Have you ever hired someone for help around the house, and you immediately regretted it?

You know, I’ve had my fair share of unhelpful helpers over the years.

In fact, I remember a time when I hired cleaners that didn’t leave my house as clean as they promised.

You see, my family is pretty good about keeping our home tidy.

But, every once in a while, we’ll hire someone to come out and take care of the deep cleaning we sometimes can’t get to.

You know, it’s the stuff like wiping down the baseboards, dusting in high places, cleaning the ovens, and otherwise getting into those deep nooks and crannies.

Well, one day, we needed help cleaning, and having recently moved to Pennsylvania, we were looking for a new crew.

And so, after doing our research online and calling around, three nice ladies showed up at our home one afternoon and offered to give us a “deep clean” for what seemed like a reasonable price.

Well, as they got to work, it immediately became clear that they wouldn’t be able to get the job done in the time they had allotted for the work.

And how did I know this?

Well, they didn’t have the same hustle or focus on their work as other professionals that we had hired in the past.

And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I left to pick up the kids from school, the crew took off.

And you know the biggest disappointment in all of this was that I could have done the work myself.

But, I just wanted to use my money to buy back some of my time so I could spend it with the family.

And because of this bad hire, I was left paying the price for the same work twice.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?

Have you ever hired someone to help you out, but they didn’t meet your expectations?

Well, having lived in different parts of the country and having hired plenty of contractors, here’s one of the biggest lessons I learned when it comes to hiring help:

If you want to achieve your desired outcome and effectively buy back your time, then it’s crucial to have a clear set of expectations and a personal definition of success for your project before you get started.

That’s because having clarity not only prevents common pitfalls like cost overruns, unnecessary complications, and potential disappointments.

It also ensures that you can devote more of your time to what truly matters: like family, close relationships, and developing your passion pursuits.

So then, by clearly defining your success criteria and selecting help wisely, you’ll be able to optimize the cost and quality of the service you receive.

But more importantly, by taking this approach you’re likely setting yourself up to effectively buy back more of your time in the future.

Buying Back Your Time

So, why should you even care about who or why you’re hiring around your house in the first place?

Well, simply put, it’s because you have better things to do with your time.

Here’s the thing: given where you’re at in your career, you’ve likely earned the ability to buy back your time.

In fact, you’re likely in a position where you’re juggling the demands of a high-earning career, nurturing your family, and starting to focus on what your legacy looks like, right?

So then, given all the responsibilities on your plate, you very well know that making the most of every single minute of your day is essential.

That’s why it’s crucial to think about hiring help around the house, whether that’s cleaners, gardeners, nannies, contractors, or personal assistants, not just as an expense but as a strategic investment in your future.

You see, as Joe Dominguez points out in his book, “Your Money or Your Life,” time is one of our most precious assets.

Because here’s the thing: you can’t buy any more of it.

But, you can use your wealth to delegate tasks to people who can help you get your time back.

In fact, by delegating daily chores and maintenance tasks on the regular, what you’re doing is effectively, you guessed it, buying back your time.

So then, you can use this bought-back time to do the things that add more value to your life and that move you closer to your long-term goals.

But, it’s one thing to hire out the work.

And it’s another to actually get someone to show up who will actually take things off your plate in a way that adds value over the long term.

That’s why what I’m talking about here is more than just getting help.

Instead, it’s about creating more room in your life so you can thrive in the areas that matter most to you.

So then, when you approach the act of hiring help around the house as an investment in your quality of life rather than just another cost, it becomes a powerful tool to enhance your life and ultimately help you manage your busy lifestyle more effectively.

The Costs of Not Knowing What You Want

Alright, so now that you know that you need to be mindful about how you hire help, you’re all set, right?

Well, not so fast.

Because, here’s the thing: without a clear plan or a clear understanding of what you want to have accomplished, you could end up with projects that are over budget on costs, under-delivered in terms of quality, and inefficient in terms of time management.

How so?

Well, let me tell you another story.

It’s a story about a family, maybe much like yours or mine, who decided to build an addition on to their home.

In fact, this was no ordinary addition.

This family had planned on adding a whole new floor to the top of their house.

Now, the head of this household was Tom.

And Tom was a skilled builder but already had a lot on his plate.

So then, Tom teamed up with a contractor friend named Brian to help tackle this big project.

Now, at first, things seemed to get off to a good start.

That’s because Tom’s family started with intangible dreams and translated them into tangible blueprints.

And so, they thought they had done all the right things to prepare for a beautiful transformation.

Well, construction got underway, and Tom’s family was excited to see how the structure of a new second floor was taking shape.

They were talking about how, in just a matter of months, they’d finally have the home they’d been dreaming about for so long.

But before they could get to the finishing touches, Tom began noticing something odd as the bills started coming in.

Something just didn’t add up.

The numbers, the costs, they were off, and by a lot.

