I Just Don't Have The Time

By Rose Hiebert

How often do you hear these words every day, “I just don’t have the time?” Even with an abundance of modern electronics to keep in touch, your family, friends, and coworkers all echo these same words. 

“I just don’t have the time to talk right now.” “I just don’t have the time to return your call.” Or “I just don’t have the time to go to lunch” or “I just don’t have the time to play with you right now.” Time … the most precious commodity that eludes a big part of our lives. What if someone offered to give you back some time … by running to the grocery store for you, picking up the children, scheduling all your appointments, or cooking your dinner? Come on, you’ve secretly wanted to be treated like a star, to have your most delirious desire fulfilled! That is what a concierge/errand service can give you – time back each day.

What is a concierge/errand service? The office of a concierge dates back from the 12th century. It is traditionally the “keeper of the keys.” The name originated from la Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette was kept imprisoned. She entrusted her palace keys to a concierge who arranged to get her letters and messages in and out of prison. 

Errand runners or concierges are most popular in European countries, but it’s quickly becoming a fast growing industry in America. For instance, Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan recently started offering their patients private rooms with sleepers for the overnight visitor and an errand-running concierge … all to promote privacy and to help lower the risk of infection. My family physician, upon hearing that I was an errand-runner, proceeded to tell me that when he was growing up in India, village people were often hired as errand runners when a wedding or other type of ceremony was announced. This is a business concept that has been around for many years and is gaining popularity as our daily lives increase with responsibility. Concierges, errand runners, or lifestyle managers as the British say – different names with one common thread – are helping people regain some personal time each day.

Everyday, we perform a juggling act of trying to balance ourselves, our work, and our families. One ball is tossed in the air and we start the day by getting everyone up, making breakfasts and lunches for the children, and rushing to schools and work, all while sitting in traffic. The second ball is in the air and we are running errands at lunch, catching a fast-food break, and sitting in more traffic. The third ball is in the air and now we are hurrying home (through traffic yet again), picking up the kids, maybe stopping at the store to pick up something we forgot at lunch, hurrying to get dinner on the table, and then doing more chores until it is finally time for bed. Exhausted, all the balls drop. Yikes! I’m getting tired just writing this. According to a recent Families and Work Institute “Overworked in America” report:
• 44% of U.S. employees are overworked often or very often;
• 26% of employees were overworked often or very often in the last month;
• 27% were overwhelmed by how much work they had to do often or very often in the last month;
• 29% often or very often didn’t have time to step back and process or reflect on the work they were doing during the last month; and
• 36% of employees do not plan to use their full vacations.

Being overworked contributes to its own set of problems – focus, illness, and depression. This is where using an errand runner/concierge can help – removing that stress of being overworked by “running” everyday chores.

Want tickets to a hot new show? A gallery opening? A chartered flight to Fiji? A day of pampering at a posh retreat? It’s all up to your imagination. The endless possibilities of chores being taken care of for you. Whether it is picking up the dry cleaning, going grocery shopping, delivering the take-out, buying tickets, shopping for gifts, or just returning a video, an errand runner can help give you back your own personal time – time to enjoy the finer things in life.

Most errand runners/concierge services are local companies offering personal services. A number have websites and communicate with customers through e-mail. The fees can either be an individual rate, ranging from $20-$25 per hour, or a membership rate starting at five hours for $115 to 25 hours for $550. Discounts are usually offered to senior citizens, new homeowners, and new parents. 

It may feel a little strange to hire someone to do the tiresome chores that are part of your everyday life. But in the long run, life is too short to wait in line at the grocery store. Writing an article for a magazine – not your typical errand – but a trip to Fiji … now there’s an errand!

Rose Hiebert is the founder and president of AngelRunner, Inc., an errand/concierge business in North Raleigh. She can be reached at 878-6779. For more information, visit <www.angelrunner.com>.