The High Cost of Doing It All Yourself

We’ve been sold a lie about what it means to be productive.

In our culture, we treat struggle like a badge of honor. We think that if we aren't exhausted, we aren't working hard enough. We look at outsourcing; hiring a cleaner, using a laundry service, or paying a virtual assistant; as a luxury reserved for the lazy or the elite.

That’s a broke mindset.

If you want to grow a business, a career, or a life that actually feels worth living, you have to stop looking at your time as an infinite resource. It isn’t. Every hour you spend doing a $20 task is an hour you’ve stolen from a $200 task. Even worse: it’s an hour you’ve stolen from your family, your health, or your own sanity.

An antique pocket watch is held in a hand against the lively backdrop of a bustling city street at dusk, where taxis and blurred lights contribute to an atmospheric urban scene.

The Guilt Trap

I hear it all the time. People feel guilty about "outsourcing" their lives. They think they should be able to handle the housework, the errands, and the grind while also building a legacy.

But "should" is a dangerous word.

When you insist on doing everything yourself, you aren’t being a hero; you’re being a bottleneck. You are trading your most valuable asset, your focus, for the sake of saving a few bucks or avoiding a perceived judgment from neighbors who don't have your goals anyway.

During my conversation with Hyacinth Tucker for episode 25 of the podcast, she hit on this exact point. She noted that a lot of times we feel like we have to do it all, but we have to realize our time is valuable. She’s right. If you’re drowning in the minutiae of life, you can’t see the big picture. You’re too busy folding socks to notice that your strategy is failing or your team is burning out.

From Dreaming to Doing

I wasn't always in a position to hire help. I spent years in situations where I couldn't afford to outsource a single thing. I’d spend my weekends scrubbing floors and my nights catching up on admin work, all while dreaming of the day I could pay someone else to take those things off my plate.

Now that I’m in the position to outsource, I don’t take it for granted. I am grateful for it every single day. I don’t see it as an indulgence: I see it as a hard-earned tool that allows me to stay in my zone of genius. If you have the money to outsource the activity, outsource it. Don't overthink it. Don't apologize for it. Just do it.

For the Person Who Isn't There Yet

I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, wishing you could afford a maid or an assistant while you’re barely keeping your head above water. If you are in that spot right now, here is my advice: stop trying to do it all perfectly.

When you can’t buy back your time with money, you have to buy it back with discipline. That means being okay with a "good enough" house so you can focus on the one or two activities that will eventually get you out of that hole. Don't waste your limited mental energy wishing for a cleaner you can't afford yet. Use that energy to move the needle so that one day, you can.

Progress equals happiness. Sometimes that progress is messy. If you're in the grind, keep your eyes on the prize and realize that this level of "doing it all" is a season, not a permanent destination.

The Bottom Line

Stop viewing help as a luxury. Start viewing it as an investment in your own potential.

If you want to reach the next level, you have to leave the lower levels behind. That means letting go of the tasks that don’t require your specific genius. It means being okay with the fact that you can’t, and shouldn’t, do it all.

Buy your time back as soon as you are able. Then, make sure you do something meaningful with it.