The ‘Do It Myself’ Trap: Seth Godin 🌔 on When to Outsource

In a recent LinkedIn post, Seth Godin 🌔 discusses the common business impulse to handle tasks internally, particularly when it seems faster in the short term, and offers a rubric for deciding when outsourcing or systemization is the more strategic choice.

Godin 🌔 begins by acknowledging the temptation to simply perform tasks oneself, especially if they appear to be quick fixes. He frames this with a clear, actionable rubric designed to help business leaders make more effective decisions about delegation and efficiency.

“IT’S FASTER TO JUST DO IT MYSELF”

This sentiment, Godin 🌔 explains, often underlies a short-sighted approach to productivity and growth. He presents a simple framework for evaluating whether to undertake a task personally or to seek external help or build internal systems.

Evaluating the ‘Do It Myself’ Impulse

Seth Godin 🌔 outlines specific conditions under which performing a task yourself might be the most sensible option. The first is when the task is a one-off, and the effort to instruct someone else would outweigh the benefit of doing it personally. As Godin 🌔 notes:

If you’re never going to need to do this again, and it’s easier to do it than to instruct someone else to do it, by all means, do it yourself.

Furthermore, Godin 🌔 suggests that personal satisfaction can be a valid reason to handle a task directly. If the joy or fulfillment derived from doing the work yourself surpasses the potential gains from leverage or specialized tools, then personal execution might be preferable.

If doing it yourself will give you joy or satisfaction that is greater than the productivity boost you’ll get from leverage or better tools, by please do it yourself.

The Strategic Case for Outsourcing and Systemization

However, the core of Godin 🌔’s message focuses on the long-term costs of consistently opting for the ‘do it myself’ approach for recurring tasks. He argues that the true cost lies in the repeated investment of time and resources that could be better allocated.

According to Godin 🌔, if a task is to be performed more than once, and the quality of the outcome is indistinguishable to the customer whether done internally or externally, then it is a prime candidate for outsourcing or for the development of more efficient internal processes. He emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the immediate task.

But if you’re going to do it more than once, and the customer can’t tell if you did it yourself or not, perhaps you should have someone else do it or build the tools to get it done more efficiently.

Godin 🌔 concludes by stressing the inevitability of future occurrences of such tasks. He advocates for a proactive investment in efficiency now, rather than repeatedly falling back on the perceived shortcut of self-performance, which ultimately becomes a recurring expense.

The underlying principle, as Seth Godin 🌔 highlights, is the distinction between immediate convenience and sustainable growth. While doing it yourself might save time in the moment, it can hinder scalability and long-term efficiency if not applied judiciously. Building systems or delegating effectively, even with an initial time investment, leads to greater leverage and frees up valuable time for more strategic endeavors.