Many years ago, my wife (Marcie) and I were presented with the idea of hiring a personal chef. It sounded like an odd idea—like something for the super-rich. But, we did some research, calling around to various places (this was before Google had become our go-to). We found a chef through a personal chefs association, and for a number of years she would come to our house and prepare a huge amount of food for us to freeze.
Our kids (three of them, all under 10 at that time) didn’t like what she made, and my wife wasn’t a big fan either, so the food ended up being mostly for me, and the visits became less frequent.
When Marcie started to enjoy cooking, we stopped using the personal chef. Marcie would make huge batches of recipes that were freezable. In more recent years, we’ve supplemented Marcie’s cooking with the help a friend who, for the price of a house cleaner, will cook all morning.
I wrote about this type of thing in my book in Chapter One, Be Happy. Hiring (or bartering with) other people to do things that you don’t love to do is a great happiness strategy.
I’m writing about it again here after being inspired by this excellent article on the topic.
The article posits, and I agree, that outsourcing tasks to others helps you create a better life for yourself. In different words, the writer makes the argument that this type of outsourcing is as an investment, not a cost. She says the money you spend can free you up to make more money. I agree with that analysis, but mostly I like the quality of life that comes from investing in having others free you up to spend time doing things you love to do.
Marcie and I enjoy outsourcing some of our cooking, which mostly results in easy-to-grab workday lunches I heat up at my office. I enjoy eating food I like, and which is good for me. It’s also more economical than eating out. (A fairly typical lunch for me is barbequed chicken, an apple, and a big handful of spinach for a salad.)
What are some things you outsource that help you have a better life? Join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David