Have you ever had one of those crazy days when you simply cannot do anything because you have so much to do? I have had to endure many of such days. On such days I usually wish the day had more than 24 hours. No, this is not about me managing my time better. It is a function of the fact that at a time, you simply can’t help having your hands full. Such times have always driven me crazy. Like me, there are many others who believe that outsourcing work is a lazy man’s thing. I usually thought that I needed to do all the work myself, meet all my targets, and somehow manage to remain sane. But one day I read Jack Canfield’s ‘How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be’ and learnt the power of delegation.
It was at that moment that I realized that it was actually my sanity and my well-being that was at stake when I insist on doing it all myself. I learnt also that there is a certain amount of success that I will never attain until I started trusting other people with some of my responsibilities.
I decided then that I would rather part with my hard earned money and get stuff done, than pile up my tasks and increase my mental stress. Since then, my general productivity has improved immensely, and yours can too.
Below are six things you should gladly pay others to do to increase your productivity:
- The Laundry
There are a lot of people out there who like me, dread laundry days. Others are simply too busy to be consistent or effective.
My advice? Contact the nearest dry cleaner, pay him some clean bills and get your laundry delivered fresh to you every day. That is if you want to maintain your sanity of course.
- Baby Sitting.
What if you work a full 9 to 5 job and you have kids still at their squealing ages. I have a friend who works a full time job and still has to do some online freelancing whenever she comes back home in order to meet up with the bills.
She always complained of a migraine while we lauded her as a super-mom! Then the migraines got worse and that was when we discovered the beauty of baby sitters.
Of course you need to be cautious who you bring into your home; no male baby sitters for female children or vice versa. But you may need to pay some clean bills to keep your kids on a leash when you need to work as long as you take out the proper time to still be their parent…you know so they don’t get it mixed up.
Remember, restoring good health is often much more expensive than a baby sitters fees.
- Updates on the House – I Know he is Mr. Handy Man, but…
You know that broken place in the fence that Fred has always been meaning to fix? What about the rooms you both meant for him to repaint last month? I understand that you married him because he was so handy across the home. You married a plumber, carpenter and landscaper all fused together into one gorgeous six packed stud.
Well, six-packed Fred now has a belly roll and he now works, plus he has two little Freds and one Emily running around the house that need his money to go to school and feed. Perhaps it is time you paid to have someone who can take care of those updates more efficiently and quickly too.
- Grocery Shopping – Don’t You Just Hate The Traffic?
There is the traffic on the way to the grocery shop to contend with. And then there is the Cart-traffic at the counter at the shop too, and then… and then…
I finally gave up and started paying for my grocery shopping while I used the time to make more money so I could continue paying for the grocery shopping. Call me lazy if you wish, I am just breaking even without breaking down. Is there a reason why you shouldn’t do the same?
The good news is that there a number of services that are willing to offer themselves to meet these needs.
- A Dog Walker – Your Dog Still Needs its Beauty Stretch.
If you own a dog, then you may need to pay someone to walk your dogs when you don’t have the time.
This is often an easy feat as there are often kids around the block who will gladly accept very little change for the responsibility of walking Tepsy or is it Fluffy?
- An Editor – You Need Help To Beat the Deadline
Since, I am a writer and an editor, I figured I will spare a few words for fellow writers. Let’s say the deadline set by the publisher is almost due and you are just rounding up the draft. Please don’t be one of those do-it-all-myself people, they never become great writers.
Pay someone a few bucks to lend his or her expert eyes to your draft. People are often more focused and quick when they are being paid for their services.
In the end, it is a smart move to preserve your health and your sanity by sparing a few bucks to get these things done more quickly and efficiently.
