Record Yourself to Replicate Yourself
I hear it all the time from creative professionals: "Dustin, I don't have TIME to delegate projects or tasks! It takes me longer to explain it to them than it does for me to do it myself."
Sound familiar? You're caught in what I call the Delegation Dilemma—the false belief that teaching someone else will slow you down more than doing everything yourself.
Here's what I get tired of hearing myself say in response each time: You don't have time NOT to delegate. (I know, double negative, but stay with me here.)
The Fatal Flaw in Traditional Delegation
Most creatives think they have to create their work FIRST, THEN explain it afterward in order to delegate effectively. Or worse, they believe they need to draw up some long-winded Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that sits in a folder somewhere, never to be referenced again.
This approach creates a massive barrier because it essentially doubles your workload—do the work, then teach the work. No wonder delegation feels impossible when you're already stretched thin.
The Simultaneous Solution
Here's my game-changing suggestion: Create and delegate simultaneously by recording yourself.
Think about it—most of our delegatable work (yes, I just made up that word) happens on a computer or phone anyway. So why not create a free or low-cost Loom account and record yourself doing the actual work?
Here's the magic: Simply narrate what you're doing as you're doing it, and BAM—you've just made delegation effortless.
Why This Works So Well for Creatives
Real-Time Context: Instead of trying to remember and explain every step after the fact, you're capturing your thought process, decision-making, and nuances in real-time. Your team member sees not just WHAT you do, but HOW you think through problems.
Visual Learning: Most creative work is visual by nature. A 5-minute screen recording showing your design process, client communication style, or project setup is worth more than a 10-page written manual.
Authentic Voice: When you narrate as you work, you naturally explain the "why" behind your decisions. This context helps team members make better choices when they encounter similar situations.
No Perfectionism Required: You don't need to create a polished training video. Raw, authentic recordings often work better because they show the real process, including how you handle unexpected issues or changes.
The Compound Effect of Recording
Here's what most creatives miss: Every time you record yourself doing a task, you're building a library of delegation assets. That client onboarding process you recorded? It works for the next 20 clients. The project setup you narrated? Now every team member can replicate your exact workflow.
One recording = infinite delegation opportunities.
Start Simple, Scale Smart
You don't need fancy equipment or editing skills. Most tasks can be captured with a simple screen recording while you narrate your process. Whether it's:
Setting up a new project in your management system
Walking through your creative brief process
Demonstrating your client communication approach
Showing your quality control checklist
The key is to start with tasks you find yourself doing repeatedly. These are your highest-value delegation opportunities.
The Bottom Line
Stop overthinking delegation. The complexity isn't in the teaching—it's in the mindset that teaching has to be separate from doing.
Record yourself to replicate yourself. It's not complicated, but it is transformational.
When you shift from "I don't have time to delegate" to "I don't have time NOT to delegate," you unlock the creative freedom that proper systems create. And that screen recording you make today? It's working for you tomorrow, next week, and next year.
The question isn't whether you have time to delegate. The question is: How much creative work are you NOT doing because you're stuck doing everything yourself?
Ready to transform how you delegate? Start with one task, hit record, and begin building your delegation library today. Your future creative self will thank you.