13th May 2019
Time Is Money: Paying Someone To Do Your Chores Can Make You Happier
No matter what age we are, we all have household chores that we’d rather not do. You know those dreaded to-dos that always seem to end up at the bottom of the list -- the kind that stress us out and disrupt our sleep. Let’s face it: time is money. The more time we spend on household chores that we despise, the less time we have to do the things we really love. The old saying “money can’t buy you happiness” actually may be a little bit misleading, because research shows that if you can afford to use some of your money to buy your way out of the tasks you dread, you can be a lot happier in life. Here are 3 helpful steps that can save time on household chores to free up more time on other things that are important to you.
- Determine what chores you dread: Think about what chores you dread doing the most, or which ones are sucking up a lot of your time. Keep a handy log and write down notes when you notice them, so that you can determine an action plan on how to limit your time doing them. For example, some tasks could be lawn care, grocery shopping, cleaning, or laundering your bedding.
- Save money on things that do not buy you happiness: When you want to buy something, ask yourself, “Will this bring me long-term happiness?” If it will not bring you long-term happiness, consider not buying it and save that money for things that will bring you long-term happiness. For example, something that could bring you genuine happiness is hiring other people to do the chores you dislike doing, which gives you more time to do what you love.
- Hire someone else to do it: With companies like TaskRabbit, Instacart, Molly Maid, etc popping up all the time, it’s easier than ever to hire someone else to complete your tasks that you don’t want to do. It is helpful to understand how long certain chores take you to complete and if your hourly rate (based on your income level) is higher than what you would pay someone. If your hourly rate is more than hiring someone else to do the job, then it makes even more sense to get someone else to do it for you.
Make it a priority to save your money for things that will bring more joy to your life. Instead of buying unnecessary items that clutter up your home or you decide to donate in a year, consider spending that money on hiring services to help you with your household chores. This will ultimately bring you more happiness because you’ll have more freedom of time to devote to the things that matter most to you. Shifting the focus to not just make more income, but spend money in ways that are actually making you happy, is a smart strategy.
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