Temporary Nanny Manager | manager 145 Organizational | Organizational specialist | Part-time assistant

Now that it's over, I'm not so worried. I think I've learned how to deal with Gerald, in whatever form he manifests himself. Part of him now resides in the me who recites "Action, Reference, or Trash" at the smallest provocation. The rest is out there, ready to be hired at a moment's notice. In fact, I'm thinking that, in a couple of weeks, when I've caught up on my work, I'll get Christene over to put seven years' worth of photos into the photo albums I just bought. That way, I can strike a big task off my new comprehensive, master, everything-including­-the-kitchen-sink list.

And what's after that? Woman of the Year, of course.

Happy Returns
Money spent on outsourcing: $525
Temporary nanny manager 145
Organizational specialist 260
Part-time assistant 120

Money spent as a result of outsourcing: $303
Shelf supplies 63
Filing supplies 81
Wrapping supplies 15
Lightbulbs 7
Plastic bins 21
Carpet cleaning 65
Handyman 25
Filofax refills 26

Time spent looking for outsourcing help: 8 hours

Time spent preparing for outsourcing help: 14 hours
Cleaning closets 6 hours
Making lists 3 hours
Shopping for organizing gear 5 hours

Time helpers will spend helping me: 22 hours

Value of time lost to outsourcing prep and/or obsessive organizing:
$1,225 (and counting)

Value of finding third cousin's address the first time I looked for it:
you know.

Outsourcing Trip-Ups

If I were a corporate vice president contracting work out to a vendor, I might stumble into some of the same traps I came upon at home. "Outsourcing requires an ongoing relationship that has to be managed proactively and measured to achieve what is expected," one expert at the technology research and analysis firm Gartner's told CNET news. "Outsourcing is hard work, and it takes a lot of preparation." I learned that firsthand. Mistakes are for learning from, though, and here's my newfound wisdom.