As a business owner, one of the first tips you hear when feeling overwhelmed is to hire someone for support. Whether it’s a virtual assistant or a bookkeeper, the answer is simple: delegate! You know in your heart that you don’t have to do every single thing for your company and, once you hire, it becomes clear how the simple act of asking for help can change things for the better.
So why is it so hard to adopt that same mindset in your personal life?
Maybe there are feelings of shame surrounding the idea of not being “enough” at home. Or perhaps you think it isn’t worth the extra cost when you have two hands of your own.
But here’s the truth: Delegating in your personal life is a smart business decision.
The Catersource Conference & Tradeshow, co-located with The Special Event, is heading to Anaheim May 2 – 5, 2022. With fresh keynotes, new networking opportunities, eye-popping showcasing events and never-before-seen industry speakers, prepare to be wowed. Learn more
When you aren’t filling your mind and your free time with dishes, laundry, childcare, cleaning, and other chores, you’ll feel less pressure and stress in all areas of your life. You’ll have time to rest, which allows you to show up recharged and energized for your clients every day.
If you’re ready to start outsourcing your busy work, here’s how you can get started.
Start small.
Delegating isn’t as simple as flipping a switch and watching everything get completed before your eyes. In business, you have to train and onboard employees before they can start taking work off your plate. Hiring four employees at once can become even more of a headache than doing it all!
The same goes for hiring support in your personal life. Whether you’re welcoming a housekeeper, a nanny, or a personal chef, it will affect your family’s usual schedules and routines. Pick an area where you need the most support and try to find someone who can help out for 5-10 hours per week. It will be meaningful to reclaim those hours, but the change is small enough to allow your family time to adapt to the new normal.
Figure out where your time goes.
The most valuable support will address the areas in your life that drains your time, even if it doesn’t seem significant in the grand scheme of things. For instance, say it takes 20 minutes to portion out vitamins for every family member for the week. That doesn’t seem like a lot, right?
But 20 minutes here and 20 minutes there has a way of adding up and, as a business owner, that time should belong to one of three things: work, personal enjoyment or rest. Imagine having bountiful family time to spend in the evenings—pure bliss! So consider all of the things you do in your personal life and start figuring out ways to delegate it to someone else who can do it better and more efficiently than you.
Consider starting a family co-op.
Many home assistants seek full-time jobs with a family, but realistically, not every family household needs that much help. If you’re having trouble finding someone for 5-15 hours per week, consider forming a co-op with other families you know that could use the help.
Together, you can hire someone full-time for 30-40 hours per week and split the time and cost. On weeks where a family doesn’t need their hours, they can offer it to another family or choose to still pay for it. You will have to set clear expectations for the group, considering what happens if someone needs to upgrade to a full-time assistant or moves away from the area.
Create a household handbook.
One of the best ways to support your family assistant and remove yourself from the process is to create a notebook with lists of daily tasks, along with preferences and rules to follow. For example, if you sort laundry a certain way or your child’s backpack must have specific items, include those instructions in the notebook!
In addition to ensuring everything is done properly, this guide will also come in handy if you have to train a new assistant for any reason.
If you’re here for a quick-and-dirty list of personal tasks to consider outsourcing, here it is:
- Washing the dishes
- Doing laundry
- Caring for children
- Caring for pets
- Cleaning the house
- Tracking and restocking household inventory
- Rotating seasonal linens and decor
- Preparing bags for work, school, and extracurricular activities
- Packing lunches
- Preparing snacks and meals for the week
- Making phone calls
- Dropping off and picking up (groceries, donations, etc.)
- Organizing closets, drawers, etc.
- Watering plants
- Washing and vacuuming cars
- Preparing, wrapping, and writing holiday gifts and cards
This list is by no means exhaustive, but should give you a starting point to start thinking about how a home assistant can help you find more peace and wellness in your life. You’ll have more time to dedicate to family, exercise, sleep, and even watch your favorite Netflix show, simply by having less chores on your plate.
Plus, you’ll likely find that hiring support holds you more accountable to the things that fall through the cracks. Trust me, you’ll be second-guessing that towel you dropped on the floor when you remember that someone else has to take care of it for you!
Delegating in your personal life is not about being “lazy” or “entitled.” It’s about inviting more abundance and intention into your life (and your family members’ lives) by creating space to be fully present in every moment. And as a business owner, it’s just as much about removing distractions from your work hours and investing your energy into your company’s growth.
