long before they could afford to. Not only did it protect them from losing money, time, and energy down the road, but it also ensured they were making the best use of their time and money in the moment, whether it was accepting a new salary or investing in a business.
Even if it’s easy to overlook and push off, it’s a strong reason why wealthy people were able to grow their business, make more money, and excel in their careers early on.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
