The Fully Accessible Life of Convenience
The trend of startups providing services to make your life more efficient and convenient is more than just nice, it's something I can't imagine living without. Free time is valuable and becoming more rare every passing day. I will gladly pay to steal some of that time back. Luckily with all these startups, I don't have to pay that much to make a huge impact in my daily life. Here's a few of my favorites:
Taskrabbit - this is for any task you can imagine, people. I've hired Taskrabbits for groceries, Fedex Kinko's runs, cleaning, even moving apartments. Estimated time saved per task = 1-3 hours
Uber - aside from the fact you cannot catch a cab in San Francisco, Uber also keeps you safe (did someone say catch a cab on 6th street at 1am?), comes immediately when called and does so in style. Estimated time saved per Uber = 15 - 30 min + 15 style points
Postmates - bike messengers are great, but even better is when they bring me food. Who has time to actually go to lunch? I definitely don't. They just started doing runs to Whole Foods too. Estimated time saved per Postmate = 30 - 45 min
Fab - this is not a necessity, but when I needed to decorate my apartment it really came in handy. Rugs, prints, pillows, furniture - you name it. Check the app, purchase, boom: apartment furnished. Estimated time saved per Fab purchase = 2-4 hours [Lest not forget the incredible Gilt and Rue La La - I purchase all of my clothes and shoes online, usually on the go via my phone]
Manpacks - holy crap if I was a dude I'd live by this. Monthly packages of underwear and razors! Estimated time saved per Manpack = 1-2 hours
Your local wash and fold - this saves me the most time each month. At $1 a pound it's about the same as my quarter laundry machines and they fold my clothes much nicer than I do. Estimated time saved per month = 4-6 hours
I don't throw money at these things purely for the sake of convenience, I choose to pay a little more so that I can truly enjoy the free time I have away from work. With all the time I save I can do things like truly enjoy the city I live in, travel to visit home in North Carolina, or take mini-vacations with the guy I love. In the end these things are worth the extra money. What are you using to steal back time in your life?
