Jenn, it sounds like you are very good about hiring others when you should. My niece is also a freelance writer. She’s fortunate that her parents and her in-laws are available several times a week for extended babysitting.

I just contacted a server admin / security guy I’ve used in the past because I’ve been spending way too much time dealing with server issues lately. It’ll be money well-spent if / when he figures out the mystery. 🙂

Around the house we hire contractors when we need to. I’m happy taking a sledgehammer to a wall. Hubby’s less enthusiastic about doing it (or “letting” me). 😉

I’ve never really thought about how much we outsource, but it’s quite a bit — landscape work and seasonal outdoor cleaning, pool maintenance, car maintenance, a general handyman for smaller projects, a family member who helps out occasionally with odds and ends (planting, weeding, housework before events — not as much now, but more when she was still in college), specialized contractors when there’s a bigger problem, etc.. We’d be lost without the help.

When we finally have kids our plan is to have someone come around four hours a day on my working days (so 16-ish hours a week) to give me a bit of a break to focus on projects and deadlines. I’ll still be here of course, but the extra hands would certainly help. I’m not sure how comfortable I’ll be with it when the time comes though. I suspect it’ll be a wait-and-see kind of thing — if it’s too much for me to juggle on my own, I’m certainly not afraid to ask for help.

Jake, transcribing interview recordings is a smart move for freelance writers, even for those who type quickly. Transcriptionists typically charge far less per hour than we make per hour.

I would listen to the interview while reading the transcript just to make sure there were no significant errors.

Sure, it cuts into my fee, but it’s a better way of spending my time.

For me great references are essential, especially for important tasks like web design.

Suspect the most important thing is checking references… which is something many skip.

It is important to know when we should and shouldn’t hire help. There are also some things I actually prefer to do, like yard work. Back when I lived in a house, I never hired anyone to prune or weed or mow.