Welcome to part 3 of our three-part series called What To Do When You Are Out Of Time.

In the first post we discussed simplifying your life, especially your business life. When it comes to simplification small changes really can bring about big results.

You can read that post here.

In the second post, we examined what might be the #1 thing you can do to make your life easier, make more sales and have more fun as well.

I’m talking about automating everything you can.

You can read that post here.

Today it’s time to talk about getting someone else to do the work for you, also known as outsourcing.

People have many questions when it comes to outsourcing. In today’s article, I’ll cover the four questions I am asked most often.

1. Can I afford an outsourcer?

2. What tasks can be effectively outsourced?

3. Can I trust an outsourcer?

4. Where can I find outsourcers?

Let’s dig in.

Can I afford an outsourcer?

Great question, and an important one.

The answer to this question is twofold in my view.

1. What is your time worth?

2. Do you have enough work for an outsourcer to do?

The magic formula when outsourcing is this – will you pay someone else less than it would cost you to get a particular job done?

If the answer is yes, then outsourcing is for you.

While most of us don’t get paid by the hour online, we should know what our time is worth. Knowing that is the first key to outsourcing.

If you don’t know what your time is worth right now you can use my free online income calculator. The results may surprise you.

Once you know what your time is worth, and so what you can afford to pay, it’s time to look at what tasks you will outsource.

What tasks can be effectively outsourced?

The short answer may surprise you.

Almost everything can be outsourced.

And I do mean almost everything. The X factor is trust.

I have friends who outsource paying their bills and buying their clothes. They give their virtual assistants access to their bank accounts, PayPal accounts, credit card numbers, and even their social security numbers.

Bear in mind, these virtual assistants are just that … virtual. They have never met them and yet they give them these details.

Candidly, that is not for me.

But we all do things differently and the bottom line is simple – you can outsource as much of your life as you like.

Let me share three areas where I think outsourcing works well for overworked and tired online business people.

• Writing blog posts and publishing them to your blog.

• Doing SEO work on your blog to get more traffic.

• Any sort of technical work that challenges you, like customizing a blog or creating graphics for your site.

When it comes to outsourcing starting small and choosing a trusted vendor matters most.

Can I trust an outsourcer?

This is an important question. The short answer is no, not until you have worked with them and know how they will behave.

But don’t worry, all is not lost.

All you need is a good NDA to feel comfortable moving ahead.

NDA stands for Non Disclosure Agreement.

I’m not an attorney, and this is not legal advice, but an NDA protects you because your outsourcer literally signs an agreement that he or she will never disclose to anyone anything to do with your working relationship. Work with Boston Probation Violation Attorney | Kelly & Soto Law.

This is important for more than just credit card numbers. Your work process, mailing list names and more, all need to be protected.

Most likely you already have some of information together and ready– for example, law enforcement reports, accident report, health care report, medical records, bills, etc., This is the type of Florence, SC Personal Injury Attorney we will need to proceed with your case.

NOTE: If you deal with a company that specializes in placing outsourcers they will handle this for you.

The best place to get an NDA is your local attorney. If you intend to outsource much it will be well worth the cost.

The next best resource is a site like Legal Zoom.

The next best is to Google “free nondisclosure agreement form” and visit the sites you get.

Again, not legal advice and I’m not a lawyer. I don’t even play one on TV!

Okay, you are ready to rock and roll with outsourcing that pesky technical thingy that’s been driving you nuts.

Where do you find your outsourcer?

Where can I find outsourcers?

Now it’s time to find the right person to get the job done for you!

I have a few suggestions.

Option 1 – Find someone who knows you already.

If you have a list of your own, send out a message to the people on your list offering them the work. You might be surprised at how many talented and motivated people are on your list.

Option 2 – Use a company that specializes in matching Virtual Assistants (VAs) to clients.

Much like an employment agency, they get a fee for this but you don’t pay it directly. You pay them the arranged rate and then they pay the VA, taking their cut along the way.

They also fire VAs for you (it happens) and do the paperwork like 1099s if you are in the U.S.

One company that gets consistently high reviews is EA Help. Full disclosure, I do not use them but have friends that do and love them.

Option 3 – Use an outsourcer “clearinghouse”.

These are websites where clients and outsourcers connect directly.

The website creates a directory of outsourcers, makes it easy for them to list what they do, makes it easy for you to find them and then handles the financial transaction.

The company I like best for this is Task Rabbit. Funny name but great people to work with.

As an example, I needed research done into the top 100 websites in a specific niche based on specific criteria I provided.

I received a very detailed spreadsheet back the next day that had everything I asked for (trust me, it was complicated) for $80.

No way I could have done that myself for $80, or even had an employee do it.

Option 4 – Get a list of trusted outsourcers.

The person I respect most in this whole outsourcer world is Melissa Ingold.

Over the years, I have watched her not only talk the talk but walk the walk. She is indeed an outsourcing queen.

Here’s some happy news if you need to outsource. She is making her list of outsourcers available for a modest fee.

If outsource much, or want to, then this list will help.

Full disclosure, it is my affiliate link. I bought this list and know it’s worth every penny, even if you only outsource occasionally.

There you have it, the joy and freedom of outsourcing can now be yours!

Outsourcing makes sense, especially if your time is limited or there is a technical challenge you face.

And we have all been there!

I suggest you try outsourcing this week. Make a list of the things you have wanted to get done, but just have not found the time.

Pick one task from the list that can be done by someone else for you and find your outsourcer. Tell him or her exactly what you need done and let them go to work for you.

If you are like me, you will find a huge amount of time freedom, and peace of mind, to be gained for a very modest fee.

And peace of mind is a beautiful thing indeed!