9 personal tasks busy CEOs should start outsourcing
As a company of virtual assistants working with top executives, it’s clear to us that most busy CEOs expect to have to do it all: keeping on top of both your work life and home life is exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be this way… you can start personal outsourcing to free up your time and take the pressure off you at home and give you more time for what matters.
What is personal outsourcing?
Instead of professional outsourcing, whereby you hire someone to support you with business-related tasks, personal outsourcing involves anything that helps you in life outside of work.
Think about all the household chores you have to do during an average week. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, gardening, childcare – the list is endless. Now add your never-ending business to-do list, and that’s a whole lot of responsibility.
Benefits of outsourcing household tasks as a business owner
When you try to do it all yourself, essentially becoming the ‘CEO of everything’ in both life and work, it doesn’t take long for cracks to start appearing. At a guess, you started your business to get more freedom and to enjoy life, yet you’re constantly chasing your tail with not enough time for your family, friends, or hobbies.
If this sounds familiar, outsourcing chores and personal tasks will help to free up your precious time and improve your work/life balance, finally being more present. Let’s go into how to start outsourcing your life outside of work, so you actually get a life you love.
9 personal tasks you can outsource to save time
Everyone has a different lifestyle, so what you choose to outsource will be different to the next. The overall aim is to make your life more manageable. Here is a general overview of the most common personal tasks to outsource…
1. Cleaning your house
For some people, the benefits of outsourcing cleaning services is huge, as it instantly takes the pressure off you to always keep your house spotless. Sure, you will probably have to keep on top of a few things still, but if you hire a cleaner, you know that deep clean will be happening regularly. Many cleaning companies offer weekly or bi-weekly packages to handle regular home maintenance like dusting, vacuuming, and bathroom cleaning.
Our CEO Holly hires a cleaner, and says there is nothing quite like walking back into the house to an immaculate kitchen, sparkling floors, and knowing the bathroom will be spotless when she heads upstairs.
2. Laundry
Washing and ironing clothes takes up a lot of time, especially if you have a family with small children who have a tendency to spill everything down them or play in mud. You can use a dry-cleaning service and either pick up your clean laundry or even have it delivered. Even if you decide to use this for only certain clothes – like shirts that need more attention – it’s a great time-saving tip.
3. Gardening
If you’re fortunate enough to have a garden or outdoor space, you know that although it’s a lovely place to relax, it takes a lot of maintenance and work to keep on top of. Even the green-fingered amongst us would welcome extra help when it comes to lawn mowing, gardening, and landscaping tasks to keep your outdoor spaces beautiful and tidy.
To make sure your garden is your happy place rather than somewhere that adds more to your plate, hiring a local gardening company is a great personal task to outsource. You’ll get more time to do the exciting projects you want to do, and will be able to enjoy sitting in your garden without the anxiety of regular maintenance.
4. Food shopping and meal preparation
Keeping a balanced, healthy diet is essential to staying productive at work and generally feeling good about yourself. But it’s also hard work. You and your family can get a good diet and home-cooked meals on the busiest of days when using a meal preparation service.
You can choose your frequency and the number of meals, and you get all the ingredients delivered on your doorstep. This not only reduces your headspace from thinking about what to cook, but it also means you avoid the supermarkets. There are many options out there now to suit a range of taste buds, such as Hello Fresh, Gousto, and even fully plant-based option Planthood.
5. Childcare
Not everyone has family or close friends they can rely on to look after children. Employing nannies, babysitters, or daycare services to take care of children can be an incredibly helpful thing to outsource at home, especially during work hours or for occasional nights out to enjoy yourself.
There will be activities your kids enjoy doing, so you can enrol them into summer camps or after school clubs. Even if it’s an extra hour a week, it’s valuable time you can use how you need – whether that’s to be productive, spend time with your partner, or unwind by yourself.
6. Pet care
Someone can help to look after your pets so when you’re busy working on the business or having a day to yourself, you aren’t dictated by their schedules. You can hire pet sitters or dog walkers, or use pet daycare services on a regular or semi-regular basis. It also means that when you do go on holiday, there’s already trusted support in place.
7. Car maintenance
Using services that pick up your car for maintenance or repair and return it to your doorstep, saving you time. You can get delivery/collection from at home or your office, so even if you’re busy at work all day you can get your car valeted, fixed, and maintained. Sure, it might cost a little bit extra, but the time you save by driving back and forth and waiting is worthwhile.
8. Home repairs
When you’re a homeowner, the home repairs and maintenance are never-ending, and take up time and energy. Contracting professionals for home improvement projects, repairs, or installations, which require specific expertise. They’ll get the job done well, having all the tools and knowledge already, and you won’t have to watch hours of YouTube tutorials or take 5 trips to B&Q.
9. Admin support
Both work and home life come with admin. At home, there are bills to be filed, renewals to be made, and plans to be scheduled. Although you might not think of getting support from a VA for personal outsourcing, it’s a worthwhile consideration. By outsourcing these tasks, you can focus more on personal interests, family, and relaxation. Consider which tasks you can delegate to a virtual assistant at home to give you more time.
How to start outsourcing life outside of work
Now you have an idea of the personal tasks you can outsource, it’s time to decide which areas will make the most difference to you and your business. Try to think about the pain points that either cause you the most frustration, are the most time-consuming, or even are just things you’d rather not be doing.
You may not be able to outsource all these things in one go but start somewhere and then look for other opportunities as you move forward. It can be a financial investment but you’ll soon start seeing the benefits and stop feeling like you don’t have enough hours in the day.
Getting personal support means less stress, improved mental wellbeing, and the ability to have a greater focus on your work – which is all priceless to an ambitious business owner!
Remember, it boils down to physics: the lighter the load you carry, the farther you can go. So if we can lighten the load for you in any way, get in touch to discuss partnering with a team of trusted virtual assistants.