Why use an assistant?

"Give your tasks over to a trusted professional". 
 
I've been saying this for almost a year now.  As I've shared information about Life Divine, I've seen the “light come on” for so many of our clients when they realize just what our business offers them.  At the same time, I’d always wondered why others resisted so adamantly when presented with the opportunity to have more free time. I never thought I’d have my own sudden “light bulb”  experience about my own business, but recently I did, and I’d like to share it with you.  
 
I was on my way out of the door to do some tasks for one of our clients, when I just stopped and looked around my home. I saw that in trying to get it all done - run a business, run a family and have a personal life, my life was beginning to look like I might be the one who needed a little extra help.   

That moment made me see why it is hard to let someone else help with what we generally consider to be “just life”.  We resist because there’s maybe a little guilt that nips at us when we have to admit we are swamped by the basic demands on our time.  We procrastinate, knowing that somehow we’ll get around to it later.  In these tough times, we might have to consider the financial justification of hiring some help, too.
 
These are all valid reasons to carry on alone, so I am offering some advice about how to decide when having a personal assistant makes sense.
 
Guilt:
Nobody can do it all. According to Kathleen Gerson, Professor of Sociology at New York University, the prevailing sense of being squeezed for time is universal and has been around for a long time. Outsourcing household chores started with the industrial revolution, when we began paying other people for things like our clothing and food. The idea of hiring someone to help us with our personal tasks is just an extension of this. 
 
Procrastination:
There is a great (albeit gross) illustration about putting a frog in a pot of cold water, then gradually heating the water to a boil. The frog adjusts to the slow addition of heat and never jumps out of the pot. Pretty soon he’s cooked, which I suppose is a good thing if you happen to want to eat a frog.  At any rate, the things we put off gradually collect, until that task you were going to get to tomorrow is eventually one of many tasks that you need to get around to doing.
 
There is such a sense of relief in knowing that things are taken care of, and won’t be on your list of things to do.
 
Finances:
There are many things to consider when evaluating whether your time is more valuable than the value of performing the task. How much could you be making if you weren’t missing work to take care of the problem? What is the value of having time to spend with your family after work instead of running errands? Consider, too, the intangible value of having time for personal development, and the benefit of mental well-being and relief from stress. 
 
 
So, let it go and I'll see you in that yoga class or on the golf course!