Automation vs delegation: what should you systemize and what should you hand off?

There’s a difference between working in your business and building a business that works without you.

Most people don’t notice they’re doing the former until it’s too late.

You start with a product idea, a couple clients, maybe a Notion board you keep tweaking past midnight. Things grow. Revenue picks up. Suddenly you're the bottleneck, the fire-stomper, the human duct tape holding everything together.

At NotionFlows, we’ve burned through that phase and come out the other side 😅.

We don’t chase efficiency for the hell of it.

We chase it so we can spend our energy on things that matter: building, thinking, collaborating, and not being chained to a thousand tiny tasks.

So when people ask, "Should I automate or delegate this?" The answer is always the same: it depends. But not on the task alone. It depends on your philosophy.

Here’s mine: If a task has a clear set of rules and will happen more than twice, automate it. If it needs judgment, taste, or a human brain, delegate it. If it does neither, eliminate it.

Automation is a scalpel. Delegation is a brush. You’re the surgeon and the artist.

This wasn’t always easy. I used to hoard tasks like a productivity dragon. But I learned that when you hire people smarter than you, your job is to get out of their way.

Here are the questions I learned to ask myself:

• Does this task drain my energy every week? Automate it.
• Could a clear SOP turn this into a repeatable process? Automate it.
• Does this require creative judgment or nuance? Delegate it.
• Is this task even necessary? Eliminate it.

So what do I actually mean by automation?

To me, automation is about buying back my time using systems—not just to be faster, but to be freer. It’s using tools to handle the repetitive stuff that doesn’t need a human touch. The boring, brainless loops. I use Notion and Make for most of this.

Half the battle is just noticing what you keep doing over and over again… and having the guts to say, “Yeah, this is not where my brain needs to be.”

Here are some examples of things I’ve automated:

• CRM follow-ups
• Workflow management with Notion
• Customer support chatbots
• Invoice and payment integration

But beware: automation without intention becomes noise. Don’t automate something just because you can. Only automate what is worth scaling. I’ve written more on that here, if you want to go deeper.

And what about delegation?

Delegation, for me, is a trust exercise. It’s not about offloading crap work. It’s about giving someone else a piece of the puzzle that needs a human mind. A brain with judgment. A feel for nuance.

I delegate when the work has stakes—when it’s not just about doing it, but doing it well.

Here’s where I typically delegate:

• Admin tasks like inbox and calendar management
• Content writing and marketing
• Customer success and relationship work (because humans > bots)
• Project and team oversight

Delegation works best when the task has edges. When it can’t be boiled down to a checklist. When you need someone who knows how to read between the lines.

And yes, it’s scary at first.

Especially if you’re used to being the person who “does everything.”

But it’s also where I’ve found the most growth, both for myself, and for the people I’ve brought in. ツ

Automation vs. delegation: how I see it

Here’s a quick breakdown of how I weigh them side by side:

The best strategy: a hybrid approach

The smartest founders don’t pick sides.

They mix.

Automate the infrastructure. Delegate the nuance.

Example Hybrid Playbook:

• Automate lead gen via email funnels.
• Delegate discovery calls to your sales rep.
• Automate onboarding sequences.
• Delegate relationship-building to your client team.

If you’re just getting started

Don’t overthink it. Start small and ask yourself:

• What drains my energy every week?
• Can this task be turned into a system?
• Does it require human nuance?
• What happens if I just... delete this entirely?

Then:

• Automate low-level, recurring stuff with Make, or Notion workflows / internal automations.
• Delegate anything needing strategy, oversight, or nuance.
• Eliminate whatever doesn’t add value.

Systemize for sanity, not just scale

At the end of the day, automation and delegation are just tools.

The goal isn’t just efficiency. It’s freedom

And building a company that doesn’t require your constant presence to function.

If you’re ready to scale without losing your soul, book a call. Let’s build something that runs with you, not on you.