Hopefully after reading my earlier posts on Why to outsource, you are ready to start considering What you could outsource. Let me give you a few examples of jobs I have had help for and you can see if anything applies to you:
I have had the obvious; a cleaning company to keep my house clean, a babysitter, a company to take care of the yard (all but the mowing; John likes that part, go figure), a handyman to fix my house (because home ownership is a never-ending chore), painters, garbage removal and furniture movers. None of these is likely a shock, but I’ve engaged some unusual ones too:
I hired a virtual assistant to interview preschools and help me narrow down a list of 3-5 that I could visit myself. Ended up taking me a few hours total to find the right preschool for my daughter, this was not as expensive as it sounds either. I also hired a virtual assistant to find a housekeeper for me. Beats weeding through dozens of resumes and questions yourself.
I found a housekeeper who came one day a week while I was at work and chopped all the vegetables and did all the laundry, so that we could have home cooked meals all week, that was one of my favorites. I had a full-time housekeeper at one point to clean, cook, do laundry, watch my daughter on school holidays and help out my mom who was in a wheelchair; this saved me from coming home from work frazzled to a chorus of “if you have time…”.
So, there are some of my experiences; I will expand later when we discuss How to outsource your home. Now how could you use some help?
Virtual Assistants can organize and schedule all of your home maintenance and upkeep appointments; they are happy to call around and price compare, setup an interview or just go ahead and schedule the work. This is an invaluable time saver compared to playing telephone tag with a vendor who may not always answer the phone and who calls back as soon as you walk into your boss’s office. What about shopping and setting up hair appointments?
Housekeepers of various forms can take care of household chores, either a standard list they do for all of their clients or a customized service that you define. From food preparation to cleaning and laundry, these folks can save you several hours a week. And imagine the feeling of coming home to a beautiful, clean and tidy home where you can just kick off your shoes and relax.
Specialists really bring home the magic of outsourcing. Think about all the projects you wish you could get to; the ones that you see when you walk into your bedroom, your office or your kitchen. These unfinished projects hang over us, making us feel guilty and preventing us from relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Digitizing papers, photos and music, repairing clothes, cleaning the car, hauling the donations away, you can find help for all of these. Why feel the stress of what you need to get done, when you could just ask someone else?
Look around your home, what’s on your list?
