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Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

nytimes.com

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Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#21

Post by joelrunyon »

martin-adams wrote: post #10
joelrunyon wrote: post #3

I got a VA from the Philippines earlier this year & it's changed my business. I spend less time doing basic research, and repeatable tasks that I can do - but is simply not a good use of my time. I finally sat down, did a few of my tasks & documented each one, step by step, creating SOPs (standard operating procedures) for each one. It was a little tedious as first, but once my VA got after it - it freed up tons of t…

I keep wondering what my repeatable tasks are. I suspect I just don't recognise them because I don't have documented procedure. I don't suppose you'd elaborate on some examples of tasks you give to your VA?

Also (and I wouldn't have guessed this) but my VA at least is pretty fantastic at handling various social media outlets. Almost zero input from me & she "gets" it. Fantastic.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#23

Post by cmbaus »

ghaff wrote: post #9
cmbaus wrote: post #2

At one point I hired a personal assistant through oDesk. I took this idea from Timothy Ferriss's 4-Hour Workweek, but I hired someone in the US. I wanted to get a landscaping project done (that was required by the environmental regulators in Tahoe), but I didn't have time to track down the contractors, do background checks, make sure they showed up, and finally get the regulators to sign off on the project. The contr…

I'm not sure it's related to work ethic or religious roots but it's certainly true that there was never a particular culture in the US of service whereby even people of fairly middle-class backgrounds had servants. And this has probably carried over to modern culture whereby people probably outsource fewer tasks like grass cutting, housecleaning, and so forth than they arguably should (whatever that word means in thi…

Outsourcing by eating out has become much more acceptable in the past few years, but I can remember growing up that eating out was considered a luxury. But restaurants can achieve economies a scale that are difficult to get at home, especially if you don't have a large family. In many cases, eating at a restaurant or having food delivered isn't that bad of a deal.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#24

Post by joelrunyon »

quaffapint wrote: post #18

I will say I would never hire anyone to do work I can accomplish myself - I don't care if it makes sense or not, I just couldn't do it. Why? Because I and I would say most people that hire people to take care of their lawns and clean their toilets aren't then using their time more wisely or getting that oh so amazing hour of family time they could never have. They just don't feel like doing the task.

> Because I and I would say most people that hire people to take care of their lawns and clean their toilets aren't then using their time more wisely or getting that oh so amazing hour of family time they could never have. They just don't feel like doing the task.

This is an emotional response to the economic mindset that the article purposes. In the article - the entire point is that it doesn't matter what you do with that extra time, but if you value your time at $100/hour and you do a task that you can pay someone to do for $10/hour, it's not an efficient use of your resources. That's the economic theory - whether or not you do anything with that extra time is up to you.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#25

Post by joelrunyon »

dman wrote: post #5
joelrunyon wrote: post #3

I got a VA from the Philippines earlier this year & it's changed my business. I spend less time doing basic research, and repeatable tasks that I can do - but is simply not a good use of my time. I finally sat down, did a few of my tasks & documented each one, step by step, creating SOPs (standard operating procedures) for each one. It was a little tedious as first, but once my VA got after it - it freed up tons of t…

what does VA mean in this context?

Sorry - VA = virtual assistant.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#27

Post by ghaff »

quaffapint wrote: post #18

I will say I would never hire anyone to do work I can accomplish myself - I don't care if it makes sense or not, I just couldn't do it. Why? Because I and I would say most people that hire people to take care of their lawns and clean their toilets aren't then using their time more wisely or getting that oh so amazing hour of family time they could never have. They just don't feel like doing the task.

> They just don't feel like doing the task.

Why is there something inherently wrong with that?

The reality is that pretty much everyone outsources some tasks that they could in principle do themselves. Could I learn to be a passable car mechanic? Probably but I don't care to make that investment of time. On the flip side, could I eat out more? Sure. But I generally enjoy cooking.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#28

Post by joelrunyon »

hajderr wrote: post #17

Talk about degrading family value. Doing chores is beneficial and a nice way of taking a break.

I don't think you read the whole article or you would have caught this:

> (Oddly, it’s perfectly fine if leisure time includes those inefficient D.I.Y. household tasks that some people find rewarding and fun, like pickling beets or knitting.)

If you find it fun - do it. If not, outsource it as fast as possible.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#29

Post by hackula1 »

quaffapint wrote: post #18

I will say I would never hire anyone to do work I can accomplish myself - I don't care if it makes sense or not, I just couldn't do it. Why? Because I and I would say most people that hire people to take care of their lawns and clean their toilets aren't then using their time more wisely or getting that oh so amazing hour of family time they could never have. They just don't feel like doing the task.

This seems like a bit of a puritanical viewpoint. Taking a nap for an hour can be more productive than raking leaves, if rest is what you need most.

Re: Outsourcing your chores is a good thing

#30

Post by saryant »

russjhammond wrote: post #16
joelrunyon wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the podcasts - have you tried listening to them at 1.5x or 2x speed? I started doing that & it's saved me tons of time & I can get through way more content (doesn't sound that weird once you get used to it either). On your credit card - is that the Amex Platinum? I have a friend that uses them as a personal assistant basically.

I do use the 1.5x feature but save that for the podcasts I actually listen to. By reading the transcripts I can "monitor" 3-5 weekly, hour long podcasts in 15 minutes. As for the card, yes I use an AMEX Platinum but believe Visa Signature and MasterCard World Elite also offer a similar service.

I've used the Visa Signature service a few times from my Chase Sapphire Preferred. They've gotten me reservations at restaurants that had often claimed to be booked full.
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