Still, it was a surprise to read this AP story that the Orange County Register is conducting a one-month experiment to outsource some copyediting and page layouts to an editorial outsourcing firm in New Delhi, India. According to the AP account, the month-long trial with Mindworks Global Media will start by the end of June. In it, Mindworks will edit some stories for the Register and lay out one of community papers published by the Register’s parent company, Orange County Register Communications Inc. (Disclaimer: I worked at the OC Register from 1988 to 1995.)

The Register is only the latest newspaper to shift work to India: Mindworks started working with The Miami Herald in January. Late last year the Sacramento Bee said it would outsource some ad production to India, according to the AP report.

I’ve previously written about what newspapers could gain by shifting more editorial work to freelancers. It’s a logical combination of companies wanting to outsource costly functions – like paid editorial staff – to less costly providers – freelancers. It’s also feeds on the trend toward entrepreneurship, especially among Millennial workers who, according to experts, want to be their own bosses so they have more control over their work lives, work/life balance and get rich without having to climb the corporate ladder.

Why aren’t more newspapers going this route? Are they more comfortable outsourcing what could be termed the family jewels – a paper’s editorial product – to a country fall from home rather than to freelancers in their own backyard? That doesn’t make sense. It does point out, however, how little standing writers who are independent contractors have with newspapers and magazines. Maybe it’s up to freelancers to band together and create content and design outsourcing companies that they can pitch to newspapers. It might be out of the normal realm of many freelancers’ businesses, but given how many papers are laying off workers and folding whole sections – or folding entirely – it’d definitely be worth a shot.

The latest thing I’ve entrusted to an outsourcer is grocery shopping. I don’t like grocery shopping. End to end it takes at least two hours to make a list, go to the store, get everything I need, check out, drive home and put everything away. With an online service, I keep a running list at the grocery store’s Web site, push a button to order, pick a delivery time and make sure I’m around to put groceries away after the truck gets here. Time spent: less than half an hour. Most of the time I buy enough to earn free delivery, so it’s not costing me anything. I use Safeway.com, but New Seasons also offers online ordering in my area.

In addition to groceries, I outsource housecleaning, yard service, car washes, window washing, roof maintenance, tree trimming, haircuts, hair coloring, pedicures, carpet cleaning and some interior design consulting. If my husband wasn’t such a good computer and cable TV guy, I’d outsource those too. There are some things I’d never outsource, like walking the dog (because I’d be big as a house if I didn’t), laundry and ironing, which I like to do.

Some freelance writers hire people to design their Web sites and transcribe their taped notes. Some use assistants for Web research and to set up interviews with sources. I do most of my work by phone and type as fast as most people talk, so I don’t need transcription services. My Web site is part of this blog and both are still pretty rudimentary, so there’s no need to pay anyone for those. Maybe one day I’ll earn enough to hire an assistant, but for now my researcher is Google.

What about you: what things do you outsource to be more productive at work? Write me and I’ll share the best ideas I receive in a future post.