Now, Tom was keen to keeping a close eye on building expenses and noticed charges for materials that never made it to their house.

In fact, these were charges for materials that they didn’t even need and that certainly weren’t being used in their renovation.

So, Tom did what any other reasonable person would do, and he brought this up with contractor, Brian.

Now, Tom expected a simple explanation.

But instead of clarity, Tom received defiance.

That’s because Brian insisted that everything his crew ordered was used in the build.

But, having been a builder himself, Tom knew this just wasn’t true.

Well, push came to shove, and Brian eventually walked away from the job, leaving the family with an unfinished home and a looming legal battle.

But ultimately, in court, it came out that the contractor’s crew had been ordering extra materials on Tom’s dime that they were using for their own side projects.

So then, eventually, the judge ruled in the family’s favor about the unused materials.

But, Tom’s family was left with an unfinished home, including no electrical, no plumbing, and no roof: just a shell of what was supposed to be.

Now, what’s the point of this story?

Well, while Tom clearly laid out his expectations about how the addition was supposed to be built, he fell short in the selection of his contractor.

You see, Tom placed too much trust in Brian without first establishing the right sort of expectations for how they’d work together.

It was his friend, right?

Well, there’s a good reason they say you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure.

Because ultimately for Tom, it led to Brian’s crew taking advantage of his family and also led to a failed home improvement project.

You know, when it comes down to it, you don’t want to pay the price for the same work twice.

What Happens if You Don’t Know What You Want

So then this brings us to our next point about hiring help and that’s hiring for the right fit.

Because here’s the thing: if you don’t step into this decision with a clear idea of how you want your helpers to work with you, then you might find yourself facing not just a logistical mess but with an emotional one too.

How so?

Well, what I’m talking about here involves more than just dissatisfaction with unfinished or poorly done tasks.

No, what I’m talking about here gets at your and my core need to feel in control, to feel secure, and to feel like we’re capable of making the right choices, right?

Now, up to now, you’ve likely prided yourself on your ability to smoothly manage things in your professional or personal life.

You’ve got your daily calendar dialed in, and you likely always start your week by planning out your schedule to ensure you’re making the most of your time.

But this week, things aren’t going as planned.

That’s because the help you hired is not meeting your expectations.

In fact, now you’re spending more time managing the helpers than focusing on what you were supposed to use that extra time for, right?

So what happens now?

Well, deep down, I’m guessing that you’re feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment.

And there’s this nagging thought that maybe, maybe you could have done the job better yourself than to have hired the help in the first place.

So then, the issue isn’t just about the financial cost.

No, it’s about feeling like you’ve failed at something as personal as creating the right environment for your family because you really weren’t able to buy back your time.

And you know, the truth is that you likely had an implicit expectation that hiring this individual should have made your life easier and more enjoyable, right?

So then, when it doesn’t happen as expected, it can feel like a personal setback.

How so?

Well, let me tell you what I mean here.

So last spring, I decided to hire a landscaper to help out around the house.

Now, this is work that I’d typically do myself, like mowing, edging, pruning, and generally keeping the yard around the house looking neat and tidy.

In fact, it’s work that I generally enjoy doing, but I decided that it was time to buy back my time.

That’s because with several changes taking place in my life, I knew that I could really use a few extra hours per week all to myself to relax and recharge.

But ultimately, hiring this help gave me peace of mind knowing that someone was going to come by at a set time each week to take this work off my hands.

Now, this wasn’t the first time I hired a landscaper.

In fact, years ago, just after my oldest was born, I hired a landscaper to help out around the house in anticipation of spending more time with my newborn baby.

And back then, I got lucky because the people I hired nailed the work without me saying much about it at all.

They cut the grass, and edged the lawn.

They took care of the weeds growing between the cracks in my walkway without my saying anything about it.

And, they even cleaned the flowerbeds and carried away the leaves instead of filling up my garbage cans.

This crew took care of everything in a way like they were reading my mind.

But you know, back then, I must have simply been lucky or something.

Because last year, I didn’t have the same experience.

In fact, I had to call the landscaper back out to my house multiple times to finish mowing the lawn because they missed a few spots.

I even patiently and carefully described what needed to be done, but the poor guy still couldn’t get it.

And you know, the way this crew was set up, there was one guy who would come by to mow, and another guy would come by days later to edge the lawn.

It even got to the point where I didn’t know when this crew would show up.

Some weeks, the lawn was taken care of, but other would go by, and I’d be staring at an overgrown lawn.

It got to the point that driving by my own home was stressing me out.

It got to the point that I wanted to mow my own lawn, but I felt frustrated because I was already paying someone to do the work, you know?

Well, long story short, I ended up parting ways with this crew and going back to taking care of business around the house.

So, what’s the point?

Well, the point here is that this bad hire led to an emotional toll.

That’s because the discomfort of dealing with subpar work or the need to micromanage work around the house reminded me of earlier times in my life when I felt out of control or when my financial decisions didn’t pan out despite my best efforts.

