There’s nothing I love better than a shiny new project. For one thing it gives me the opportunity to learn something new. I chatted to two other copywriters recently and we were comparing notes on the most unusual subjects we’d had to write about – snail slime was definitely the winner on that one! In case you’re wondering, no, it wasn’t me.
I wouldn’t have started my business if I didn’t love writing. Of course, that isn’t the whole picture.
The jobs I hate
Maybe hate is too strong a word, but you know what I mean. Give me words in virtually any form and I’m happy. Present me with numbers and I start to struggle. I had to pass exams showing that I understood accounting rules for solicitors and could prepare and interpret a basic set of accounts as part of my legal training, but I’d be hard pressed to explain any of it to you now.
My method of account keeping probably leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully I have a friendly accountant who hasn’t winced at me too much – yet. Equally, I’m not keen on doing admin and I don’t imagine I’ll ever come up with a truly stunning piece of graphic design. I don’t mind trying but I get frustrated at the length of time it takes me to come up with something vaguely reasonable.
We all need to think about outsourcing
I confess that, like most people, I put off the stuff I don’t enjoy. The receipts pile up on top of my accounts book and what filing there is sits on the corner of my desk until I feel like it’s glaring at me.
The trouble is, when I know I’m putting something off, it puts me in a bad mood. I can’t enjoy the juicy new blog post. Even though I’m working I feel as if I’m procrastinating. It makes me wonder if I should just be outsourcing everything.
How to make outsourcing work
Outsourcing goes beyond delegation. If you’ve got an existing team you’re probably already a dab hand at delegating. If you can hand a task to another team member or department, great. That probably means you’re part of an organisation that already has the bases covered. But what if you want to try something new? What if you’re like me, a one person business with no desire to take on employees?
That’s where outsourcing really comes into its own. You can take on a freelancer to work on a single project or take some of your least favourite tasks off your hands. You don’t have the hassle of taking on an employee. Whilst there are still steps you can take to make sure you find the best person for the job, it’s not quite so devastating if you make a mistake as you won’t have to jump through so many hoops to end the relationship.
Then you can get back to focusing on the bits of your work that you really love. You might even gain some insights that will lead you on to a whole new outsourcing project.
Do you already outsource or are you considering it? Drop me a comment and let me know!
