A Great Way That Very Busy Individuals Can Have More Time By Taking Advantage of Errand Service Companies

Thanks to the "Dealing with Difficult People Blog" for this post.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you for once could wake up one weekend after a long day at work and not need to run any errands? Now there are errand services that are run all over the country to help folks manage their time in a more efficient way. Errand services are a like a personal assistant, but they became more popular in recent years. Many homebody mummies are opening up errand services as a home based business to stay with their children and work at the same time.

Errand services are for busy people who wish that there were 1 or 2 more hours in the day. The services that are offered by these corporations are varied, but theyare generally separated into two different types of services, depending on your demands.

The private services can help with jobs like: food and household shopping, gift shopping, dry-cleaner drop off and pick up, post office and drugstore errands, library or video returns, package and gift delivery, appointment scheduling, home organizing, and special events help ( garage and estate sales too ). The professional services offer all the above-mentioned things, but with things included like : posting open house signs ( set up, etc . ), meeting and special event planning ( in-house or off-site ), delivery of packages containing documents, and all copying or banking needs.

Many of us are compelled to run their errands on the weekends or perhaps during their lunch breaks. Hiring somebody to do all of these jobs for you would reduce your levels of stress, while at the same time having somebody trustworthy you can count on for explicit needs. The price levels for these services vary substantially typically because the businesses are run regionally, and costs are according to local demand and cost of living indexes.

If hiring an errand service is something that seems of interest there are some questions about qualifications that should be posed to potential workers. You need to learn if the person that you are hiring is good with cut off dates. If you need a prescription picked up by a certain date each month, you would like to be sure that the person that is handling your errands is capable of remembering something that might not be as important to them as it is to you. Also, you should usually ask for references and really check them. Errand running is an easy start-up business and it requires no license, education, or qualifications. The person that you hire must be trustworthy, responsible, and organized. Sometimes, ambition can cloud folk’s understandings of what they are really capable of achieving. Finally, you need to discover how many clients the service caters to. An errand service which has too many clients will have too many tasks to accomplish in a single day, week, or month. Somebody’s list of to-dos must be put on a back burner, and you do not want that somebody to be you.

Letting somebody do your busy work can be hard because it does involve a fair amount of trust. If you think resolutely in the adage, “if you would like something done, you must do it yourself”, an errand service is not for you. However, On the other hand, if you can’t find sufficient time in the week to accomplish everything that you want to finish with no need to sacrifice sleep, this suggestion might be your answer.

Give Up Control to Get Control

This is an excerpt from a article on http://ldkid.com/npb/?p=1105.

For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove by doing it all themselves. People say to me all of the time, that someone else just can’t do for them, the things that are on the “to do ” list. Well, that is not only a ridiculous statement, but one that can be proven wrong over and over again. We all strive to appear in control. However, you cannot be in control if you are constantly struggling to juggle events and lists. So give up some of the control. I know that is a scary thought, but do it. By having professionals handle the items on your list, you will amaze your friends and family by having more time to enjoy life and you will seem more in control than ever. Don’t worry. We don’t expect you to do this cold turkey. We are going to give you tips on accomplishing this daunting task after we shock you into reality.


Don’t Be A Statistic!

Here are the facts……I think the expression is “read ‘em and weep.” I know I wanted to when I saw these numbers.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average U.S. family works between 105-115 hours per week. So let’s run the numbers.

168 hours in a 7 day week x2 (if 2 people are working those hours) = 336

Less 110 hours for work

Less 112 hours for sleeping

Less 28 hours for eating

Less 15 hours for commuting

So what’s left……..71 HOURS!!! That is 71 hours for both workers total. Look like a big number of hours? Keep running the math. (If you are single that leaves you with 35.5 hrs - cut everything in half)

Now what do you have to do in that 71 hours? Remember, if you are doing something as a family (both workers), you have to double the hours used when you subtract from the 71.

• Spend time with your family
• Run/attend children’s activities (i.e. soccer, music lessons)
• Run errands
• Visit friends/relatives for special occasions
• Make purchases - clothing, gifts, daily needs

Anyone feeling exhausted yet? I am ready for a nap…oh that’s right…no time for that. Well here is some advice from the BusyB herself on taking back your life.


