Ahhh the mundane. The things you do that take up your time but you see little return from. These things are part fo life and you do them because you have to to either live or to prove that you are, in fact, an adult.
There have been many time in life where I have been in over my head with life things. Until now, I have always had a really full plate holding down multiple jobs, working full time and going to school full time, planning a wedding and buying a house all at once. My life has been busy and sometimes things like cooking and cleaning have fallen by the wayside.
It took me slaving through my 20s to figure out what to delegate in my 30s. I know, now, what is worth my time and what to delegate to those who are better at those particular tasks than I am. It’s a win win! (<— I just typed wine wine – my insides are telling me something…)
What to Delegate When You Are Super Busy (or you just don’t want to do it)
1. Hire a house cleaner.
SL and I bought a house at the end of 2014 right in the middle of planning for our wedding. The house is way too big for just us and the cat but in the not so far off future we plan on getting another fur baby (a dog!) and having some skin babies (<– gross but I had to). Before we know it, our forever-house will feel nice and full. Having a big-ish house is great but SL and I aren’t home enough to be good at keep our house to SL’s cleanliness standards.
Oh, and I hate cleaning. And I am not good at it. I will start one thing then realize there are 100 other things to do. I am so scattered when it comes to cleaning that I never do a good job. But you know who is good at cleaning, Erica, our house cleaner.
Coming home to a clean house makes SL and I so happy and frees what little time we have together to actually be together! Working the cost of a house cleaner into our family budget is well worth the extra time SL and I get to go on date night or go to the beach or escape to Maine for the weekend.
2. Have someone else cook for you.
I don’t know if I am in a rut because its winter or because I am just sick of eating everything I cook but I cannot bring myself to cook dinner as many nights as I usually do. I don’t get home from work (and working out) until 7:00 pm and sometimes I don’t want to cook I just want to shower and sit on the couch and have someone else feed me.
Luckily my mom only knows how to cook for an army so there are always leftovers and she is more than happy to whip me up one of my favorite dishes upon request. SL’s mom is also a great cook and sends us food often. Having someone else cook for you not only saves time but it usually tastes better (<– I don’t know why but its science.)
3. Ironing.
I’m just really bad at it and it takes up precious time where I can be doing things I WANT to be doing. SL’s work shirts need to be ironed and he thinks this falls squarely on my shoulders. I was doing this task for a while until I realized my time is worth much more than the $2.65 per shirt I pay at the dry cleaners.
They do an AMAZING job and have also given me tips on other things that I should be good at but I am not like how to get leather stains out!
4. Things you don’t want to do.
Time = money = energy = happiness. Therefore, time = happiness. The more time you free up by deciding what to delegate then actually passing the torch, the happier you will be. Yes, it costs more money but you will be getting parts of your life back!
Busy people wear a lot of hats and there comes a time when we need to start passing the hats off to people who will do the job better than you will. Erica is a better house cleaner than I am and by passing that responsibility to her, not only am I free up my hours but I am contributing to her livelihood. Mother Theresa over here!
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