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Ever since Christopher Thomas told us to, “work smarter, not harder,” Americans have looked for ways to be more efficient and effective at work. Motivated by the desire to leave the office stress-free every Friday night at 5 p.m. sharp, we try to remember to focus on the important tasks first, avoid the projects that yield little return and remind our inboxes just who’s boss.

We spend all week dreaming of a relaxing weekend and yet, for most of us, the reality never lives up to the fantasy. Instead of using our 48 precious hours doing the things we love — spending time with the people we care about or simply relaxing, most of us spend the weekend tackling a to-do list filled with chores and errands. According to the American Time Use Survey from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend an average of almost three hours a day on activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management, plus another 20 minutes daily on personal phone calls and email. We spend just 45 minutes a day, on average, socializing. For some reason, the concepts of efficiency and effectiveness don’t carry over to our personal lives. But they can and should.

Tim Ferriss, angel investor and author of “The 4 Hour Workweek” is a huge proponent of what he calls outsourcing life. Ferriss regularly hires others to do research, plan parties, make travel arrangements, shop and even sort through his emails to delete the junk. He says people are hesitant to delegate their personal tasks but that when they do, a small investment in a temporary or virtual assistant can yield incredible returns.

At TaskRabbit, we watch people realize those returns every day. Harried professionals, tired moms, stressed out caregivers, even busy students are posting tasks online and letting our runners take care of them. These people are mastering the art of living smarter.

We realize that life is busy. We can help.

Our customers come to us under a variety of circumstances. Some are racing the clock and won’t meet a deadline without some help. Maybe they’re lives are crazy busy or maybe they’ve procrastinated too long. Some don’t have the means to complete a specific task. They need a pickup truck to haul mulch or some borrowed brawn to move furniture. Some lack the technical expertise to complete a task – they’d like to repair something around the house but don’t know a socket wrench from a ratchet wrench, or they want to set up a wireless router and network in their home office.

Others are just more enlightened. They simply don’t want to spend their valuable free time picking up prescriptions and dropping off dry cleaning, washing windows and mowing the lawn. They prefer spending time doing what they love. Everyone loves free time.

At TaskRabbit, our goal is to help as many people as possible join the enlightened group. As we’ve mentioned before, according to the American Time Use Survey from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend an inordinate amount of time performing mundane and tedious chores. It doesn’t have to be that way!

By outsourcing your personal tasks, you can free up more time to do the things you love. Helping people discover a better, smarter way to live is what keeps us energized at TaskRabbit. We know life is busy. And we are here to help.

by Jennifer Smith

Most of us create an office in our home so that we can keep the chaos out of our living space. All too often, the office becomes a place to dump stuff like bills, magazines, or knick-knacks and before you know it, the place is a cluttered mess. If you don’t have the artistic vision to turn your office supplies into a masterpiece, here are some practical ideas for organizing your workspace.

1. Designate a specific area for repeat clutter offenders such as bills. Depending on your available space, use a folder, tray, or file cabinet to organize and store loose paper so that you know where it is when you need it.

2. Commit to putting things away as soon as you bring them into the office. We like to remember this one as the “ice cream rule.” When you bring ice cream home from the grocery store, you wouldn’t leave it on the table for a few hours, right? Apply the same urgency to your stuff and you’ll find fewer piles growing.

3. Keep your office essentials accessible so that you aren’t continuously taking them out and putting then away. Go shopping for some office furniture or organizers that match your decorative taste and make staying organized less of a task.

4. Ban items that don’t belong in the office. Take a moment to scan your area and then remove your coffee cup, old magazines, or spare change. Suddenly you’ll have extra space that you didn’t know existed!

5. Set aside five minutes a day for minimal sorting and organizing to avoid creating an out of control mess.

Whether you are new to the “Daddy Community” or you are a long-time member of this elite society, there is one thing that every dad could use in their lives and it isn’t another tie; It’s more free time.

This Father’s Day, don’t spend money on a store bought gift. Store bought isn’t personalized, and frankly, he probably has enough “stuff.” Give  your dad something far more valuable and memorable; A Day to Himself to Relax.

Think of all the ways in which a father could enjoy more free time in his day. Free time equates to rewards like: getting to watch that basketball game he’s been looking forward to, catching up on nap time, working on his golf game, reading that book he’s been looking forward to finishing or simply enjoying more time with the family.

Think to yourself: “What can I do for Dad that would relieve some of the mundane chore time from his day.”

Ideas for Helping Dad:

• Mow the lawn and do that extra yard work that needs doing
• Clean and detail his car (saves him time AND money)
• Take the trash out and organize the recycling
• Heavy lifting around the house
• Organizing the garage
• Cleaning the Gutters
• Updating his computer
• Housework (from painting to fixing those broken shelves.)
• Taking and picking up (and paying for) his dry cleaning.
• The best gift you can give someone is free time.

