I was recently told by my financial advisor that I could retire at any time! It came as a big shock to me as I thought I had many more years to go before I was able to retire. I am not planning on retiring any time soon as I (1) love this industry, (2) love my job (for the most part), (3) enjoy interacting and working with my team members (4) have professional goals I still want to achieve, and (4) have no idea what I would do with myself.
But the news did get me thinking about “Time”….. What is the value of my time? Since “time” is something one can never get back, and none of us know how much time we still have; when does it make sense to have someone else handle a task (especially if it is something you are not good at and/or do not derive any pleasure out of doing). This can be personal (yard work and house cleaning are ones that come to my mind) or professional (dealing with sales pitches, negotiating agreements, and handling the issue that arise from those agreements – yes, shameless plug).
Is there any value to you in letting someone else handle a particular job or task? Can they do the job faster, better? Is the cost you have to pay worth getting your time back to do something else more important or satisfying to you? Does the cost of getting your time back reduce your stress or make life more enjoyable?
I understand that not everyone is able to afford to pay someone else to do a job, and sometimes the value of our time vs the cost to “sub-it-out” do not align (I still mow my own lawn as I cannot justify the required weekly cost in my head…yet). However, when the cost paid justifies the extra time you now have plus removing that job/task/responsibility from your “to-do-list,” you are typically less stressed and a happier person.
I encourage everyone to evaluate where they can justify outsourcing and delegating in-order to reallocate the time they normally would spend on a job/task/duty to something more meaningful in their career and life.