Saving Time by Outsourcing
This is an area that has long eluded me, but I´m finally going to start outsourcing. Nothing major, just the laundry and having someone look after the baby for a couple of hours (can you believe my toddler is less distracting?), to let me stress less and work more.
Outsourcing seems to come naturally to men, my husband has no problem hiring someone else to do something that he could do, if it means he can work on another project.
It really is the best way. If you are wasting time on a task that you could hire someone to do for $8 an hour and you could be earning twice that if you were working on something else . . . why not outsource? Much of the time, moms could do with someone to help out around the house, even for just a few hours a week. Not having to worry about cleaning or laundry can really free you from a lot of stress and let you focus more on work.
The biggest problem for me, and I suspect many work at home moms, is the guilt of not being able to be supermom. I want to get everything done, myself, be successful in all areas, whether cleaning or looking after my kids or work. But the fact of the matter is, sometimes you have to let something go, the lesser priorities.
So, let´s hear what other moms out there think. Do you outsource or would you in the future? Or are you actually a supermom? (If you are, PLEASE leave your tips so I can follow them)
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I’m so glad you posted this, Genesis. It’s time to help entrepreneurial mom’s let go of the guilt factor that so often plagues us, and stop feeling like we MUST be the supermom!!
Once I’m done my maternity leave, I think I’ll hire a house cleaner. I started sending my son to daycare when he was 15-months-old (he’s 22-months-old now), because it made us both MUCH happier — he gets the constant play-time and interaction with other kids and I get a little time to care for my now 4-month-old daughter and work while she’s sleeping.
Ultimately, I wish I could afford a stay-at-home nanny, who would help care for the kids, clean the house and make meals. Some day…
What I found helps me most, is to outsource work-related tasks that I just don’t like to do, or don’t have the skills to do. I recently hired a copy writer and it’s taken such a load off my shoulders. I’m also in the process of hiring a Virtual Assistant to do press releases and other tasks to free up my time to do just my coaching and to spend more time with my kids and less on running my business.
Sounds like you have the right idea about outsourcing. It is hard to get started, but in the long run, it really is worth it!
We don´t have a good day care nearby, but hiring in-home help is pretty cheap, since I live in Guatemala.