Second best gift? Check out what our friend Tim Ferris has to say about the TOP GIFTS THAT CAN CHANGE OR SAVE YOUR LIFE.

You called – We answered.

We’ve had SO many requests for Runners in the Metrowest neighborhoods that we took things one step further and launched TASKRABBIT METROWEST!

This marks the first official local launch of TaskRabbit. Who KNOWS where our next launch might be…it might even be in your neighborhood!

What does this mean for TaskRabbit Members? You will now see a link to MY CITY in the upper right hand corner of TaskRabbit.com. Here, you can switch your city from TaskRabbit BOSTON to TaskRabbit METROWEST.

Members in the Metrowest area can now post their tasks specifically to Metrowest Runners, which means more localized attention and speedier task pick ups.

TaskRabbit is growing by LEAPS and BOUNDS (hop!) Whether you need a Runner to help you build Ikea furniture in the Greater Boston area OR you need coffee from Pete’s Coffee in Newton Center…there’s a Runner for that and they are right around the corner.

Neighbors helping neighbors. It’s who we are and what we do. Spread the love.

@TaskRabbit

Facebook.com/TaskRabbit

We are proud to announce that RunMyErrand has welcomed nearly 40 new Runners to our community. For Senders, this means the chances of your errand getting picked up quickly are even higher. For Runners, this means you’ve joined an awesome community of neighbors helping neighbors and making some extra money in your free time. It’s a win-win for everyone!

So you’ve been approved and you are now scouring the boards looking for great errands to run. Here are some important tips to keep in mind as you work your way toward becoming a 5 Star Runner.

THE TOP 5 TIPS ON BECOMING A 5 STAR RUNNER

5. Be Polite and Personable. The first thing we hear from Senders regarding our 5 Star Runners is he/she was just so NICE! Senders have never met you before and it makes everything just a little easier and more comfortable when you show up on their doorstep with a smile and a handshake.

4. Be Punctual. Seems like a no brainer, right? But being on time is vital to running many of these errands and Senders want a Runner they can depend on. Then by the time we add in the “choose your favorite Runner to run this errand” function, you’ll have hordes of Senders who had a great experience with you and you’ll be more popular than oxygen.

3. Communication is Key. Before you jump in the car/T/on your bike to run that errand, reach out to your Sender and collect all pertinent information from them. Get a contact number, time, place and complete description of what needs to be done. No one will penalize you for asking too many questions, but not gathering all of the necessary info about an errand will nearly always lead to roadblocks. Be thorough.

2. If the errand don’t fit, don’t accept it. If you are not absolutely, 100%, without a doubt certain that you can run this errand, do NOT bid on it. We understand that things happen and in the case of extenuating circumstances sometimes a Runner can’t run an errand they have been approved for. However, this is a tedious process on our end to get errands and Runners switched around and Senders often get frustrated when this happens. So in the spirit of keeping things simple and running smoothly for all parties, please don’t accept an errand unless you are certain you can handle that errand.

1. Stay Connected! We give the Runners three different ways to stay connected with up to the second errand postings. You can check the RunMyErrand.com site for errand listings, you can sign up to have a text message sent to your phone with errand listing updates or you can follow us on Twitter @RMERunners. We also post fun updates and news about the website @RunMyErrand and of course we have a cool Facebook Fan Page where we post our favorite errands and success stories. If you run a great errand, you’ll be featured on the Facebook page! We also announce all of our contests and winners here, so fan us today!

And of course if you need help along the way I am here to help! I’m just a live chat or an email away should you have questions.

Amanda@RunMyErrand.com HAPPY RUNNING!

As a recent bride myself (144 days in office and the popularity polls are holding steady) I only just caught up on my sleep and unwound from the fury of wedding planning. I did it all by myself and was super proud of having done so. But behind every frazzled bride is a team of BFFs, bridesmaids, parents and bloggers to help her along the way. No bride is an island!

RunMyErrand.com is very proud to announce that we will be offering Bridal Planning assistance to area brides! Whether you are a DIY bride who doesn’t shy away from a glue gun, or a busy bee bride who doesn’t have enough time in her day to troll the wedding websites and retailers, we can help you.

From picking up BM dresses at Priscilla of Boston to compiling planning timelines to just offering ideas and support, RunMyErrand has a team of bridal planning specialists and errand Runners available at all hours. No need to hire a bridal planner (save that thousand bucks and put it toward the honeymoon!) when you’ve got RunMyErrand here to help.

You can pick and choose which planning tasks you need help with along the way without any commitment- or – You can choose from a package of 10 services that we will be compiling (like today, that’s on my to-do list) for a flat fee.

