How Not to be a Frazzled Person

It is an all-too-familiar scene played out in virtually every household in America, almost every single day: People rushing out the door in the morning, hustling the children off to childcare or school, sitting through rush-hour traffic, picking up coffee and a breakfast pastry on the way to the office because there was no time for a decent morning meal, squeezing in a call to the doctor’s office to reschedule an appointment in between meetings, picking up the dry cleaning and running to the bank to cash a check while on lunch break, putting in a few extra hours of work to make up for lost time spent on personal business, picking up the children after work, sitting through another round of rush-hour traffic, racing across town to make it to softball practice and ballet lessons, making a run to the grocery store to pick up last-minute food items for dinner, rushing home to prepare dinner, getting the cleaning and laundry done, eating dinner, getting the dishes done, monitoring the children’s homework, and getting the children bathed and ready for bed. Exhausted yet? You then enjoy a minute of peace only to panic when you discover the office keys were inadvertently left at your daughter’s ballet school and they are closed for the night. This never-ending cycle then repeats itself the next day.

So, what’s a frazzled person to do?

It is no secret that modern society is becoming increasingly fast-paced and on-the-go. We are expected to not only juggle more but to juggle it well, to achieve more, to have all the latest gadgets, to keep up with the Joneses, and to not take ‘no’ for an answer. But at what price? Increasing demands placed on us at work and home simply leave us exhausted, overworked, and out of balance, not to mention the well-documented, damaging effects of chronic stress. The everyday personal tasks that need to be done often spill into after-work hours and already-packed weekends. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to be running errands during regular work hours. In the course of a week, all this errand running translates into several hours – time that could be better spent elsewhere!

Again, what’s a frazzled person to do? It’s time to call for help!

How much is your free time worth? By outsourcing some or all of your personal tasks, you essentially create time for yourself to do whatever your heart desires – time to spend with your children, time to pursue those hobbies, time to advance your career, time to spend on yourself. Yes, I said it: time for yourself! It’s simply priceless. Put it this way: for less than the price of a fancy steak dinner, you can have someone pick up your dry cleaning, drop off your packages, buy a gift, and make a run to the grocery store, and still have money left over for dessert!