I write a lot about outsourcing, the kind companies do to dispense with non-essentials and focus on what they make or sell. As an independent contractor, I know a thing or two about outsourcing from personal experience. The more things I don’t have to do in my non-work life, the more time I have for work. Working parents have done this for years, we just didn’t call it outsourcing. We called it day care – and yard service and house cleaners.
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.