Why You Should Outsource Chores?
A study by PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) says: “Despite rising incomes, people around the world are feeling increasingly pressed for time, undermining well-being.
We show that the time famine of modern life can be reduced by using money to buy time. Surveys of large, diverse samples from four countries reveal that spending money on time-saving services is linked to greater life satisfaction. To establish causality, we show that working adults report greater happiness after spending money on a time-saving purchase than on a material purchase. This research reveals a previously unexamined route from wealth to well-being: spending money to buy free time.”
And this is not an isolated study. There have been a series of articles in the Harvard Business Review where researchers noted that spending on services that save time make you happier than spending on stuff.
Read on to understand why spending money on outsourcing chores is the smart thing to do:
Being a present parent: How many times have we postponed an art and craft session, or an impromptu fun in the snow, with kids?
All that because we had to, among other things, prep a meal, or do the dishes, or maybe some cleaning with a side of laundry!
Each of those times represents a missed opportunity…. opportunity to bond with kids and make good memories. But, if one can outsource scrubbing the floor to create those priceless memories, it seems like a more than fair deal, don’t you think?
Buy yourself the gift of time: I always feel buying experiences is more valuable than buying material (the only exception being maybe precious statement pieces of jewelry, lol…but then, it is also an investment).
We buy ourselves apparels, shoes, jewelry, for happiness, but would they compare to the gift of time and tranquility?
Especially as busy parents, there is no other thing we appreciate more than some me-time. In fact that is the very reason , here, at DispatchMom, we made this as our focal points…to give 10-hours time back to parents, in a week.
Providing employment opportunities: By outsourcing chores, not only do we make ourselves more productive, but give someone else an opportunity to be part of the economic cycle.
That father-son who mow your lawn, maybe they did need that extra income, and are happy to get this opportunity; or that cleaning lady you call every other week, she would be able to provide a better lifestyle to her kids with these earnings.
You get a cleaner home, and someone gets to run their business, it is a win-win!
Fresh perspective on weekend: Sometimes I can’t decide what is more work…a weekday or a weekend!
Although ideally weekend should be the time to relax and taking time getting into the “work mode”, the reality is that it is often spent in repetitive chores and trying to squish all the week’s deferred tasks into a day or two.
Imagine how peaceful and refreshing the weekend will be if the unpleasant chores are taken care of, allowing us to focus on joy…and for a lot of moms that might just be an afternoon nap!
We do not mean to be tone-deaf though, and do understand that the decision to outsource is a financial one too. But if one is able to afford, outsourcing chores, in today’s hectic life, is not a luxury, but a part of regular maintenance of wear and tear of the modern parental life, especially moms.
After all, self care needs to be a priority, not an afterthought.
