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Have you dismissed the thought of outsourcing for fear of being seen as lazy? The truth is, outsourcing certain tasks can make you more productive. The benefits of time and energy saved from outsourcing often far outweigh the costs involved. Instead of exhausting yourself over the weekend ticking off intensive house chores, wouldn’t you much rather spend it with your family or friends?
Online community marketplaces like Airtasker make the art of outsourcing easy and straightforward. From home cleaning to handyman jobs, furniture assembly and IT support, there’s someone out there who’s more than happy to help with your to-do list.
If you want to maximise your free time, here are five things you should consider outsourcing.
1. Garden Maintenance
Gardens are a beautiful space that brings you a sense of tranquillity, but keeping it tamed requires consistent attention and effort. Weeding, planting, cropping hedges or pruning can take up an entire weekend, and that’s if you know what you’re doing. Instead of spending hours getting your garden back in tip-top shape, why not outsource the job? Now you can catch-up with friends over brunch and come home to a lovely garden to enjoy and relax in with your family.
TIP: The trick to keeping your garden well maintained is to be specific in your task description. Outline exactly what needs to be done including any required skills or equipment, and then set a price you’re willing to pay.
2. Technology Support
Remember the last time you tore your hair out trying to set up a new router? Or that time your laptop broke down and you were on the phone with a repairer for hours to no avail? IT support and technology set-up is not everyone’s forte, nor is it always easy! Outsourcing it to someone who’s technologically savvy is far more economical than following instructions over the phone or making an appointment to fix a problem in store. Think of how much time and stress you can save!
TIP: Sometimes it’s the little technical queries that pile up and eat into your time as you try to tick them off your to-do list. From Internet setup to Apple help, website and blog support, there’s a host of computer, IT and web tasks you can get done. List everything down and see if you can get it all done in one day.
3. Photo or Video Editing
It’s coming to that age where photo albums are mostly extinct and photographs taken years ago are now stored in boxes collecting dust. It’s likely that we’ve all made a mental note to scan old photographs in case there’s ever a disaster at home, but how often do we ever get around to doing it? Scanning each photo, editing it and then processing it on your computer is no doubt a big job and a huge time waster. This is the perfect example of when you should outsource the job and have someone else do it for you.
TIP: It’s not just old photographs. If you’ve just had a wedding or come back from a 3-month holiday, and need to get your photos/videos sorted, filed, edited and backed up, outsource the job. Now you can spend the free time planning your next holiday instead.
4. House Repairs
How often has the dishwasher, washing machine or TV broken, but the only time the repairs man can come over is during the day when you’re supposed to be at work? This can be incredibly frustrating when you work full time and the repairs man is fully booked on weekends.
Outsource the pesky handyman jobs to a skilled member in your community instead. Chances are they will be more flexible with timings too and can pop by after you come home from work. From fixing broken appliances, TV mounting and installation, to repairing broken doors or windows, simply post the task and someone would be happy to take the stress away from you.
TIP: Providing accurate information can help people better understand what needs to be done. You can do this by including images and documents as attachments to a task. Making your brief clear and concise can help minimise unnecessary back and forth, saving you more time on correspondence.
5. Miscellaneous Jobs
Beyond household chores and life admin, there’s often a host of miscellaneous tasks that pop up at the very last minute. Forgotten a friend’s birthday or worse, your anniversary? Good news – you can outsource this and salvage the situation. Organise for someone to pick up a present and deliver it, or hire someone to plan a romantic surprise. There won’t be any inkling that you almost forgot the special occasion.
TIP: Outsource miscellaneous jobs that require a lot of logistics and planning. For example, hire someone to organise your child’s birthday party. Instead of making several trips to party suppliers and the supermarket, now you can kick back and catch up on all those Netflix episodes and your kid will still have a smashing birthday party to look forward to.
In the fast-paced world we live in today, time has become the ultimate prized possession. Embrace the art of outsourcing to maximise your free time so you can enjoy doing more of what you love.