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Five Sites That Will Double Your Productivity

Being one of three full-time people at a startup is hard. It feels like if you’re not working all the time, then you’re falling behind, which can be really tough on your sanity and social life. There are also those necessary tasks like creating lists, doing online research, or even getting your cleaning done that you feel like you’re wasting your time on. Well, here’s a dirty little secret that will help you be more productive and sane: more minions!

No, not interns. Interns can help you get stuff done, but I always feel a sense of guilt making interns do work that is truly bitch-work. I mean, sometimes researching lifestyle blogs can be fun, but most of the time it’s really annoying for them too. It’s all about allocating the right things to the right people. 

Taskrabbit

Taskrabbit has been inordinately helpful for me when I need to do tasks in the real world like pick things up, clean between Airbnb guests, work the door at events, and move boxes from one place to the other. I feel like Taskrabbit is the new yuppie version of going to the Uhaul store and finding some dude who will help you with some furniture. 

Exec

Exec is Taskrabbit on steroids with a real time component. No one likes to plan when they need to do laundry or pick up some groceries, and we’d rather not worry about bidding or selecting someone as long as there’s a standard of quality. I just want it done now without having to worry about anything else. Exec is there when you need it. A friend of mine started it recently, so let me know if you want invites because I have them! 

Fancyhands

At <$5 a task, this has been a life saver as far as virtual tasks go. They are masters of doing research and making lists. The only catch, though, is that you have to be really specific about what you’re asking for and optimally create a spreadsheet for them to fill everything in for you. This is one of the times I wish I had Excel, but usually I just export / import from Google Docs :). Don’t be afraid to push the limits on this one.

Coffee & Power

I’m giving them a shout-out because we worked out of their offices for about a month back when we were homeless, but I haven’t had a huge amount of luck using them. Someone answered one of my requests but didn’t actually finish the job and seemingly fell off the face of the Earth after a month. Maybe you’d have better luck if you pick something that people are already offering, though! 

Odesk

Since most of these people are international, you have people charging about $3 an hour for certain administrative tasks. They are great for getting simple front end development done but not really good when it comes to interfacing people people and things that involve human interaction (even online) or creative thinking.