Delegation: The Secret Weapon for Your Mental Sanity as a Busy Mom

Hey there lovely mamas!

I have a confession to make:I am a control freak. A proud, long‑standing, Olympic‑level control freak.

I have always been this way. I don’t expect assistance from anyone. I’m used to depending solely on my own skills—some of which are questionable at best—and I feel safer when every little thing passes through my hands.

And let me whisper a universal truth, mama to mama: this is the guaranteed recipe for burnout with a side of emotional meltdown.

If you relate—if you believe it’s your sacred maternal duty to personally:

• supervise every molecule of your children’s lunchbox

• ensure laundry is folded with military precision

• confirm that dust under the couch has been exorcised

• keep up with airtight corporate deadlines

• and somehow remain sexy, feminine, and emotionally available to your husband by 9 p.m.

  
  

…well. Let me be brutally honest: If you are a humble human being like me, at some point, you will lose your mind. Not in a poetic, soft‑focus way. No, no. Like: crying in the car after school drop‑off because someone asked you where the scissors are kind of way.

So yes, we need solutions. Real ones.And one very effective solution—one I spent years snobbing, eye‑rolling at, and pretending didn’t apply to me—is hiding behind a magical word: Delegation.

A word used by the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and people who sleep eight hours a night and don’t look like exhausted raccoons. Not because they’re lazy. But because delegation saves them time, energy, and their last surviving brain cells, allowing them to focus on what actually matters.

I know—it’s hard at first. Deeply uncomfortable if:

• you feel guilty asking for help

• you think “only you” can do something correctly

• you have impostor syndrome

• you’re a perfectionist

• or you are the entire above cocktail shaken, not stirred (hello, that’s me)

  
  

But mama…I finally realized something: Delegation is not giving up control.It’s reclaiming your mental health.

Ask your husband to take on small tasks. Let your kids (yes, even the tiny ones) do age‑appropriate chores. Let someone else make a sandwich or fold a towel that does NOT look like a hotel swan.

And guess what happens?

You start breathing again.You find pockets of time you forgot existed.You reconnect with yourself.And your self‑respect? It grows.

Because here’s the golden rule no one teaches us: You train people how to treat you.

If you show everyone you can handle absolutely everything alone, they’ll think you prefer it that way. I can sign with my blood, they are never going to care if you suffer silently. Not out of malice. Out of habit.

But here’s the twist: When you ask, they won’t say no. They actually want to help—you’ve just never opened the door.

So open it, mama.Let the help in. You are not a superhero, and you’re not supposed to be.

Here Are Simple Delegation-Friendly Baby Steps (For Beginners Like Me)

1. Start with the easy asks

Don’t begin with “Can you organize the whole playroom?” No, no. Start with tiny tasks:

• “Can you empty the dishwasher?”

• “Can you pack the kids’ water bottles?”

• “Can you take out the recycling?”

Small wins lead to bigger wins.

2. Assign age-appropriate chores to your kids

Children LOVE responsibility when it's framed as: “Wow, you’re so grown‑up. Can you help Mama?”

Tasks they can do (depending on age):

• Bring dirty clothes to the laundry basket

• Set the table

• Put toys away

• Water plants

• Wipe surfaces (kids are surprisingly enthusiastic about this)

Bonus: You’re teaching life skills AND building confidence.

3. Accept that things won’t be done your way

Your husband will fold towels like… a man. Your child will wipe the table like… a hurricane. Your mother-in-law will rearrange your kitchen like… a mother-in-law. Let it go.Perfection is not the goal. Survival is.

4. Use the “Can you handle this?” trick

This is powerful. Instead of giving instructions, try:

“Can you take care of this?”

It signals trust, reduces micromanaging, and allows others to decide how to help.

5. Outsource when possible

If your budget allows, occasionally outsource:

• Cleaning

• Grocery delivery

• Meal prep services

You are not “failing” by doing this.You are being strategic.

Mama, delegation doesn’t make you weak. It makes you wise. It protects your mental health, supports your family, and shows your children what healthy adulthood actually looks like.

You were never meant to do this alone. Just teach your family that “mom” does not mean “household engine.”

Love, Katerina