Remedying the Problem:

1. First evaluate the numbers that we provided above and adjust for your particular family. Some of you may work more than 110hrs, commute more, sleep less, etc. Also, stay at home moms count as working members of the family in our book so don’t forget that their hours count too!
2. Make a list of all of the things you do that take up the 71 remaining hours (or whatever number you now have).
3. Sort the tasks by type of activity. Feel free to make up your own categories.
• Family
• Home Repairs/Maintenance
• Errands/Shopping
• Social Activities
• School Activities
• Other
4. Star the ones you would rather not do (and sorry your job is one of those adult requirements in life so don’t star it - you don’t have a choice).
5. Estimate how much time it takes you to do each task (per week).
6. Now make a list of all of the things that are on the perpetual “to do” list that never seem to get finished. Sort this list as well. Having things that are constantly waiting to be completed, does nothing but add stress to your life.
7. Now here comes the difficult part. Giving up control to get control. You are really going to have to put on your positive change attitude to make this work. Ready? Circle the items that can be hired out. The possibilities are endless. If you are serious about change, then you will not be making excuses at this point as to why someone else cannot do the job. Do NOT, use money as an excuse at this point. You can’t afford to do that. This is your life you are talking about. Here are some suggestions:
• Lawn Care
• Home Repair Specialists (painters, handyman etc)
• Errand Service
• Personal Shopper/Concierge
• Nanny/Babysitter
• Car Specialists
• Financial Specialists
8. Make another list of things you would like to do but never have time to do.
9. If you successfully completed Step 7, you should now be able to make a new list of things to do each week that include your “wants.” Can you replace the “have to” items with the “want to” items? If you answered yes, you did a great job and are well on your way to taking back control of your life. If you answered no, then we still have some work to do.

Now some of you are probably saying, this is easy for her to say. Well, no it isn’t. I have been where you are and it took a major life-altering situation for me to realize what is really important. Do not put yourself in the same situation.

Stop now and take stock of your life and priorities. You may find that when you reprioritize you only need some reorganization and a little help from a life management consultant or you may have bigger problems and you need to schedule time each month for professionals to help you sift through the chores.

Get your life back but appear more in control. You can do it

Are Personal Concierge Services Worth it?

There is no reason to wait until the next time you're staying at a luxury hotel to enjoy outstanding concierge service. Many companies around the country offer personal concierge services and the ever-helpful Cranky Consumer column in the Wall Street Journal put a few from all over the country to the test. And with a name like "cranky," you might assume that there would be some complaints about some of the service they received, but there were really none worth making.

The upshot of their personal concierge trials was that the companies were all very professional and very helpful. They did everything from playing with pets when the owners were out of town to locating kosher caters for an upcoming party. Having a concierge service available is an indulgence, but when life gets busy or stressful, they can accomplish a whole to-do list in just hours. And with rates ranging from $25 to $50 per hour, the tradeoff is well worth it.

Time saving tips

Set limits: You don't have to serve on every committee and your child doesn't have to be involved in every sport. Decide what is important to you and your family, and get rid of the rest. If you want your child to experience the benefits of playing a team sport, then talk to your child and decide which team sport he or she wants to play.
Setting limits isn't about saying "no," it's about being selective about saying, "yes."

If you can't say no, delegate.

Lost time is never found again.

Benjamin Franklin once said “Lost time is never found again.” The personal concierge is born out of an ever-growing need for more free time. Today’s hectic lifestyle places an ever-increasing demand on the limited number of hours in a day to accomplish what needs to be done. Personal concierges are problem-solvers with the know-how to get anything done from running errands, arranging a special function or occasion, to home and office organization. They provide hands-on assistance for those who are short on time.

Concierges are most commonly thought of as exclusive assistants for the rich and famous or as staff to an exclusive hotel or posh resort. This is a misconception; concierge services are no longer too expensive for the average person.

Today’s concierge serves everyone from the single parent to the overworked professional who is in need of assistance or time-strapped and willing to pay for what is known as “lifestyle management.” By contracting personal concierge services, one can devote their precious time to what really matters to them. The stress and guilt associated with getting something done vanishes and peace of mind is reclaimed.

