How Mindful Delegation Can Strengthen Your Relationships

Nurturing your connections takes time and energy. When it feels like you’re running low on both, leveraging the right support can empower you to show up more fully in your relationships.

Strong connections and staying in touch takes work. Platforms like Facebook give us the illusion that we’re connected but that’s just is, it’s an illusion. What we see on social media isn’t the full story, nor does it feed our need for a deeper connection. 

Getting beyond the surface and really learning what’s going on in the lives of our loved ones takes intentional time and effort. When you’re just trying to keep your head above water on your task list, carving out the time to nurture your relationships can feel like too much. Though the relationship itself should be honored with your time and attention, there are ways to stay more connected with the help of some mindful delegation.

At the Science of Happiness convention that I attended earlier this year, I had the pleasure of hearing Jack Kornfield talk about how he chooses to act on simple acts of kindness. He has made a commitment to himself that when the idea of a nice gesture pops up, he just does it. 

So often these ideas fall into a pile of things to do later and risk being never acted on at all. If leveraging the support of others makes the difference between doing it or not, I encourage you to delegate what you can. 

If you worry that the gesture doesn’t truly come from you if you ask for assistance in the process, then I invite you to drop this belief. The gesture will always be coming from you and delegating some of the work empowers you to focus on the connection. 

Throughout the years, we’ve been brought in by our members to help them nurture their relationships with their loved ones. Here are some of our favorites:

Ann’s Date Nights

Between work and training for races, her schedule was full to the brim. Although she saw her boyfriend most days at practice, she couldn’t help but feel that their bond needed a little boost. Recognizing that she just didn’t have the bandwidth to plan dates for the two of them, she brought in our team to plan monthly adventures to share.

We had a blast doing so, especially knowing it created the opportunity for the two of them to connect. We arranged romantic dinners, private liquor tastings, and sexy art classes for them to experience together. It took the work out of the fun and allowed them to just be together.

Alex’s Gift Management

Having moved to Seattle from California, he began to miss his family and wanted to find ways to stay connected with them. Celebrating birthdays and holidays are a great opportunity to remind them that he may be far away but he’s still a part of their lives. He has a big family with lots of dates to keep track of. To help make his life a little easier, we notify him of upcoming birthdays and help procure the perfect gifts. They’re always coming from him, we’re just here to lend a hand in the execution.

Jay’s Letters to Loved Ones

Now in her 80s, she values her connections with her family and friends deeply. Not being a huge fan of email, she wanted to find a way to receive more snail mail letters. Every month we sit down together to gather content for her letter to her loved ones. It may be filled with stories of her past or the latest happenings in her shared home and it always includes an addressed envelope so they can easily send a letter in return. Since starting this new monthly routine, she’s been receiving more doodles from her 3-year-old grandson and updates from friends across the country. No matter your age, everyone loves to get a good old-fashioned letter in the mail!

Ellie’s Networking

When you’re an extraverted businesswoman, the connections are what fuel you. Planning all the get-togethers, coffee dates, and thank you gifts probably does not. There’s no reason for her to get bogged down in the details of managing her complex social calendar when she’s delegated that task to us. If a thank you card needs to go out or a happy hour needs booking, all she has to do is send us an email and we’re on it. This leaves her time and energy to be devoted to being present with them when they connect.

From booking time together to sending gifts and kind words, our team feeds on the joy of helping others connect more deeply. If you find yourself with ideas of nice gestures but struggle with the follow-through, please reach out to us. We’d love to help you spread your love and get quality time with those who matter most to you.