In essence, the negative experience wasn’t so much about the cost, as it was about the emotional toll it had taken on my life.

It was about how my attempt to buy back my time actually backfired and cost me more than it was worth.

So for you then, the lesson here from my experience is that not hiring the right fit can lead to unnecessary frustrations.

That’s why getting your hiring decisions right the first time is so crucial.

It’s not just about efficiency.

It’s also about maintaining your emotional balance and ensuring that your home remains a sanctuary, not a source of stress.

How to Avoid Paying the Price Twice

Alright, so then, what can you do to ensure that you’re hiring the right help and not paying the price for the same work twice?

Step #1: Clearly Define Success

Well, you can start by clearly defining success.

Now, this work involves gaining clarity on what you want to have accomplish before you actually go out and hire help.

You see, without a clear vision of what success looks like, the work that your helpers show up to do can become disjointed and ineffective.

But, with clear goals, you get clear actions, which in turn result in clear outcomes.

That’s why, one of this first things that I do when I go looking for help is to start by defining what success looks like to me.

What I’m doing here is aligning all my efforts and resources toward achieving that defined objective.

And so, where do you begin?

Well, what I typically do is ask myself, “What specific outcomes do I expect to see once the project is complete?”

Here, you’re not focused on “how” the work is supposed to be done.

Instead, you’re turning your attention to the “what,” or more specifically, what you want to see this individual or crew bring into reality.

Now, defining clarity might involve researching similar projects, getting to know industry standards, or even consulting with experts so you can set appropriate expectations.

Either way, what you’ll want to do is to prioritize your non-negotiables.

Then, be ready to articulate your vision clearly and effectively once you start engaging with potential service providers.

Step #2: Hire for Outcomes, Not Cost

Now, one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in the past is to base my hiring decisions solely on price alone.

That’s because, more often than not, those low-cost providers are likely focused on quantity instead of quality.

And, you know, going with a low-cost provider is likely to turn you into another job that they simply rush through instead of focusing on you a highly valued client.

That’s why when you’re hiring for outcome, what you’re doing is ensuring that the quality of work meets your needs and expectations and that it aligns with the goals you’ve meticulously set out in step one.

And so here, when I’m getting ready to hire help, one of the things I ask is, “Is my intended hire truly committed to my defined outcome?”

In other words, are they willing to go the extra mile to give me what I want, or am I just another job that they need to get through?

So then, to figure this out, what I’ve found works best is to have candidates describe what the end results will look like. But what I’m listening for is not how they’re doing the work, but what their vision for the work will look like.

In other words, instead of telling them how they should do their job, I’ll go back to step 1 and articulate what success looks like to me.

So then, if they can reiterate back to me my own vision, then I know that we’re likely on the same page.

Remember, you don’t want to pay the price by doing the same work twice.

Step #3: Have a Backup Plan in Place

Finally, when it comes to hiring effectively, I want to ensure that I have a backup plan in place to deal with the inevitable hiccup.

Whether it’s a house that isn’t cleaned to your standards, a garden that’s neglected, or a home repair that’s incomplete, these letdowns can disrupt your routine at best and cost you all the time you thought you had bought back at worst.

That’s why being prepared for these eventualities is crucial in maintaining the smooth operation of your household and helps ensure that your family’s well-being is taken care of.

So then, the number one question I ask of a service professional before I hire them is, “How will you make the situation right if the work goes wrong?”

Here, what I look for is someone to tell me more than, “we’ll take care of you” or “you have nothing to worry about…”

Because the truth is that a lot has changed in recent years, so yes, I do have a lot to worry about.

That’s why you’ll want to ensure that your contract or service agreement includes clauses that address non-delivery or non-performance and how those situations might be resolved.

Don’t Pay the Price by Doing the Work Twice

You know, when it comes down to it, hiring help in your personal life is one of the most effective ways of buying back your time.

At the same time, it could very well turn into a fruitless effort if you don’t approach hiring it from a place of intention.

That’s why I take the time to first clearly define what success means to me.

Then, as I’m screening candidates, I communicate these goals clearly to my helpers and have a backup plan just in case things don’t work out.

Remember, your ability to get the most out of your service provider starts with you.

That’s because if you don’t clearly communicate your expectations when you hire them, you could end up with problems that go beyond money.

Indeed, without a clear plan, you could risk facing projects that cost too much, you could experience subpar service, or you could wake up with even less time on your hands than when you started.

But think for a moment how your life would change if you ended up getting it right.

Imagine what you could do with an extra 5, 10, or 20 hours per week if you just took a few minutes now to define exactly what you need and what you expect from those you invite into your home to help.

That’s why, if you’re in the market to hire help, it’s essential to start with clarity and purpose in what you want accomplished.

Because by doing so, you’re not only buying back your time, you’re taking one step closer to becoming the master of your own financial independence journey.