Outsourcing one’s “to-do-list” or special project to a personal concierge is often more cost effective then taking time-off from work to do it yourself or paying overtime to staff. The value of a personal concierge is in their resourcefulness, organizational ability and disposition for multi-tasking.

Personal Concierges are not nannies or housekeepers; yet they may help their clients locate these services. Unlike an exclusive personal assistant under contract to one client (24 hours a day – 7 days a week), a personal concierge has a number of clients and dedicates only a few hours a week to that client or project. Since every client has his or her own unique to-do-list, personal concierges offer a variety of specialized services. The touchstone used in the industry is that if the request is illegal or immoral, the concierge will not oblige. Otherwise, most requests for services can be accommodated.

If you find yourself too busy, stressed-out and overworked to “do it all” perhaps outsourcing your to-do-list is the answer.

by Alicia Wright - http://hbmag.com/personal-concierge/

Contest Rules

Earlier this week we introduced a new way to enjoy our services, Chocolates on MY Pillow Monthly Membership (click here for details). And today you can WIN a 30 day Concierge Membership (click here for details).

New Concierge Membership Program

INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL: The first month is $20 for the first 20 who sign up by 8/31/09!

FREE MEMBERSHIP: Later this week we will also be giving away a concierge memberships to 4 of our Facebook fan page members. Join.

When people first hear about our company and the services we provide most think it’s a wonderful ideal but are not sure how to use it. So we started sharing how others use Chocolates on MY Pillow’s services via blogs, emails, and social media. While sharing how our services are being used we found out that many requests didn’t require leg work (which our current fee structure is based on). Actually, most requests are for concierge services. These services include but are not limited to the following:

• Finding hard to get tickets
• Restaurant reservations
• Travel arrangements
• Collection calls for businesses
• Wake up calls
• Research (we can find just about anything)
• Confirming appointments
• Gift ordering
• PDF Conversions (as well as many other file conversions)
• Service referrals (personal chef, handyman, landscaper, housecleaner, car services, mobile spa services, and more)

So we decided to create a membership program offering concierge services for a small monthly fee, $32.95/month.

What exactly do you get?

• Access to one of our representatives during regular hours
• 15 requests (which can be made via an online request, email or phone call)
• VIP status (making you a top priority client receiving prompt services and 20% off all other services we provide)

This is also ideal for small business owners. This membership will support your professional presences and help you work more on your business than in your business.

To find out more, contact Tisha Littlejohn, at 800.883.8713 or email info@chocolatesomp.com.

"We remind you how much you value your time."

Recent requests...

For Madeleine’s daughters wedding, we took care of all the little details like packing the gifts and decor at the end of the evening.

Chocolates on MY Pillow created, printed and mailed invitations for a 20th anniversary high school reunion committee.

We coordinated a trip schedule for a Texan client who will be vacationing in Chicago later this month.

During the time we were assisting Mark in find an office manager, a Chocolates on MY Pillow representative helped around his office until the new office manager started.

Eric was looking to create a memorable father’s day for his dad and hired Chocolates on MY Pillow to located a item he was having trouble finding; we found the gift within a day, purchased it and had it delivered it to his home.

Chocolates on MY Pillow stocked the refrigerator and picked up packages for a clients senior parent.

We searched apartments for Matt that included finding matches according to his specification and calling the owners or property manager for more details.

Laura and her fiancé was leaving the country for a few weeks to get married leaving their cat alone, Chocolates on MY Pillow visited the pet regularly during the time they were away.

We assisted Julie by packing delicates for her upcoming move.

Ron hired us to create a memorable evening for his 11th wedding anniversary, it included locating tickets to a sold out event and scheduling a personal chef who's specialty is Ron's wife’s favorite to cook for them.

Spotlight Service For The Week

Over 1/2 off New Monthly Membership Package

August 10th - August 15th, 2009

Take Advantage of this OUTSTANDING SERVICE before WE OFFICIALLY LAUNCH IT! We've added a new way of using our services, The Monthly Concierge Services Membership package includes 20 request points* and discounts on our errand running and virtual business support services. The cost is $32.99/month. Mention this blog and receive your first month for just $15.

