Every morning I log onto my Outlook and there it is staring at me in the face – my absolute failure to accomplish what I wanted to in any given day in the form of my Outlook “Reminders”. There is the “call Volvo for maintenance service” from 3 weeks ago, “bring in couch cushions for reupholstering” from 2 weeks ago”, “buy birthday gift for my client” from 1 week ago, and so on. And, these reminders make noise when they pop up – it’s my never ending automatic nag. It reminds me that while there are 1,440 minutes in a day, or 10,080 minutes in a week, I can’t, or am unwilling to, find the three minutes it will take to make that call to Volvo (week after week after week). I don’t need such reminders in my professional life – I just seem to get it all done and then some. Sound familiar?

If you’re like me, you have these same nagging reminders whether they are written down or stuck in your head (talk about a headache). If you’re not like me, and manage to tackle your to-do list – bravo to you! But, do you realize that the time you spend accomplishing these tasks might be better spent having a life? And, then there is the cost of that time. There are two basic issues in work/life balance – finding the time to get it all done and the value of the time associated with completing those mundane tasks of our daily lives.

Regarding the second issue, the 2008 U.S. Department of Labor’s American Time Use Survey estimates that the average person spent 24.2 hours a week on errands and tasks such as household activities, purchasing goods and services, phone calls, mail and email (or non-work, leisure or sleep activity). Due to longer working hours, let’s say that professional women spend 15 hours a week on those activities (for those who can squeeze in the time). That’s 780 hours a year – 780 hours a year you could be taking that dance class, reading a book, getting that massage, spending leisure or quality time with your friends and family – or just plain enjoying life! Place a value on your personal billable hour (as your employer does and if you are self employed you should). If you think your professional time is worth $200 an hour, than that time spent on your to-do list equals $156,000 a year. If its $250 an hour, then that time spent on things like waiting for a service provider to show up comes to $195,000 a year. I could go on and on – you get the point. Different people have varying household and family support situations (and hourly rates), but that is a lot of time spent on things you simply don’t have (or want) to do. I say take back that time (and money) by outsourcing those tasks to a concierge service! Is getting your passport renewed or buying and addressing those holiday cards really worth $200 an hour?

Before you answer that question, you need to get over that Superwoman complex and the guilt that you are not doing it all. None of us are Martha Stewart and a master of the courtroom or the stock market or the operating room. Outsourcing or delegating tasks doesn’t make you a lesser person. It makes you a smarter person who has taken control over your personal and professional life.
We recently had a client who had purchased one of our pre-paid personal assistant packages, and knew she needed us, but just didn’t know where to start. So we went over to her house, sat down with her, and here is what we found: (1) a dining room table that needed a tablecloth and napkins for a 40th birthday party dinner (and some easy recipes for the occasion); (2) a broken DirecTV box in a guest room; (3) two watches that needed repair by authorized dealers; (4) a new condo that needed a few trips to Bed Bath & Beyond; and (5) a list of presents that needed to be purchased and wrapped. The result? The birthday party was a great success; she has a functioning TV in the guest room without waiting for the technician for 3 hours; and her watches keep the correct time. We are still working on the other tasks and all she’s had to do is answer a few emails about them. All this for way less than $200 an hour and many hours of spared precious time. So, give yourself a present just for the hell of it – some deserved and needed personal assistance! And, those Outlook Reminders be damned!