Hiring a housekeeper can be a big decision, especially if you grew up with the mindset that you bear the sole responsibility of caring for your own home. You might also have reservations about someone being in your home for eight hours a day or even around the clock. However, as life has gotten more hectic with kids, a business that took off, or perhaps a return to graduate school, you’ve reached a tipping point, where you just know you cannot take on one more thing. If you’re still on the fence, know that the benefits of having a full-time housekeeper go far beyond sparkling floors and a stocked fridge. It’s about creating an uncluttered space, not only physically but mentally and even energetically.
- Decide on Tasks. We’ve all heard the saying, “I don’t do windows” – it dates back to the 1960s and was part of cleaning ladies’ negotiations during the interviewing process. While everyone has their own version of “windows,” your housekeeper can help you to keep a space clear of the debris and distractions of everyday living to make your home an oasis from the outside world. You may take this a step further and hire someone who is versed in the deliberate placement of furnishings to facilitate calm and clarity. If your first reaction is to dismiss this out of hand, consider this: there is a reason the three-thousand-year-old practice of feng shui, which is about designing a space to allow energy to flow in a way that’s conducive to health, peace, and abundance, is still commonly used in homes and offices today.
- Create clear expectations and boundaries. You may not have the time or interest in learning all the ins and outs of feng shui, but you don’t have to in order to make a difference, and neither does your housekeeper. However in regularly clearing areas – be it your desk of old paperwork, a closet of clothes you never wear anymore, or the pantry of junk food – hiring a housekeeper, they are in fact aligning your home to these principles and can make a noticeable difference in your daily experience.
- What Is Your Time Worth to You? Even more important is the time having a housekeeper will save you. Most of us have gone through days when we’re at work and already ticking off personal matters that must be dealt with before we can rest. This can be overwhelming and curtail our ability to do any one thing as well as we could. Delegating tasks frees up mental bandwidth so you can think about what matters to you in more expansive and creative ways. Of course, if cleaning is your way to decompress, have at it! There are still plenty of things to pass to your housekeeper such as grocery shopping, helping out with child or pet care, managing your schedule and budget, and watching over things when you travel.
Finally, if you are hiring a housekeeper, you might want to consider equipping them with the right digital tools that will help them organize your life. Regardless of the tasks they handle for you, they will become deeply involved in your day-to-day, therefore their ability to do their job will depend on your level of communication. An all-in-one platform such as EstateSpace facilitates that communication, enabling you to share data about your home and discuss it in real-time, bringing you peace of mind whether you’re in the next room or half a world away.