*Requests include but are not limited to the following - referrals, travel arrangements, wake up calls, confirming and scheduling appointments, research (we are very resourceful), finding hard to get tickets, booking services, key date reminder services, setting up vacation itineraries, gift ordering, making dinner reservations and more.

Call 800.883.8713 today!

"We remind you how much you value your time."

Chocolates on MY Pillow Martini

Chocolates on MY Pillow Martini


1 part vodka or vanilla vodka
1 part cask & cream
1 teaspoon of melted chocolate

Drizzle melted chocolate in chilled glass. Combine first two ingredients with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass.

It's unwise to pay too much...

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better." ~ John Ruskin

More hours in the day

A business associate told me once that it wasn’t fair that I get more hours in the day than he do. He has a good sense of humor. He is well aware that we are all given the same number of hours each day. So, why does it seem that some are able to accomplish their daily goals, while others wonder at the end of each day where the time went?

One of the best tips I can give you so that you can move toward joining the some who are able to accomplish their daily goals is to EVALUATE.

A lot of Chocolates on MY Pillow clients come to use feeling overwhelmed with the current project they are working on. We first tell them to take a closer look at how they spend their time. Purchase a special appointment calendar. Then for a week, write down in this calendar each and every little thing you do throughout each day. For example, if you spend one hour checking and responding to e-mail correspondence from 8am to 9am, mark this in your calendar. If you spend half an hour looking for a file from 2:15pm to 2:45pm, jot this down in your calendar as well. If you are occupied with a staff meeting, write it in your calendar. By the end of the week, you should be getting a clear picture of exactly where your time is really going.

Now you can clearly evaluate the way you are spending your time each day. Take a good, hard look at the ways you may be contributing to your hectic schedule. Are you wasting time checking e-mail or voice mail numerous times throughout the day, when checking once or twice a day would be sufficient? Depending on your circumstances and responsibilities, you may be able to limit yourself to checking e-mail and voice mail once in the morning, once after lunch and once at the end of the day. Are you interrupted throughout the day with telephone calls? Perhaps you can set aside a block of time each day where you will work undisturbed and allow all non-urgent calls to be transferred to voice mail. These and other simple changes can transform your days!

And as always, we at Chocolates on MY Pillow are ready and willing to assist by providing personal concierge services and virtual business support for those who have more to do than they have time for. Visit our website!

Recent request...

During the time we were assisting Mark in find an office manager, a Chocolates on MY Pillow representative helped around his office until the new office manager started.

25% off Virtual Business Support

Now thru August 8th receive 25% off Virtual Business Support. Call 800-883-8713 ext. 1 for more details.

To the small business person the Virtual Assistant can mean the difference between failure and SUCCESS.

Unlike the larger corporations the smaller business seldom has the space or resources initially for the extra employee to take the weight out of their ever-increasing work-load.

A Virtual Assistant will handle your reports and administration and enable you to spend more time marketing or enjoying the extra hours available to you.

You don't have to do it all, just contact Chocolates on MY Pillow (800) 883-8713 for all you virtual assistance needs. We cater to the needs of various business owners locally and globally. Our clients ask for assistance in various areas from general office support to contact management to website designing to social media marketing.

Virtual Business Support services include but are not limited to:
• Data Entry
• Project Management
• Email Marketing
• Creating/Editing letters, forms, etc
• Contact & Client Management
• Graphic Design – Logo creations, print ads, flyers, etc
• Custom Website Design

Spotlight Service For The Week

25% off Bedside Helping Hands services, July 26 thru August 1st.

This is a new service. If you or a family or friend is schedule for surgery, Chocolates on MY Pillow's BHH are available to assist.

Our Bedside Helping Hands department was conceived when we noticed the value our concierge/errand running services provided those needing assistance with preoperative preparations and postoperative care. The BHH team which consists of housekeepers, caregivers, errand runners, medical staff, and beauty specialist is carefully selected; they are highly qualified to offer you efficient peri-operative services.    Read more...

Some much going on!

