Errand Assisting
Does this sound like you? You are way too busy, you have tons of work to do and never-ending errands to run. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the average American spent about 2 hours on household chores every day. You can shirk your responsibilities but with errand assistance, you can pass them on to someone else. It is a cost-effective way to buy yourself more productive time. In 2015, 4% of the U.S. hired someone to run errands for them. This article is a rundown on errand assisting and how you can take advantage of the service.
What is errand assisting?
Errand assisting refers to the service provided by people or organizations we call errand runners. Errand runners perform tasks for other people. From picking up movie tickets to walking your dog or transporting important business documents. Errand runners provide you with a wide range of outsourcing solutions.
Here’s a list of common tasks people trust errand runners to do for them.
- Personal shopping
- Handyman services
- Grocery shopping
- Dry Cleaning
- Food delivery
- Pick up / Drop off for kids
- Car wash and servicing day
- Making hotel and restaurant reservations
- Courier services
- Prescription delivery
- House cleaning
- Moving out
- Meal preparation
- Closet organizing
- Gardening
Reasons why people require errand assisting
They are busy
Everyone is busy, working from home is not a guarantee that they will have free time. And when they do get some free time from work, they would probably be better off taking a rest than trying to cram two weeks’ worth of errands in one day. Some errands do not bear postponement, people need to do them as they come up daily.
They are elderly
Elderly people do not have the strength to be up and about running errands by themselves. Such things as cleaning and organizing the house, preparing meals and laundry can be exhausting for them. Errand runners help the elderly not in group homes take care of themselves more independently. They will have everything they need to stay at home in comfort and safety.
They have disabilities
Going to the store to get groceries may be no big deal, but for some people it is. Some people require help with errands like grocery shopping, going to the laundromat, and picking the kids from school. That’s because they have physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from running their errands themselves.
They want to be productive
Productivity is what every professional aspires to and having a lot of errands outside work can stand in the way. People who urgently need to focus their energy and time on a project could use errand assistance. Also, there are times when a person lacks the skills to do a task competently. They can have someone with the skills run that errand and that contributes to the productivity of their day.
They need short term help on big projects
Huge projects such as construction or movie production usually require a lot of hands. The supervisor of such projects may contract an errand assistant to help the crew run errands. That way important crew members do not have to dash out in the middle of work to buy important stuff. Errand runners that assist at construction sites, film sets and similar locations are called ‘gofers’. The name is derived from the corruption of the words “go fetch”.
They are too far away to run the errand
A person could travel out of the state or country, on business or vacation and an errand pops up back home. They may even simply just be at work and have forgotten to put out food for their cat. Rushing back home in the middle of work or a trip to feed their cat is perhaps not the best idea. It would be easier and cheaper to resolve the problem with a local errand service.
Using errand assistance
Some errand services are niched and will only accept tasks that fall within their chosen area of service. Others will do any task that you need them to do. Perhaps the quickest way to get errand assistance is through an app like Taskrabbit or Handy. You could also contract a one-man errand assisting company or dedicated errand services.
Another way people get errand assistance is by hiring a personal assistant. Some assistants will run domestic and work errands and others may only operate in one sphere. Most times however when senior professionals hire personal assistants, it is a work-related errand agreement. The position is often a temporary one where people can prove themselves as competent go higher roles
Why you should use an errand assisting service
Manage time
Time management is easier when you don’t have too much on your plate. Don’t spend an entire day waiting your turn at the auto shop and rushing through the rest of your day. Rather get someone to run that errand while you catch up with other things.
Saves energy
With just a few taps on your phone, you can walk your dog, do the laundry and make dinner thanks to errand assistance. You are then able to reserve your energy for those tasks you can not delegate for whatever reason. Without the worry of errands left undone, you will find yourself more energetic and optimistic at work.
Save money
If you earn $40 per hour and you find someone to take 3 hours of grocery shopping off your hands for $15 per hour. You save $25 per hour that you would have spent shopping for vegetables rather than at work. Using errand runners to do some business tasks saves you money as well. They do the work but you don’t need to worry about payroll taxes, benefits or other costs.
Be more productive
Getting help with running your errands leaves you with enough time and energy to engage in more productive activities. You can’t be your most productive self if you refuse the help and expertise of other people. Productive people value delegation and outsourcing.
Conclusion
Errand services are a boon to busy professionals and overwhelmed entrepreneurs. You should take advantage of errand assistance to make your schedule and mind freer.