I learned the concept of “buying back your time” after I had my second child.
Although, at the time, I didn’t call it that. It was actually my husband who taught me.
I had always dreamed of being a mom, and when I had my first son, I wanted to do everything myself. I didn’t want to miss anything. So when my second baby came along, I thought I would do exactly the same thing. Except… two kids are different.
There are still only 24 hours in the day, but suddenly there are a lot more things competing for those hours.
And I started realizing something about myself. I LOVE being a mom. I love being present with my kids. But I’m also a woman who needs other things in her life. I like to work. I like to exercise. I like to feel productive and use a different part of my brain.
Having time to do those things actually makes me a better mom. I’ve always been more about quality over quantity. When I’m with my kids, I want to really be with them without guilt.
But at that time, I was trying to do everything and it was taking a toll on my mood and energy.
My husband finally said to me, “There are only so many hours in the day. We need to hire someone to help, even if it’s only four hours.”
I resisted. A lot. Eventually, I agreed to try it. And those four hours changed everything.
Four hours that were worth so much more
After those first three months, I felt ready to ease back into work, so I started using those few hours to work.
Financially, those hours generated significantly more than what we were paying for the help. But that wasn’t even the most important part.
I got a little piece of myself back.
I could work. I could focus. I could use my brain in a completely different way. And when those hours were over, I actually missed my kids. I wanted to be with them.
And because I had already taken care of the things occupying my mind, I could be much more present when I came back.
That experience completely changed the way I think about time.
What is an hour of your time actually worth?
We tend to look at outsourcing only as an expense.
How much is the nanny? The housekeeper? The personal chef? The assistant?
But I think there’s another question worth asking: What is an hour of your time worth?
And I don’t mean only financially. What is it worth to your career? Your business? Your family? Your health? Your peace of mind? Your relationships? Or simply your ability to feel like yourself?
Something that takes an hour every day becomes seven hours a week, 30 hours a month, hundreds of hours a year. So maybe the better question is:
What could you do with those hours if you had them back?
Sometimes the answer is work and making more money. Sometimes it’s exercising, sleeping, being with your kids, eating better, or simply having enough mental space to enjoy your life. All of those things have value.
The one thing I really wish I had outsourced…
And this brings me to something I wish existed when I had my babies.
Oh my God, I wish I had this.
If you’re a new mom, or you’re about to become one, first of all, congratulations!!! You’re about to experience one of the most beautiful, crazy, emotional, exhausting and incredible seasons of your life.
I’m all about positive vibes, so I’m not here to tell you how hard those first months are going to be. Every experience is different.
But I will tell you this: a new baby requires an enormous amount of your time.
There is suddenly this tiny human who depends on you for everything. And at the same time, you are also a human who needs to be taken care of.
You need to eat. You need to sleep. You need to rest. You need to recover.
Looking back, if there is one thing I would have outsourced immediately, it would have been the meal preparation. And not just the cooking. The whole thing.
The meal planning. The grocery list. The grocery shopping. The cooking. The cleaning.
I wish someone had come into my home once a week with the groceries, cooked nourishing homemade meals for us, stocked my fridge, cleaned the kitchen and left.
Can you imagine?
Those are hours I would have happily spent resting, showering, sleeping when I could, being with my baby and my other son, or doing absolutely nothing.
We created the postpartum meal prep I wish I had
This is why we created a special postpartum meal prep plan at chefpost.
We have so many clients who book chefs during this stage of life, so we wanted to take a little more of thought on how to curate a meal plan specifically for the postpartum stage. We curated the meal plan, with our chef’s signature meals and recipes with this season in mind, nourishing, homemade, breastfeeding-friendly options designed to support mom during recovery.
And especially at the beginning, my recommendation as a mom would be: let the chef handle the groceries too.
You really don’t need another grocery run on your list. Your chef can shop for the ingredients, including organic ingredients, come to your home, prepare everything, portion and organize your meals, and leave your kitchen clean.
Later, when life starts settling into a rhythm, you can always transition to buying your own groceries and simply having your chef cook.
But in those first weeks? Buy back as much of that time as you can.
A little inspiration for your postpartum meal prep
I also wanted to share a curated meal prep plan we recently created for one of our new moms client.
I think this will give you a good idea of how you can organize your meals once the baby arrives, because chances are, you’ll be eating at home a lot during those first few weeks.
We’ve found that this kind of structure can keep you well-fed and nourished without having to think about what to eat every single day.
I hope it gives you a little inspiration and, most importantly, makes this very special season a little easier.
Explore our curated Postpartum Meal Prep plan here
What would you buy back?
I’m still learning this lesson today as we grow Chefpost.
There are so many things I can do myself. But should I be doing them?
That’s a completely different question.
Maybe for you it’s cooking. Maybe it’s childcare, cleaning, driving, grocery shopping, an executive assistant or someone helping you in your business.
You don’t have to outsource everything. Start with the thing that would give you the most meaningful time back.
And if you’re a new mom reading this, please enjoy this season. It goes unbelievably fast. Let people help you. Eat well. Rest whenever you can. Hold that baby as much as you can.
And if food is one of the things you want to take off your plate, we’ve got you. 🤍
If you’re new here, welcome! I’m Diana, co-founder of Chefpost, the most trusted platform to book vetted personal chefs for weekly meal prep and at-home gatherings.
Every week, I personally share a meal plan to make to make your life easier and better. And when you’re ready to take cooking off your plate too, a Chefpost chef can come to your home and prepare it all for you.
Use code substack for $30 off your first booking. It would truly be my pleasure to help you. Explore more curated meal prep plans HERE
Finally, I would love to know, if you could outsource one thing in your life, what would it be?
All my best,
Diana xo