Money Actually Can Buy Happiness
The old saying “money can’t buy happiness” is no longer acceptable at Two Sense Consulting. We are uncovering a new way of using time and money efficiently to increase happiness. We believe that time is the most valuable (and irreplaceable) resource a company (and a person) has.
When able to fill time with enjoyable experiences, the time spent creates happiness.
Therefore, if you can find money, you can find the time and thus create happiness. The rub is that there are often more chores and errands than free time to do things you love, like hiking or baking. The average adult American with full-time employment spends 8 hours a day sleeping, 8 hours working, 1 hour commuting, 2 hours in family care (cooking, helping with homework, taking to activities), 2 hours on home care (cleaning, trash, grocery shopping, laundry, etc.), 1 hour in education (reading, news, school), and 2 hours in leisure (TV, sports).
I’m not sure about you, but these numbers are far from my reality. Nonetheless, let’s go with the average. That is less than 8% of our life spent doing things we consider “leisure.” In a world where everything is available on-demand, there are many areas to review to reduce your weekly chore list and convert them into leisure opportunities.
Our best advice for buying happiness: Outsource it!
People often cringe at the very politicized concept, but at Two Sense Consulting, we believe outsourcing is how smart business owners maintain profit and happiness. Which is a cycle that produces more of the same. More profit, more happiness. More happiness, more productivity and profit!
For your business here are some ideas of what to outsource:
Outsource Accounting.
This includes bookkeeping, financial reports, tax filing, analysis, and decisions on price points and costs. If you need help in these areas, call us! We can help you with every step!
Hire someone to take over your Marketing.
We see so many companies try to learn SEO themselves or use free social media to find customers. They are often left frustrated and without customers. Let the professionals do it for you. It will save you time, frustration, and will bring you more business than you could alone. If this is an area you need help, call us! We have contacts in Digital Media and Social management and creation to help you reach your clients without having to come up with content.
Hire a Human Resources specialist.
From tasks on interviewing, training, and monitoring performance, we highly suggest all small businesses have a professional to assist them. These areas can become legal issues if not handled well. Our recommendation is if you pay people other than yourself, you have an hourly HR team to help you with the details. We know a great team if you need a recommendation, call us, and we can connect you!
What about your personal life? There are so many areas to use time better, so when you are home you can be present.
Pets – hire a teen (either in your house or neighborhood kid) to walk dogs, and pick up the waste. Side work is an excellent way for kids to learn how to work for money and saves them time. If you find a child who sets up this business, be sure to connect their parents to our free PENY (Professional Entrepreneurs Network for Youth) group!
Cleaning – hire a housekeeper. There are so many options and ways to manage this. You can employ monthly, biweekly, weekly. You can use it to help you wash laundry, change bedsheets, and wash dishes, or just to clean the kitchen and bathrooms. No matter which way works for you, this area is 100% worth the added cost and will buy you hours of happiness.
Yard Work – if you have a front or back yard, it likely costs you time and energy. Whether in trimming trees, blowing leaves, or shoveling snow, you can spend time at leisure. Yes, you could do it yourself, but you would be happier paying someone to do it and can spend the extra time with family and friends. Another item that is well worth the cost.
Grocery Shopping and Running Errands – the time of COVID19 has proven that we can do more than we thought without going anywhere. Take advantage of online shopping, delivery services, and auto-ship. One of my favorite features of my Amazon Prime account is auto-ship. From dog food, air conditioner filters, and diapers, not only do I not have to think about it, but I also get a significant discount.
This scenario of small business owners or working parents being short of time, money and energy is chronic. To quote Brene Brown, “we are the most obese, medicated, addicted, and in-debt adults in human history”. We work hard and burn the candle at both ends. As common as this fatigue, frustration, and parent guilt is, there seems to be no magic pill.
Although you may be reading this thinking paying for services is a luxury, we believe it’s a necessity to a happy life.
Follow the “value of your time” exercise, counting the hours it takes you in total working hours to accomplish tasks yourself. You will likely find that the time and cost-benefit of these tasks is worth the lesser cost to find an extra $80 a month for a landscaper or $100 a week for a housecleaner and outsource it.
Rearranging your budget and eliminating items of little importance can help you feel more enjoyment out of life. It can also help you find the time, and sometimes money that you didn’t know you had.
If you are ready to reevaluate the ways you spend time and money and even buy a little happiness, start by calling us at Two Sense Consulting, LLC, we will show you the way!