No car? Hire a Runner to take car of those wedding errands that you can’t do on foot.

No time? Hire a Runner to help you prioritize and work through the mountain of details.

Small budget? No worries. Most wedding errands cost $10-$15 (and you get your first errand free, up to $15.)

Bridal Planning packages should not cost you an arm and a leg. We can make great vendor recommendations and get you well on your way to having the most perfect wedding day ever. Take it from me. I’m a wedding planner myself, and I, along with the other planner Runners, are at the helm of this crazy bridal planning ship ready to help!

Existing Runners, We LOVE you! It’s high time we held a party in your honor!

Celebrate good times. Come on!

Runner Applicants! You applied to be a Runner with RunMyErrand and the wait is over! Come party with RunMyErrand and get set up as a new Runner on the spot!

RunMyErrand is now accepting new Runners and we are rolling out the green carpet for all of our Runners!

On Thursday March 4^th from 5-7pm RunMyErrand will be hosting a Runner Rally Party! Come eat, drink and make merry with us as we sign up new Runners, hang out with our tried and true Runners and eat cupcakes!

There will be Swag Bags and a Raffle!

There will be food and merriment!

Come meet the faces behind RunMyErrand and ask all the questions you like!

Our Chief Inspiration Officer, Kobe, will be joining us as a representative from the puppy community. Also on hand will be Leah Busque, Founder and President of RunMyErrand, and Amanda Connor, Community Manager of RunMyErrand.

Come party with us and take 5 minutes to get set up as a new Runner. No waiting!

Please RSVP to Amanda@RunMyErrand.com. We look forward to getting jiggy with you!

Where: 2 Canal Park (right next to Cambridgeside Galleria Mall) – 5th Floor

A. More time in your day to spend with your family.

Save time, spend it with your family!

RunMyErrand can save you time in a million different ways. Here are some ideas:

4. PARTY PLANNING - Let an RME Party Planner plan your child’s next birthday party, bar/bat miztvah or any fun event. We have loads of party planners on board who are ready to help. Try using us for a birthday party or sleepover (we’ll do the invites, food prep, even transportation.)

3. NUTRITIONAL MEAL PLANNING – You’ve got so much to do, meal planning is tough!  Let a Runner do your grocery shopping & make smart nutritional choices based on your specifications.  THEN, have your Runner create a custom menu for your family for the week! No more running around.  We’ll do that for you & deliver wholesome food right to your door!

2. TRANSPORTATION – How much time do you spend shuttling the kids around? Our Runners are background and safety checked and many are parents themselves! Why not hire a Runner to take Timmy and Susie to piano practice, soccer practice and tutoring twice a week so you can enjoy a little down time?

1. DAILY TO-DO’s – Pick up the dry cleaning, take the dog to the vet, return those shirts to the mall, buy diapers, drop off the donations and take the car in for an oil change. What do these chores have in common? They all take lots of time!  So why not give your to-do list to an expert Runner while you enjoy down time with your family?

RunMyErrand is so easy to use. Just sign in, post your errand and put your feet up while someone else handles the chores! It’s as easy as pie (that you and the kids baked together and took pictures of to send to the grandparents!)

Hi, it’s Rebecca, a marketing consultant working with the expanding team here at RME! In a start up environment it is easy to focus only on the day-to-day, growing the business and securing financing. However since I am only 3 weeks young to RmE I have the gift of perspective, at least for now, before more papers start piling up on my desk.

One thing that struck me immediately, is that the entire team at RmE is about helping other people. I do not mean within the confines of the service itself, but in our personal lives too. When Leah Busque founded RmE she simply thought she was helping connect people in need of solutions with those who had them. But, in looking back at her life, it was clear she was destined to help people all along.

In middle school she was voted most dependable, a label that at the time may have seemed kind of boring, but it underscores a reoccurring pattern of service in her life – between tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club and volunteering through out her community.

Our Chief Runner, Rylan, is no different. Even after serving 4 years in the United States Navy, he still had a hankering to give something to his community and found his place at RmE helping businesses grow and flourish and still finds time to volunteer at local homeless shelters for veterans. Our chief storyteller, Robbie, has his own secret way of giving to the community too – and although I cannot divulge the details, it entails gifting free Dunkin Donuts to strangers. Our interns emanate the same generosity, first for donating their precious time and ideas to RmE but also when not at RmE they can be found serving those in hospitals.

For a newcomer to the RmE family, it was inspiring to see that RmE practices what we preach. Sometimes it just feels good to help. Sometimes it feels good to be helped. Isn’t that what RmE is all about?

Tell us about your experience giving back? Or tell us how using RmE makes you feel about giving to your community at large.