Outsourcing your personal life.

Anyone who is in business is familiar with the benefits of outsourcing.  Tim Ferris's best selling book “The 4 Hour Work Week” brought to entrepreneurs attention the value of outsourcing and made it down right appealing. The practice of outsourcing has allowed companies to increase their profits and concentrate on what they are really good at.  If the most successful entrepreneurs and the biggest companies in the world are doing it, why aren’t more people doing it personally?

First let's cover what outsourcing is and how you can benefit from doing this in your personal life. In essence, outsourcing generally means delegating a list of tasks, or to-do's things that are crowding your everyday life and are preventing you from being proactive. So instead of outsourcing accounting and web design like larger companies, you are outsourcing some of your personal everyday tasks.

How to decide what to outsource?

1. Ones that take a lot of your time

2. Ones that you loath doing.

Take a moment and ask yourself: Once all your must-do's are taken care of, do you have time left over for the want to's and love to's? Chances are there are not enough hours in your day/week for everything else you would like to get done and this is a major creator of stress in life. This is where outsourcing comes into play.

Perhaps you're starting to see the value in this outsourcing thing, but the question remains WHO can you outsource to? There are many services available to you depending on your needs, where you live and whether you want virtual or high touch service. Balance InStyle services all of Ottawa and Gatineau and we have a satellite offices in both Naples and Clearwater Florida.  If you take a moment and think about all the things that you try to squeeze into a typical week, you will feel instant relief to know that there is a company that can manage it all for you and all you have to do is make one call. 

Balance InStyle has been in business for 7 years, is a legitimate and incorporated company. Fully insured with all applicable licenses and is bondable. Please do your own due diligence when you are engaging in such services. There are unfortunately alot of scams out there on Kijiji and Craigslist advertising at lesser rates but that are not operating legitimately. Given the nature of the service offerings one can request it is always a good idea to hire someone with a reputable business where you can read reviews and ask for references.

Here are a couple of ways outsourcing can make your life easier:

• Day to Day Errands & Grocery Shopping
• Total Home Management
• Wait Services - We wait while you work
• Administrative Tasks
• Time Consuming Research
• Back to School Shopping
• Home Staging & Decor
• Home Downsizing - Organizational & Charity drop offs
• Image Consultation & Personal Shopping
• Gift Buying, Wrapping
• Home Watch Services
• Home Renovations
• Wedding/Event & Party Planning Services
• Relocation Services
• Assistance with aging/sick family members
• Funeral Services; End of Life Planning
• Celebration of Life or Memorial Services
• Estate Planning &  Cataloguing of Personal Assets and Property Content.
• Research & Planning Services
• Secret Shopping
• Travel Planning & Scheduling

Is personal outsourcing for you? Make a list of your most time consuming tasks and ask yourself "Do I really need to do this myself" "Do I enjoy this"? If the answer is no, then maybe you would like to take advantage of the fine art of personal outsourcing. We'd love to hear from you. info@balanceinstyle.com

We also share some great tips and ideas on our Facebook page, we'd love to have you join our InStyle community so you can get Balanced...InStyle.

10 Ways to Find More Time in Your Schedule

Most of us would like to have just a little more time: how much more you could get done if you had just an extra hour or two a day? While I can’t magically transport you to Bajor, where they have 26-hour days, I can share a few tips that will help you to take control of your schedule and help to make it seem like you have a few extra hours.

1. Decline meetings. I don’t accept every meeting. If I don’t see real benefit resulting from my attendance, either for me or someone else, I decline the meeting. By only going to meetings you need to attend, you free up some time to do something productive.
2. Have effective meetings. Strive to have shorter, more effective meetings by being organized and always having a definitive end time. Spending a few minutes preparing for a meeting and send out an agenda and other materials in advance; it will mean that you get through the meeting faster, with less floundering around figuring out what you need to accomplish. I also try to keep people on track during the meeting and attempt to end on time or early when possible.
3. Schedule work. We all have certain tasks that require uninterrupted time where we can focus. For those activities, I try to free up big blocks of time on my calendar, and I schedule those tasks the same way that I would schedule a meeting, which allows me the time to work uninterrupted.
4. Schedule recreation. I also schedule my workouts just like any other meeting on my calendar. This has a couple of advantages. First, I get a reminder when it’s time to work out, and second, it discourages other people from scheduling over my workout and makes it more likely that I will be able to find the time for staying fit.
5. Take advantage of off-peak times. Try to schedule activities at times when you can do them in less time. When I need to drive to work (a 45- to 60-minute commute), I get up early to beat some of the traffic and schedule my workout after work, so that by the time I’m done exercising and ready to drive home, the traffic isn’t as heavy. I also try to avoid grocery shopping right after work or going to the bank at lunch.
6. Group and combine. Where possible, I take advantage of logical groupings to minimize travel time, such as scheduling afternoon meetings downtown when I know I need to be there for an evening event. I also try to combine meetings where possible, and I often meet with people for informal discussions at local tech events or prior to meetings. By combining meetings with meetups, I can get more done.
7. Be flexible. I try to be flexible with my schedule to maximize productivity. On days that I work from home, I start work at six or seven in the morning and then take a slightly longer lunch with a workout, which helps me start the afternoon refreshed. I also tend to move things around on my schedule and be flexible to take advantage of unexpected, but productive conversations with coworkers or to stay “in the zone” when I’m really being productive on a chunk of work.
8. Take breaks. When we get really busy, we tend to turn into workaholics and attempt to power through the work even when we aren’t being productive. While taking a break sounds like you will lose time, in many cases, it can help you get a new perspective on a difficult problem. A short walk can help, as can taking a break to accomplish something else, like running an errand or getting in a workout. After a little break, your brain will be refreshed and ready to be productive again.
9. Turn off the television. I used to watch a lot of television in the evenings until I realized I was spending too much time watching other people and not enough time experiencing my own life. I was surprised at how much time I had for hobbies, reading, fitness or even just getting a little work done in the evening when television wasn’t sucking hours out of my day.
10. Block out time for you. I block out my calendar from 4:30 to 5:00 every afternoon to give me a few minutes to reflect on the day, double-check my task list and wrap up any last-minute projects. In a past job where I often had back-to-back meetings all day, I used to block out my lunch hour just to give me time to eat! I know others who block off some time in the morning or afternoon to have time to take their kids to and from school. Think about what is important for you and make sure you find time in your schedule for what you want to do

Courtesy of Dawn Foster