So I just got back from Vegas. I look like absolute death warmed over, but I’m writing this while it’s still fresh because I need to tell you about the smartest thing I did for my 40th birthday celebration.
I delegated the entire planning process.
Look, I know what you’re thinking. “Zack, it’s YOUR birthday. Shouldn’t you plan YOUR trip?” And maybe that’s the traditional way to do it. But here’s the thing—I practice what I preach about delegation, and this was the perfect opportunity to prove it works even for personal stuff.
Here’s what I did
I worked with Lindsey, one of our talented team members here at Trusty Oak. I gave her the basics: the types of activities I wanted to do, the dates I’d be there, how many people were coming (15, which is… a lot), and basically set her loose on it.
She researched options, came back with about three choices for each part of the trip, and handled probably 90% of the workload. I just did the final 10%—the decision-making and coordination pieces.
The result? A detailed spreadsheet breaking down each part of each day: activity types, ticket information, where to buy them, all the logistics. I didn’t have her actually purchase anything because I wanted people to be able to come and go as they pleased and buy what made sense for them. But the heavy lifting—the research, the organizing, the planning—that was all her.
Lindsey’s planning spreadsheet—every detail organized so I didn’t have to think about it
Why this mattered
If you’ve ever tried to plan a trip with more than two people, you know it’s kind of a nightmare. Everyone has opinions. Everyone has preferences. The coordination alone can eat up hours and hours.
And here’s my reality: as a business owner involved in a lot of different things, I don’t really have a lot of free time. Or energy. Or patience. Or attention span. Pick the thing, right?
But this was important to me. It’s a big milestone birthday. I wanted it to be special. I wanted the people who came to have an amazing time.
So I had a choice: I could either half-ass the planning myself and probably drop the ball on important details, or I could delegate it to someone who could really focus on it and do it right.
I chose delegation. And it worked.
The feedback
Celebration!
One of our friends who came was only there for 48 hours, and she said she felt like she was there for a week because of how much we did and how well everything was organized. That’s not me patting myself on the back—that’s all Lindsey. That’s what happens when you give someone the space and trust to really own a project and do it well.
The trip was awesome. Everyone had a great time. And I got to actually enjoy my birthday instead of stressing about logistics and whether I’d forgotten to book something or research enough options.
Iconic Vegas fountains
The bigger point
This isn’t just about birthday trips. It’s about recognizing what actually needs YOUR attention and what someone else can handle—often better than you can because they can give it the focus it deserves.
We talk about delegation in business all the time, but it applies to personal stuff too. Important relationships, life events, trips, projects you care about—these things deserve to be done well, and sometimes that means letting someone else do the heavy lifting.
That’s exactly what we help people with at Trusty Oak. Not just the business tasks, but the life stuff that matters and takes time and energy you might not have to spare.
Fifteen people, four days, zero planning stress on my end.
What important events or projects in your life could use this kind of support? What are you trying to plan or organize that you keep putting off because you don’t have the bandwidth?
If you need help with this kind of stuff, hit me up. That’s what we’re great at.