Personal Outsourcing

5 Things You Can Outsource In Life

It seems that we are all too often uttering the phrase "there are not enough hours in the day." From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed there is something important that you could not get to because there was not enough time. While most of us sleep 6-8 hours during the night and work at least 8-10 hours a day, it is hard to find time to either enjoy yourself or work on something productive. Well, it is time to outsource parts of your life. Outsourcing in the business world is when companies transfer portions of work to outside suppliers rather than completing it internally. So why can't your outsource certain aspects of your life? Read on as we give you tips to free up your time.

• Hire a Cleaning ServiceDo you find that you don't have enough time to clean your house the way it should be cleaned? Well hire a cleaning service to take care of it for you. Most people tend to think that a "maid" is expensive. This cannot be further from the truth. Most cleaning services charge you based on the size of your house or apartment. They also do different levels of cleaning. Some will clean all the rooms, including all woodwork and pictures. They clean bathrooms from top to bottom and even wash dishes and clean all kitchen countertops and appliances. Some of the extra services they provide are packing and unpacking after trips, full "spring cleaning" and even window washing. Before you hire a maid service make sure that they are bonded and insured. That way if they trip over your XBox 360 controller and break a leg, you are not held liable for their injuries. Also, they will ask you many questions about your lifestyle and about pets which will give them an opportunity to provide you with a accurate quote. It is always better to hire a cleaning service instead of an individual maid. Individual maids will require you to consider them a "Household Employee" and therefore you are responsible for their taxes and workers compensation. Not to mention, an individual maid is much more expensive

• Get Clothes Laundered or Dry Cleaned and DeliveredWe all know it is a pain to do laundry. Not to mention that if you don't hang some clothing immediately after the dryer stops your clothes will get very wrinkled. Even some clothing that is considered "wrinkle free" can become wrinkled if it sits at the bottom of a laundry basket. Also, if you have tough stains then it will require you a little extra time to treat with a third party solution (you should invest in clothing with stain defender also). Well, in steps your local dry cleaner! Not only do most dry cleaners provide dry cleaning services, but they launder clothes too. Most will charge you a dollar amount by the pound and they will wash, dry and fold or hang your clothing for you. And if you have tough stains then they can easily remove them. Well, how does this save you time? You still have to pick the clothes up, even drop them off, right? Not true. Most will come and pick up your clothes for you and deliver them back to you in a few days. They can even deliver to your office if needed.

• Lawn ServiceUnless you are one of the few people that love mowing the lawn on a 90 degree summer day, then you know the amount of hard work that goes into managing your yard. Not to mention that you need to apply certain treatments during certain months. Taking care of the lawn is no longer something that you do in the summer, it can be an 8 month process. If you don't care if your lawn looks like Snoop's from the G-Thang video, then this does not apply to you. There are lawn care services that will take care of all this for you. Companies such as Scott's or Chemlawn will come out on a schedule and apply treatments that will kill weeds and feed your grass what it needs to make it very healthy and green. There are companies (or small businesses) that will even mow your lawn for you. They will come to the house and give you a quote based on what you want and the size of the yard. They will give you a program based on what you want to accomplish. This will allow you more time to stay in the air condition and play XBox 360! I personally recommend Scott's Lawncare Service.

• Pre-Made MealsThis is quickly catching on with a lot of families that are very busy. This will allow busy couples to take it easy when they get home, only having to make the effort of warming the dish that they want to eat. It's a simple solution. You attend a place or company where you get an opportunity to sample every dish that they provide. You decide what items and sides you want to have included in your meal. They provide you with a family size portion of the items for you to take home and put in your freezer. And when you are ready to eat them, simply warm them up. No prepping and cooking needed! Guys, this is really good also because you can provide your lady with a gourmet meal with little prep time! Check in your area for companies that provide pre-made meals.

• House Calls From the BarberYou know the routine. You try to get up early in the morning to get a good spot at the barbershop, but you still have a long wait once you are in the shop. And while most barbers take appointments, they can still not be done with a previous customer when you arrive. And I am all for the environment of the barbershop but I still can go without Hustle Man coming into the shop trying to sell me bootleg movies and incense. Most barbers now make house calls. Even though they may charge you a little more you get the convenience of having a one on one session with your barber. They can provide the same services that they do at the shop such as steam towels, cuts and shaves and "VIP" treatments. Once you feel comfortable with your barber see if they provide this service. If possible make a few appointments ahead of time especially if you travel a lot, you can get hooked up before you catch your flight. This will allow you to cut down on sitting in the shop and waiting for a chair to open up.
  
• Posting Coutesy of Donte Morrisette of 2 Guys 2Cities