Which Tasks Should I Delegate to a Virtual Assistant

When I first hired a virtual assistant, I made the classic mistake: I delegated whatever annoyed me most that week.

The result? Confusion, constant questions, and a VA who felt underutilized, while I still felt overwhelmed.

What finally clicked was this realization:

The best tasks to delegate aren’t the hardest ones; they’re the ones that drain your time and attention without actually needing you.

Once I started delegating by pattern instead of by mood, everything got easier. Here’s the framework I use now to decide what should go to a VA and what shouldn’t.

First: The Simple Filter I Use for Every Task

Before I delegate anything, I ask one question:

“Does this task require my judgment, or just my follow-through?”

If it requires my judgment → I keep it.

If it requires consistent execution → it goes to a VA.

That single filter eliminated most of my hesitation.

Category 1: Admin Tasks (The Easiest Wins)

These were the first things I delegated and the fastest relief.

Best admin tasks to delegate

Inbox triage (flagging, drafting, follow-ups)

Calendar scheduling and rescheduling

Travel booking and logistics

File organization (Drive, Dropbox, Notion)

Meeting notes and action items

Expense tracking and basic invoicing

Document formatting and cleanup

Why this works

Admin tasks are repetitive, rules-based, and easy to systemize.

Practical takeaway

If you’re touching email or your calendar more than you want to, start here.

Category 2: Operations & Process Support (High Leverage)

This is where VAs go from “helpful” to game-changing.

Great ops tasks to delegate

Creating and updating SOPs

Turning Looms or call notes into documentation

Maintaining checklists and workflows

Updating internal dashboards

Process audits (“what’s breaking?”)

Tool cleanup and organization

Why this works

These tasks benefit from consistency more than creativity.

Practical takeaway

If you’ve explained the same thing twice, it should be documented and owned by a VA.

Category 3: Customer Support (Tier 1)

I held onto support far too long because I thought it was “too sensitive.”

It wasn’t.

Tier 1 support tasks to delegate

Responding to common questions

Password/login help

Order or account status updates

Ticket tagging and routing

Following up on open tickets

Escalating issues based on rules

Why this works

Most support is predictable once you document responses and escalation rules.

Practical takeaway

If 70–80% of tickets sound the same, a VA can handle them with templates and guardrails.

Category 4: CRM & Reporting (Quietly Time-Consuming)

These tasks rarely feel urgent, but they quietly eat hours.

CRM & reporting tasks to delegate

Data cleanup and deduplication

Updating contact records

Logging calls and notes

Generating weekly/monthly reports

Maintaining pipeline hygiene

Flagging stale or incomplete records

Why this works

This work needs discipline, not strategy.

Practical takeaway

If your CRM feels “out of date,” that’s a delegation problem, not a motivation problem.

Category 5: Research & Prep Work (Not the Thinking Part)

This was a big mindset shift for me.

I don’t delegate decisions.

I delegate everything leading up to them.

Research tasks to delegate

Competitor research

Tool comparisons

Source gathering

Market summaries

Prospect research

Meeting prep briefs

Why this works

A VA can bring you 80% of the context, so you only spend time on the final 20%.

Practical takeaway

Delegate the digging, keep the deciding.

Category 6: Content & Marketing Operations (Execution, Not Strategy)

I keep the voice and strategy but delegate the machinery.

Marketing ops tasks to delegate

Content uploads and formatting

Scheduling social posts

Repurposing content

Updating website pages

Managing content calendars

Reporting on performance

Why this works

Execution-heavy, rules-based tasks free you up to focus on messaging and direction.

Practical takeaway

If you’re copying, pasting, or scheduling, it’s probably delegable.

Tasks I Don’t Delegate (At Least Not First)

This part matters just as much.

I don’t delegate:

Final decision-making

Strategy and positioning

Hiring decisions

Sensitive performance conversations

Anything I can’t explain clearly yet

Practical takeaway

If you can’t explain how success looks, don’t delegate it yet.

The Order I Recommend Delegating (This Matters)

If I were starting over, I’d follow this sequence:

Inbox + calendar

Admin cleanup and documentation

CRM updates and reporting

Tier 1 support

Research and prep

Marketing execution

Each layer makes the next one easier.

How I Avoid Micromanaging

This was my biggest fear and the easiest fix.

I give every delegated task:

A clear outcome

A checklist or example

An escalation rule (“If stuck > X minutes, ask”)

That’s it.

Practical takeaway

Micromanagement usually means the task wasn’t defined clearly.

Summary: The Tasks That Actually Belong With a VA

The best tasks to delegate aren’t the ones you hate most; they’re the ones that don’t need you.

My non-negotiables now

I delegate patterns, not one-offs

I keep judgment, delegate execution.

I start with admin and ops.

I define outcomes before handing off work.

Once I stopped asking “What can a VA do?” and started asking “What shouldn’t require me?”, delegation finally worked.