My housecleaner would be terrible at doing our taxes and even worse at mowing our lawn. The trick is to play toward everyone's strengths before you assign any work to others.
For example, in the creation of this book, I made the mistake of using my website designer to help with the cover creation. I did this because I thought it would be easier--I already knew him, he had done good work for me, and although it was outside of his normal responsibilities, I thought he could do a good job. I was wrong--way wrong. We went through several versions, I spent funds unnecessarily, and together we ultimately realized it wasn't right. You would think that as the author of this book, I would have taken my own advice. But we're all a work in progress, right?
The cover was eventually completed, but I certainly wasted a good amount of time trying to fit someone into a role they were not skilled to do. By managing your expectations and theirs, everyone will be happier.
Breaking projects into smaller, manageable tasks makes it easier to find a good fit to do the job. It also helps you avoid dropping an overwhelming amount of work on someone new who hasn't yet had a chance to show you their worth.
Match tasks with strengths, and everyone will be happier and more successful in their roles.
Outsource your least enjoyable tasks:This seems obvious, but we don't all have the same preferences or strengths.
A friend of mine recently told me that she decided against hiring a housekeeper, one of the most commonly outsourced activities for working mothers. Her reasoning was that she actually enjoyed cleaning her home and found it relaxing. I thought she was crazy, but she explained that she liked the feeling of accomplishment she felt by personally taking her home from messy to orderly.
While I don't feel the same way as my friend, I can understand her point of view. Instead of looking for the easiest or most common things to delegate, identify the tasks that add stress to your life or could be done better, or more easily, by someone else.
Childcare drop-offs and pickups:Getting myself and three small kids ready for work and school on time each day is a major feat that is not easily accomplished in my house (or any other for that matter). For most dual-working families, this is the single most stressful time of the morning and evening.
Something that has worked well for us is asking a local teenager or family member to help with the childcare drop-off or pickup. If you can find someone who just wants to earn a bit of income (as you would pay by the job or by the hour), you can help another family by providing work and help yourself by reducing stress.
I'm able to zip out the door in the morning and leave my helper to get the kids off to the right start. For a few extra dollars a day, it is worth its weight in gold!
Samantha Knowles is the author of Working Mom Reviews. To know the truth about those killer six pack abs check out Truth About Six Pack Abs Review. To learn tips and reviews on Tubelaunch- quickly check out Tubelaunch Review.
