10 Household Tasks You Can Outsource To Reclaim Your Time

Modern life can be hectic and insane.

Trying to fit in everything we need to do juggle work, keeping a household, ferrying kids around to activities, doing homework, getting exercise as well as squeezing in quality time with the family can be overwhelming.

Especially when the house starts to look like something off of Hoarders, and the number of chores you need to do just keep mounting up. Or maybe you just plainly hate cleaning, cooking, ironing, whatever. Not everyone enjoys these activities, and some of us have a lower tolerance for them than others.

The good news is that you can outsource just about any shitty task you don’t want to do or don’t have time to do any more. Once upon a time, this was just something rich people did now, just about anyone can outsource some, if not all of their least favourite tasks.

There are businesses dedicated to most chores and odd jobs, as well as websites like Airtasker or Gumtree, that help you get in touch with people who are looking to do your unwanted tasks for a bit of coin. You might find it’s more affordable than you think, or you might even do it semi-regularly, whatever works for you. Essentially, when you outsource household chores, you’re putting a price on what your own time is worth to you.

1. Household cleaning

Hiring a house cleaner can be a real lifeline if you’re time poor. Whether you want to (and can afford to) have someone come every week and clean the whole lot, or if you want to get someone in sometimes to help with specific tasks like mopping and cleaning bathrooms, there are domestic armies of people out there who can help you out.

2. Ironing

Ironing is one of those chores a lot of people loathe. It’s fiddly and some of us just can’t do it right. You might find that sending a basket or two of ironing out a week for someone else to do for you frees up hours of your time.

3. Cooking

Some people love cooking, other people find it to be a tedious, thankless, never-ending task. You get one day’s meals out of the way and then you have to do it all over again the next day. And the next day. And the day after that. Some people just don’t have the time to cook whether they love doing it or not. Instead of reaching for the takeaway menu, you might want to check your area to see if you can buy healthy pre-made meals from a caterer or a café/restaurant that provides the service. You can do this regularly or just have some on-hand in the freezer for those times you’re not going to get any cooking done.

4. Gardening

Gardening is also something that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Whether you need to keep the landlord happy, or you just don’t want your garden to look like you might have abandoned the place, you can find people to do just about any gardening job you need. From lawn mowing and weeding to landscaping there are plenty of people out there who have green thumbs who will be able to spruce up your yard.

5. Dog walking, grooming and poop scooping

If you’re finding it hard to squeeze in everything you need to do, it’s not just the humans in the family who are affected. Your poor pooch might be missing out on exercise because there’s no time to take it for a walk. You can hire a dog walker to come over as often as Fido needs whether it’s once or twice a day or just on days of the week where you know you won’t get to it. Dog groomers can also come over and give your pooch a bath, a trim and clip its claws. And if the thought of cleaning up dog poop from your yard disgusts you, you can outsource that, too. See, I told you that you can outsource just about any shitty task!

More household tasks you can outsource, next page!