The Top Tools Entrepreneurs Can Use to Outsource Their Life It's important to understand that your time is most efficient when dedicated to your business, so outsourcing your life is where the real time-savers come in.
By Sarah Haselkorn Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
All entrepreneurs know that startup life is a 24/7 gig. We are busy people that have to learn to allocate our time in the most efficient way possible.
For those who don't have help at home, it's not easy to juggle work and life. Who has time to buy groceries when our schedules are unpredictable and full of endless days?
I learned over time, and from the advice of my peers, that we have to find ways to outsource our time. At the end of the day, no one knows your business better than you do, so it's scary to think about handing off responsibilities for your company. But when it comes to your life, anyone can buy groceries, walk the dog or run errands. It's important to understand that your time is most efficient when dedicated to your business. Outsourcing your life is where the real time-savers come in.
As a busy entrepreneur, here are the top tools that I use to outsource my life, so that I can dedicate my full focus to my work.
Related: 8 Essential Time-Saving Tools Every Online Entrepreneur Needs
Boxed
Where Amazon meets Costco, but better. Boxed allows me to seamlessly order household (and some dry food) items at wholesale prices with just a few simple clicks. The best part is that all of the items arrive in one box instead of as they are available, like with Amazon. I have completely cut trips to Target or Costco out of my routine, and I'm actually saving money. They are constantly growing and adding products, which is even helping to reduce the trips I make to my neighborhood grocery store.
Amazon
For the household goods that you can't buy in bulk. Light bulbs, sporting goods, some electronics and other specialty items are always cheapest and easiest to order on Amazon.
Handy
Book a housekeeper or handyman services with the click of a button using Handy. At times this feels indulgent, but when when you are redirecting your time and efforts to drive growth within your business, it is money well spent. For as little as $20/hour you have pre-vetted professionals at your door ready to lend a hand.
TaskRabbit
For those other spare tasks that you just can't waste time on, TaskRabbit will do the trick. It is slightly more expensive than Handy, so I prefer to use it for tasks that Handy does not offer, such as moving houses, spring cleaning or assistant tasks.
GrubHub/Seamless
Admit it, we don't always have time to cook. For these times, I turn to Grubhub and Seamless. It's slightly more of a splurge to order food rather than prepare it, but there are a few ways I get around this: always search for the restaurants with low or no delivery fee; go for food items that save well and can serve as lunch the next day.
Related: Since You Can't Manipulate Time, Try These 13 Time-Saving Tips
Shyp
For a courier fee of $5, Shyp picks up all of your items, packages them, ships them and then bills you for the cost of materials and shipping. I find that any time I am trying to ship an item, I never have the right packaging, or time to wait in line at the post office. I also always seem to overpay for materials based on what is available. Shyp saves you all of that time and hassle for an incredibly low cost. Plus, they will pick your items up from you wherever you are at that time (home, office, etc.).
There are many other tools dedicated to streamlining your life -- transportation, dog care, and laundry, to name a few -- so that you can shift your focus. Ultimately, it's important to understand and remember that your time is optimized when spent on your business. Whether that means outsourcing your life, or hiring a personal assistant, you will save money in the long run and improve your business in the process.
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