If you read last week’s post, you know that I’ve declared a war on trying to do it all.
It is an impossible goal that just leaves me feeling behind, exhausted, and stressed out.
But deciding not to do it all is the easy part. The hard part is deciding what to do and what not to do.
Really there are only 4 options for any task on our to-do list:
- Eliminate the task that aren’t really that important.
- Delegate the task to other family members.
- Outsource the task to someone outside of your family.
- Keep the task to do yourself.
Ideally, you want the list of tasks in the 4th category to be as short as possible. That means you have to be ruthless about moving tasks into those other categories.
So, let’s look at outsourcing. The textbook definition of outsourcing is to hand something off to a third party.
In our lives, that means paying someone else to do something for you, and here are to-dos you should consider hiring out.
10 Tasks Every Mom Should Consider Hiring Out
1. Errands
Go to the grocery, pick up a prescription, mail a package at the post office, get oil changed. If this list sounds very familiar to you, having someone help you run errands would save you a lot of time.
2. House cleaning
I know there are people who truly enjoy cleaning their homes, but I am not one of them. I don’t hate it, but there are many other things I’d rather be doing.
If you can afford it, hire someone to clean your home. There is nothing better than walking into a freshly clean home.
3. Driving
I have heard a lot of moms of older kids say they feel like a chauffeur. And that doesn’t even include driving for your own needs or your commute if you are a working mom.
Believe it or not, there is a way to get some of that time back. There are options like carpooling, ridesharing, mass transit, or hiring a driver. (Hiring a teen to do some of your driving still counts.)
My husband’s employer started offering their employees the ability to use a ride share service, and he loves it. Instead of getting aggravated at bad drivers and heavy traffic, he spends his commute playing on his phone. 😝 But that puts him in a much better mood by the time he arrives at work.
4. Grocery Delivery
This one has been around for a while, but I’m not sure how many people use it. Technology is a wonderful thing when it comes to groceries.
Online grocery shopping with curbside pickup was already a fantastic service, but having groceries delivered to your doorstep makes it even easier. Let someone else search the shelves for your favorite foods.
5. Shopping
Many women love to shop. But for those who don’t, hand this task to someone who does. If you hate shopping for clothes, there are clothing subscription services and personal shoppers. If you need help shopping for home décor, hire an interior decorator to help. You can find shopping experts like these that can help you in person or virtually.
6. Personal Assistant
You don’t have to be a CEO to have a personal assistant. We would probably all agree that having a personal assistant would be helpful.
Just think, you could have someone else research stuff online, schedule appointments, or make phone calls.
There are online services that match you with an assistant, or you could hire a teen or stay-at-home mom in your area to help you.
7. Nanny/Mother’s Helper
Hiring a nanny can make you feel like you aren’t a good mom, but what if it’s actually the opposite?
Imagine hiring someone to play with your kids for 4 hours each week while you work, go to appointments, or have some time to yourself. And after your kids spend 4 hours having a blast, you come home feeling refreshed and ready to be present with them.
That sounds like good mom material to me.
8. Handyman
If you are lucky, your husband has mad handyman skills and is always eager to tackle your projects.
But if your reality doesn’t look anything like that, you need a handyman.
Why spend hours on YouTube trying to DIY and getting frustrated when everything goes wrong?
Ask your friends for recommendations for great handymen in areas like construction, plumbing, and electrical. Hire that project out and enjoy the results minus the headaches.
9. Yard Work
Homes certainly require upkeep. There’s mowing, weeding, landscaping, fertilizing—and that’s just the summer jobs.
Hire a landscaping company and spend your spare time enjoying your yard, not breaking your back in it.
10. Food Preparation
How much time do you spend preparing food? If you are like me, the answer is a lot.
Fortunately, there are several options to get help with food prep.
There are meal services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron.
Or you could have food prep parties with friends and exchange meals.
Or, I’m betting there are people in your local area who offer this service. Go to Facebook and ask your community for recommendations.
The cost of each of these services varies. You could hire a professional if you want the highest quality and the most experience. Or, you could hire a teen in your community who would like to make extra money after school.
The point is to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are ways to hire help without spending a fortune.
On that note, most of us do not have unlimited money, so we aren’t going to be able to hire someone to do all of these.
Take a look at the list and choose tasks you either hate or take a lot of your time. Research the cost of hiring someone to do those first.
And, if you work full time, part time, or have a side business, you should consider outsourcing even more seriously because your time is already stretched.
Outsourcing is just one of the ideas I share in my free guide with 25 Ways to Save Time. Check out this link to get the guide delivered straight to your inbox.
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