Every job includes unpleasant tasks and obligations. Preparing invoices, sending reminder e-mails, and replying to repetitive questions are all prime examples. Over time, most of us come to accept that distasteful chores like these are simply unavoidable – but are they? A growing number of entrepreneurs and employees are discovering ways to creatively outsource the work they hate doing to others. Doing this correctly is increasingly the difference between feeling enslaved to your job or liberated by it.
A realistic, step-by-step beginner’s guide to outsourcing your least favorite tasks is offered below.
Identify Which Tasks Can Be Outsourced
It is not enough to merely like the idea of outsourcing in general. In order to reap its rewards, you must thoroughly examine your own work life with a keen eye for which tasks you can outsource. As noted, we are looking especially closely at work that is:
- Annoying
- Menial
- Repetitive
- Low-value
However, not all of these tasks should necessarily be outsourced. Some of them can be automated, which is even better than outsourcing. (You would be surprised how many computerized or web-based tasks can be automated with some clever programming.) Look long and hard at every task meeting the above criteria and determine whether it can or cannot be automated. Those which cannot be done without human effort are prime candidates for outsourcing. Fact checking, preparing and sending invoices, e-mail management, thank you and follow-up notes, and even the scheduling of your own day can all, in theory, be outsourced to a trusted assistant working beneath you.
Hire Remote or In-Person Assistants
With a list of outsource-friendly tasks in hand, it is time to hire assistants. These can be in-person assistants who work with you side-by-side at the office, or virtual assistants, who complete tasks remotely. Each is helpful under different circumstances, but you should know that virtual assistants are considerably cheaper. AskSunday.com, Time Magazine’s number 2 website of the year in 2007, offers virtual assistants at three pricing tiers:
- 20 hours/mo. for $279 per month
- 40 hours/mo. at $549 per month
- 80 hours/mo. at $1,087 per month
It is important to realize that hiring an assistant is not some fantasy or rich person affectation: it is a fundamental cornerstone of the outsourcing done by thousands of regular employees and entrepreneurs every single day. Other companies will provide virtual assistants to you for less than $8 per hour. What does matter, however, is that you be selective regarding the quality of any VA’s you hire. Ask the company for VA’s with “excellent” command of English, and be firm about any other requirements you might have.
Enact Systems & Processes to Keep Them on Track
In order to get all of the benefits of outsourcing, you will need to enact systems and processes that keep your assistants on track. First, accept that there will be problems and confusion early on. Chances are that if you are reading this article, you have never outsourced before. Furthermore, because your assistants are only human, they, too, will inevitably make small mistakes as they learn to satisfactorily complete your tasks. Do not overreact to this – just know going in that it is part of the process and well worth the effort later on.
The key to minimizing these obstacles is to systematize your expectations and interactions with the assistants. Four Hour Workweek author Timothy Ferris wrote an in-depth post about this entitled The Holy Grail: How to Outsource The Inbox & Never Check E-mail Again. In it, he stresses the importance of giving assistants rules and criteria for how to process different types of e-mail. Joint venture requests, for instance, are subject to the following screening by Tim’s assistant:
“I’m open to them, but my brand and respectability is #1. I will not do anything with anyone who comes off as deceptive or amateur. “Make millions while you sleep in our super-insane foreclosure program!” on the website disqualifies someone. I cannot be associated with anyone who might be seen as a liar or snake-oil salesman. Just ask yourself: if the CEO of a well-known company saw this, would he lose interest in speaking with me? If so, it won’t work.”
By training assistants to think and behave like he would, Tim is able to minimize his own time in the inbox to just a few hours per week.
Periodically Review & Tweak the System as Needed
Consider your list of rules and requirements a “living document”, subject to revision as you or your assistants devise more efficient ways to do things. It also may help to let your assistants make less consequential decisions on their own. Ferris issues marching orders to his assistants that any decision involving less than $100 is theirs to make. Schedule regular intervals for reviewing the performance of your assistants and making any needed tweaks or changes to how they perform your outsourced tasks. Seek input from your assistants about how they might do more or get the current workload done faster.
The Action Plan
Remember: outsourcing is not some pie-in-the-sky ideal that is impossible to put into practice. It all boils down to:
- Identifying your outsource-friendly tasks
- Hiring one or more carefully selected in-person or virtual assistants
- Creating structured systems and processes for how they are to do your work
- Improving that system over time
Mater these four things and you are well on your way to outsourcing the work you hate doing to others.
About the Author: Dan Wesley is the CEO of CreditLoan.com. Credit Loan can help you understand and connect to a brighter financial future. Perhaps, you are looking for help with paying or obtaining credit cards or you need advice about bad credit loans. Creditloan.com has a surplus of online resources and many useful FAQs to help you on your way.
