Economic constraints are at the top of everyone’s mind right now. The DIY trend is on a high.

I have this discussion with new clients over and over again. What is the best use of their time? What is their area of expertise?

I offer tutorials and training for people who really feel that they want to have a knowledge of how things work. Some want to be able to update their blog themselves or do quick changes to a web page. That’s great. I truly believe that every webpreneur should have at least a basic understanding of how their website works.

Others insist that they want to have the knowledge and ability do everything themselves.

But is it really cost efficient for them to be doing their own work all the time?

Sadly I hear from clients who have spent hours and hours on a task that literally would take me only a few minutes to do. Usually when they finally contact me they are at their wits end and desperate because their self-imposed deadline to get something done has come and gone.

Worse yet, they may have messed up code or lost or written over precious files.

Personally, I am a DIYer myself. I love learning new skills and am constantly keeping myself updated on the newest online trends. But I recognize that I cannot be an expert at everything. That’s when I call in a professional in that field.

If that expert can make my time more efficient by allowing me to work on projects that I excel at, then what I have to pay that expert has been well spent.

So if you find yourself caught doing projects that you really don’t enjoy and are finding them frustrating, that is a good indication that you should be outsourcing that work to someone who is an expert in that field.

If you recognize that early on, you will find that you will enjoy the work that you are proficient at more and will have more energy to pursue the life you really want to live.