This year we have gotten so much more exposure. From February to the end of May we have a contract with a company that offers concierge services as a benefit to it's employees. Business was busy and our associates gained a lot of experience. Currently we are in the process of establishing a relationship with a company that manages luxury condos and rental residence. This is very exciting!

Our website design department has stayed busy as well. We created a really dynamic website that took five months to complete - www.mbcircle.com. Please check it out and sign up. It's a good resource for business professionals.

My goal is to post at least once a month so check back soon.

I learn from others mistakes or short commings.

It's 1pm and I'm waiting on my independent contractor/assistant to email me a important file. I've had to reschedule two meetings with perpective clients because a client is expecting a project completed today. This is the first time this assistant has worked on this type of project for me so as long as I get it today I will use him again. I just hope he sends it to me today.

I had planned to hire a permanate personal assistant but the office building that I'd planned to rent office space from changed the agreement after reassuring me our agreement was set. The office manager acted as if she had the final word but she didn't. Why do people do that? The time I spent buying furniture and interviewing an assistant could have been put to better use. But as a small business owner I should expect setbacks like this, right?



I learn from others when they let me down and it's a valualable lesson. I will have plan B the next time I have a project due and will set that due date for the assistant a day or two before mine. Also, I will follow my instincts so when someone tells me a agreement is good and I feel somethings now just right, I will furture investgate.

As a small business owner, once can't take to many set backs.

Cross your fingers for me!

I'm having a wonderful time creating websites. Click here to view the latest.

I plan to add music to the intro. It's something extra I'm doing for the client. They have a wonderful organization. The Kidz Korna Organization help abused children and more. All of their focus is on supporting children. They even produce a Christian TV show.

I'm hoping to win two new contracts. I just found out today that I have competition so I have my fingers crossed.

What do you think of my designs? Do they all look too similar? I never use templates but I think I have a similar style. I'm hoping to add variety to my portfolio with these two accounts. Cross your fingers for me!

Thank you for the referral!

Hello All,

I'm very excited because recently three individuals have referred Chocolates on MY Pillow services to others. It means a lot when someone tells me how unique and valuable my business is. But it means even more when they show me.

Keith Glover referred a friend to me who needs event planning assistance. Thank you so much Keith. We've had a good time so far planning the event. If you are not there, don't worry, we are going have lots of pictures taken and a video made which will be displayed on a website.

Rick Williams referred a friend to me who I've meet before but at the time didn't need business support but now he do. I'm not sure if it's going to work out but I appreciate Rick for keeping me in mind.

And finally Laurie Folino of My Go2Gal, LLC who is in the ICEA association and an internet networking group with me, THANK YOU. A friend of hers wanted to buy a gift certificate for a friend in Lake Forest, IL. Her friend is having a baby and the gift certificate will be a baby shower gift. Laurie passed on the business to me because Lake Forest is way out of her territory. Laurie, don't worry they are in good hands. I hope to return the favor one day.

KEEP THE REFERRALS COMING.

Websites Websites Websites

Recently, Chocolates on MY Pillow have been asked to create websites. And it's a lot of fun. I enjoy creating websites that have a unique look. I try not to make them all look alike.

This started after a potential client asked me who my web designer is. I told him I did it. And so he asked how much I charged and I told them no, I only designed it for myself. He asked if I'd make an exception and design his. I told him I'd take a stab at it but for him to remember I'm a graphic designer who is familiar with website coding and software. He still wanted me to go for it. Click here to see the result. Beware there is some shady lyrics in the song playing on the home page.

After the first website I decided I really enjoy creating in this way so I casually told a few clients that I was now creating websites at a very reasonable rate because I'm building my portfolio. A few was unhappy with the boring designs of their current websites so they hired me to create something new and exciting. Click here to see another website I created.

It's very interested creating something so important to someone else. I can't take total credit for this last website (click here) because the company was very specific and at times I resisted their changes but after I made the changes I realized together we created a better website. Thanks Tia for standing strongly by your vision.

If you like what you see and you want a unique website created. Email webmaster@ChocolatesOMP.com. Comments are also welcomed.

Take care,

Tisha Littlejohn