First A PSA…
If you haven’t listened to the Cowboy Carter album yet, do yourself a favor. Take a break from reading this. Download the album from iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, or another streaming platform and turn the volume up. We’ll be here when you get back.
I promise. It’s worth it.
I read the instructions thoroughly and counted all the parts labeled A through F. I had every piece accounted for down to the “mid-length screws.” After ensuring again that I understood every instruction, I began to put my daughter’s bookshelf together.
It seemed simple enough.
The panels had pre-drilled holes. Every piece looked as though it was cut perfectly to fit with the next piece. All I had to do was assemble and tighten some screws.
“This should be easy.” I thought. “I’ll be done in 30 minutes.” If there was a saying called “famous last thoughts,” that one surely qualified.
Ultimately, I had to enlist my niece, sister-in-law, and husband to help, along with two manual screwdrivers, one drill, and a rubber mallet. Instead of 30 minutes, the project took almost two hours.
So I found myself asking, “What would Shonda Rhimes do?”
What would Shonda Rhimes Do
My admiration for Shonda Rhimes runs deep. At one point, she had four shows on ABC running simultaneously, where she was the creator, head writer, executive producer, and showrunner, all while raising two little girls.
I wondered how she did it all. Then, in her TEDx talk, she told everyone.
She outsources.
Shonda has an army of assistants, nannies, writers, producers, actors, and crew to ensure she can execute her work at the highest level. She focuses on her creative genius. They handle everything else.
Shonda Rhimes wouldn’t have spent two hours putting together a bookshelf. She’d outsource the task.
How To Outsource Like Shonda Without Shonda’s Money
I don’t regret spending two hours assembling the shelf with my family. It was actually a wonderfully funny and frustrating family bonding experience, so it was not a waste of time. But I should probably follow Shonda’s advice in other areas of my life.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve felt like I’ve had more on my plate than I could handle. My default programming to handle the busy times is to sleep less, eat terribly, and grind my way through my to-do list by any means necessary.
Today, I know better. Outsourcing isn’t just for the celebrities of the world with their Hollywood budgets. It’s for us mortals, too. Outsourcing ensures that we are able to meet the demands on our time while taking care of our needs.
And it isn’t as expensive as you might think. To keep costs low, you can outsource most of the small tasks that suck up a lot of time for a small fee.
Need to run an errand or get groceries? Try Amazon Subscribe-and-Save, Shipt, Instacart, and Task Rabbit.
Do you need help making doctor’s appointments, buying birthday presents, and remembering to restock the toilet paper? With services like Fancy Hands, Get Friday, Task Rabbit, and Fiverr, where you can hire someone for $5, there is no reason not to have help executing everything.
Have tons of emails to write? Use Copy.AI to help you get your grammar, tone, and wording just right, and Sanebox to wade through the mounds of junk email to get to the important stuff. (Also, forget the dream of Inbox 0. It’s not a priority, no matter what Instagram tells you.)
It’s unlikely that the demands on our time and attention will lessen anytime soon. So, like Shonda, we must prioritize our well-being and protect our creative genius by outsourcing.
Ready to say no in your life but want a little help? Message me to set up a free discovery call.
In power and solidarity,
Toya