Outsourcing is not just for businesses. You can outsource your house cleaning, shopping, meal planning, beauty tasks, and so much more. Outsourcing means getting other people to do your tasks for you, and it can help you be more productive in every area of your life.
Can You Outsource?
First, it’s important to note that outsourcing can be a great way to get yourself out of tasks that need to be done, but are so boring or dreadful to you that you just can’t force yourself to do them. For instance, if you hate cleaning your house, then hiring a maid is a great way to get all the benefits of a clean house without doing the cleaning.
Of course, outsourcing takes money, and not everyone has the money to do that. However, you can save and/or make money by outsourcing too. For instance, if you are an online business that outsources tasks like checking email and social media, then you have more time to deal with business aspects that are bringing you in money – and that can be really lucrative in the long run.
View outsourcing as an investment in your productivity. It will free up your time to do get other things done that you enjoy doing. If you are a busy person (and who isn’t), outsourcing is one of the best ways to stay productive.
Who Should Outsource?
So you have the money to outsource, but should you really do it?
Yes and no.
Yes – If you are consistently putting off a task because you don’t have the desire or ability to do it, then you should outsource. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and if you are procrastinating because you don’t feel like doing it or think you can’t do it very well, then outsourcing is your best answer. You can hire people who love to do that task and, because of that, will do it well.
Yes – Similarly, if you are not passionate about doing something, and you can outsource it, then outsource it. You only have so much time in a day, so why not spend it doing stuff that you are the most passionate about? You can let someone else, who is passionate about your task, do it for you.
No – But, if you are just being lazy and don’t want to do something simply because you want to do nothing, then that requires a mind shift, not an outsource. You can’t outsource your entire life. There are some things you need to do for yourself in order to boost your confidence, awareness, skill level, and satisfaction in life. In this case, I highly recommend getting clear about what you want to do in life because when you get passionate about your life, you stop wanting to be lazy and start wanting to do things that really matter the most.
Things To Remember When Outsourcing
One problem with outsourcing, besides the money part, is that you still have to manage the person you outsource to on some level. They need directions on what you want and you will need to be available to them if they have any questions or need clarification. In other words, you still need to put some time into the task, but it won’t be nearly as much as if you had to do it yourself.
The other problem is that things may not get done as you expect. For instance, if you hire a maid to clean your house, they may have a different cleaning style than you do, and they may not do the type of job you would do. Of course, you can discuss this with them before they begin, but I’ve found that people never quite do things as you do – or even as you expect – and it’s important to have a little bit of patience and allow them a little bit of freedom to do things their own way.
Also, it’s important to remember that ending the relationship with someone you are outsourcing to can be hard – for both you and them. This is especially true if you have hired them full-time and are their only source of income. It’s very important to plan ahead and give someone plenty of warning before you just call it quits.
I’ve been on both ends of that situation, and it is definitely worse to be at the end where you lose your only source of income. Yes, people you outsource from should be smart and have multiple sources of income, but if you are demanding all of their time and energy, then it’s hard to do, and you need to remember that they will require some extra attention when you see things coming to an end.
