None of us ever have enough time in the day to accomplish all that we want and no productivity tool will gain us more than an hour or two.
And I know because I’ve tried it all, failed, and then wondered where I was going wrong.
My trick for finding more time in my day? Outsource as my budget allows (especially the tasks I do not enjoy!) Here are the four tasks I outsource to find significantly more time in my day which also allows me to enjoy my weekends a lot more!
Home Deep Cleans
This was something Dan and I talked about before moving in together (my mom recommended I bring this up early on and she was right!) As both of us own our own businesses, we typically work a minimum of six days a week with that sixth day ranging from a few hours to 5+. So when we do have a free day or two, we don’t want to spend it cleaning!
As the daughter of a fastidiously clean and organized mother, I am picky when it comes to cleaning. Getting all of the dust, no streaks on the mirrors, and now more than ever I disinfect all of the door handles and light switches weekly.
It took me almost a year to find the perfect cleaning company here in Columbus as I was without the referrals I somewhat took for granted in Boston. Now we get our home deep cleaned every two weeks which helps us both to maintain a clean, clear, and productive space where we work, relax, shoot content, and entertain with less stress.
Laundry Service
I hate doing laundry and I hate sorting and putting it away even more! I remember not having a washer/dryer in my Brookline apartment and having to schlep it to the laundermat each week. Thankfully it was close to my apartment (and next to the best bakery in the area; Clear Flour).
Similarly to finding a cleaning service, it took a bit to find a laundry service near Columbus Ohio that was right for us. Now we do our laundry ourselves most of the time but after a long trip, having someone pick up a massive bag of laundry and have it returned clean and folded shortly thereafter is a priceless luxury.
I love that Columbus Express Laundry also picks up dry cleaning as I always drag my feet in dropping off, dreading having to return to pick it back up. Having specific items pressed is another add-on that saves me time and leaves me feeling confident before a big event.
Dog Daycare
We adopted Frida in December of 2019 and thankfully enrolled her in puppy training immediately so she got a lot of social interaction and structure before things shut down in March of 2020.
We were unsure of how to proceed from that point in terms of if it was even safe to send her to daycare during that year so we hired a virtual trainer to keep her learning and engaged and took her on lots of adventures, walking endless blocks in the city, and for hikes at nearby spots.
I did a lot of research for our daily/weekly needs prior to our relocating to Columbus and already had Frida’s daycare and boarding facility in mind. I enrolled her right away and it was a good thing too, there’s now a very long waitlist (they’re just that good!)
She now attends two times a week and it’s a wonderful opportunity for her to interact with other pups and get her energy out. She loves her days at daycare and when we travel, we know we have a wonderful, safe place that we can trust for her to be spoiled and loved while we are gone.
This is also crucial now that Dan and I both work from home full-time! On those days when Frida is off frolicking with her friends, because she does have a little crew, Dan will do his live streams without interruption, the cleaners come and are able to complete every task without us shuffling things and ourselves around. It just makes sense.
Self Care Appointments
I greatly dislike getting my nails done – so much so that one of the best things to come out of my time at home was learning to do them completely myself and finding a clean gel manicure brand to achieve the exact effect at home.
Where do I now draw the line? My hair. Doing it myself means that is pretty much all I’m doing for that entire day and for me, that is a day wasted because it’s not something I’m good at and it takes forever (can you say tiring!?)
I finally found my group of stylists, yes group – I have someone who does my color, someone who does my keratins, and someone who does my biweekly silk presses and I am beyond grateful. What used to take 5+ hours, is condensed into under two and I can use that time to relax and read, it’s my me time!
As I’m very particular about the health of my hair, I still do a scalp treatment, then shampoo and deep condition for at least an hour prior to heading to my appointment, but that alone takes a negligible amount of time!
I hope these ideas were helpful and got you thinking about how you can outsource some of the tasks you do not enjoy and find more time in your day. Now back to you!
What tasks do you not enjoy and currently (or hope to in the future) outsource?
