Melissa Ingold — September 23, 2018 — September 23, 2018
JESHOOTScom / Pixabay
Sometimes I feel like my fellow entrepreneurs are stuck in a kooky, Hollywood-fueled narrative about abundance. So many of us seem to think that the only people who could possibly afford to hire personal assistants, housekeepers, and gardeners are folks who have massive trust funds and opulent mansions.
Why? Because that’s what the movies tell us! Regular gals would never spend their money on in-home yoga instruction, and real moms would never outsource childcare to a nanny. Paying others to do the stuff you hate is a privilege reserved for the outrageously wealthy! Handing over hard-earned cash for a pre-cooked meal delivery service? GASP! Such extravagance!
OK, enough with the sarcasm. But can we all just agree to get over this attitude RIGHT NOW? I’m telling you, it’s so last century.
I mean, there’s no denying that having enough income to hire help is a tremendous privilege, but it’s one that many of us already have. And not only do we have it, we are doing ourselves a real disservice when we don’t utilize it.
Still doubtful? Here are five key reasons why outsourcing your life will make you happier, healthier, and more successful:
Hiring household help eases family tension
When you’re running a business and running a household, you may end up running yourself into the ground.
People are remarkably adaptable, and women are especially capable of piling on responsibilities even when we’re overloaded. But we’ve all got a breaking point. You know those coffee mugs that say, “You’ve got the same number of hours in a day as Beyonce”? They omit the fact that Queen Bey has a FLEET of people helping her!
You can’t rule an empire and raise a family alone, and neither can she.
Hiring a housekeeper or dog walker allows you to spend more time with your family and less time mired in busywork. It takes tasks off your plate, and gives you the energy to kick off work and be fully present in your home life. Added bonus: You can stop nagging your kids about doing their chores! Everybody wins!
Hiring household help lets you prioritize your business
I’m always singing the praises of delegating business tasks, since doing so frees you up to focus on big-picture business-building work. Well, delegating household work has the same net effect!
You have a finite amount of energy available to you each day, and if 30% of it gets burned up vacuuming or cooking that’s 30% that’ll never go toward marketing strategy or partnership scouting. Shift that energy back toward your business.
Outsourcing personal tasks allows you to dedicate time to work (and earning money) instead of household chores.
Hiring household help supports your partner
If you’re not flying solo at home and have a long-term partner or spouse, there’s a very real possibility that person is affected by your stress level. Even more so if that person ALSO works at a job outside the home.
Many partners split chores and household duties, which means that when you choose to outsource that work it takes pressure off both of you. You’ll have more freedom both individually and as a couple!
Hiring household help is good for the economy
Hiring team members to support your business means paying skilled people to do good work. Hiring household help also means paying skilled people to do good work. Whether you’re paying an individual chef or a startup delivery service, a solo pet sitter or a larger company, you are employing and supporting other businesses.
Hiring household help makes you healthier
Oh alright, paying a neighborhood kid to mow your lawn won’t take three inches off your waistline. But it WILL give you back an hour-and-a-half every other week, which is time that could be spent at pilates!
Exercise and self-care are often the first things to get the shaft when we’re overwhelmed by our other responsibilities. When we hire out personal tasks, we ease the overwhelm and give ourselves the bandwidth to reintroduce those essential health-oriented activities. And honestly? Paying skilled folks to clean your gutters or shuttle your kids to soccer will do wonders for your mental and emotional, health, too.
Let’s face it. When your load is lighter, you can relax and breathe a let go a little bit easier. Does it really matter if you’re lightening that load on the work side or on the personal side?
In my opinion, outsourcing the household and personal tasks we loathe (or suck at doing) is just as wise as delegating work tasks. This is not an upper-crust luxury, my dear; this is a smart, savvy choice that more of us should be making AND feeling good about.
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