Trade Your Expertise (and Get More Accomplished!)
by Colleen Langenfeld
Copyright (c) 2003
Do you have a hobby or skill you really enjoy and
do very well?
Do you have a repair job around the house that needs
to be done? Or maybe you have no time to cook or clean
regularly?
Start a Skills and Services Co-op within your circle
of friends and make everyone's life a little easier.
To start, simply call up some friends. Or better yet,
have them over for an evening of appetizers or do lunch
together.
Eacb person in the group needs to consider what common
task she does very well and would be willing to trade
to another in exchange for that person's skill.
Then organize a basic list of services complete with
contact information, and give everyone in the co-op a
copy.
Here's how it might work.
Sue works 40-plus hours each week as an office manager
and comes home in no mood to cook complicated dinners.
She brings home takeout food twice a week and the family
members go their own way a couple of nights as well.
What she really needs is a meal waiting for her when she
gets home two evenings a week. Meals she can just pop in
the microwave or oven while she's helping the kids with
homework.
In comes Judy.
Judy loves to cook. But you should see her desk! And her
closets! So Judy agrees to cook two meals a week for Sue.
The meals will be ready to heat up after work. Really,
all Judy does is make an extra batch of her own meals a
couple of times each week and pops them in the freezer
for Sue. Sue buys the groceries for her own meals, of
course. And in exchange for the meal service, Sue comes
to Judy's house and helps her put her desk in order.
Plus, Sue comes back to Judy's house every couple of
weeks to go through a closet and help Judy get her home
back in tip-top shape.
Of course, these trades need to be equitable. And there
are details to be worked out. Trades don't need to be
ongoing, either. Just a one-time deal can really help
when you're in a pinch.
Working moms have tremendous skills they have developed
over the years in the workplace and as parents. Trade
your drudgery for someone else's and lighten both your
burdens a little in the process.
It's the least a couple of friends can do for each other!
=========================
Colleen Langenfeld delivers deals, tips and
creative resources to working moms who want
the most out of their homes, families and
careers at
http://www.paintedgold.com . Sign
up for our free newsletter and get an
online Creativity Toolkit as our gift to you!
