Her name is Maria and she makes my Mondays glorious. Every time I see her roll down the street, I get one of those ear-to-ear smiles that I reserve for only the happiest of moments (like hearing my kids echo my witty comments, finding money in hidden places that I had forgotten about, and Christmas morning). As she slides through the gate and makes her way up the path, even Destructo (our giant Rhodesian Ridgeback) can’t contain her glee. For Maria is coming to help me un-muck the muck. 

She’s my knight with a shining vacuum.

 Eight years ago she made her way down the walk for the very first time. And it was then that I realized:

a) I can’t do it all 

and

b) I don’t have to.

Hiring someone to deep clean my home has been one of the best investments I can think of (that and wireless headphones, but more about that later). Not only do I get a shiny home for about 12 hours each week (that’s about the time it takes my crazies to trash it), but I also get to let go of something that I don’t enjoy doing. And that’s the main reason I pay someone to clean our home. And once I realized the power of outsourcing things that don’t bring me joy, I realized that there was more to let go of… soooo much more.  Especially for my small business. All it took was asking myself a few questions to realize that I can easily pass on some business tasks and, just like having someone clean the house, mow our yard, or paint my toes, it would free me up to do more of what I WANT to be doing. A side benefit of outsourcing for your business? The time you save can be devoted to making money. Because let’s face it, just like getting your hair done by a professional saves you tears, so does having your logo crafted by a professional designer.

Next time you’re sitting at your desk (or in the coffee shop) about to tackle your to-do list, ask yourself these three questions:

(1.) is this what I’m good at? (2.) is this something I really WANT to do? (3.) will this make me money?If the answer is no to any of these questions, consider hiring a professional to do the task for you. You’d be surprised at what jobs you can hire out.Also, be sure to check out www.fiver.com. Here you can find someone to do little jobs for 5.00 each. I’ve had friends use them for minor video editing, voiceovers, and transcription.Virtual assistants are also a wonderful gift from the internet gods. Have a lot of small, easily repeatable tasks? Hand them off to someone else to do!The internet has opened us up to resources worldwide, so use it! P.S. If you can’t find someone within your budget to do what you need to be done, email me. Because if your budget is realistic, there is someone out there who can help and I might just have a connection or two (wink).