How I automated the boring parts of life(stevecorona.com)
stevecorona.com
How I automated the boring parts of life
http://stevecorona.com/how-i-automated-the-boring-parts-of-life
217 comments
Subscriptions for things like toilet paper are a bad idea. Unless your consumption is 100% constant and you know exactly what it is (unlikely if you ever have any people visiting you). Ordering such things every couple of weeks takes just a few minutes and you will always get exactly what you need.
IMHO, the whole post is not very useful and the 2 affiliate links are pushing it ... How much does one earn with such a HN post? Please disclose.
IMHO, the whole post is not very useful and the 2 affiliate links are pushing it ... How much does one earn with such a HN post? Please disclose.
According to my works content filter this is NSFW
It's because of the "run naked" post I wrote a few months ago.
Well that sucks! That post doesn't seem that lewd. Are you going to ask Websense to undo that categorization? Do people even do this?
Very interesting, wish more of this would be applicable in Germany, especially the virtual assistant part, most of which seem to be English only. Although in the case of FancyHands, it's not due to English being more well known in the former colonies, for once…
And apparently Steve uses 10 Q-Tips per day.
And apparently Steve uses 10 Q-Tips per day.
There's a business opportunity here, at least for French and German... The German work could be outsourced to Turkey, and the French out to Africa.
Germany itself has some pretty lenient wage policies if you hire long-time unemployed people. But I doubt that there's a big demand for it. Germans don't like to delegate in general, even if it's with a pretty trivial matter. When Walmart first arrived, they tried to have your groceries bagged for you, just like they do in the US. Quickly dropped that, as people complained about employees touching their stuff or doing it the wrong way. Never mind that for a lot of people the ghosts of the Stasi (or even Gestapo) are still lingering, so e.g. sending people you don't know your bills and other personal data is a bit taboo.
I also wish Mech Turk was available to providers outside the US. But thankfully oDesk is, and I've found it's possible to find great VAs there with some patience and trial-and-error.
First off, great article! Although, it's just a few quick tips, there was some solid advice in there and some new tips I had never heard. For example, maybe I've been living in a cave, but Amazon Subscribe is new to me, so I appreciate the great tip there!
I, personally, had a bad experience using "Fancy Hands" and cancelled my subscription just the other month. Although, I do admit it was mainly because I just couldn't get the $25/month out of it (like you did).
I am curious, how did Fiverr work out (quality wise) for your proofreading? I have debated using this service before for proofreading, but had not yet actually tried it.
I, personally, had a bad experience using "Fancy Hands" and cancelled my subscription just the other month. Although, I do admit it was mainly because I just couldn't get the $25/month out of it (like you did).
I am curious, how did Fiverr work out (quality wise) for your proofreading? I have debated using this service before for proofreading, but had not yet actually tried it.
Thanks! Fiverr was great. I had FancyHands find me a high rated proofreader on there and ask him if he'd be willing to do a 62-page, 15,000 word doc (the guy normally was doing 1500 words for ~$5). He said sure, for $50, and that the turnaround time would be two days.
Two days later, I had a fully edited and proofread copy of my document, above and beyond what I expected to get for $50.
Mechanical Turk was way cheaper (even though $50 is already pretty cheap) but the quality varied greatly... from super-low to super-high. I would love to build an automated, nearly real-time proofreading tool that harnessed MT, though.
Two days later, I had a fully edited and proofread copy of my document, above and beyond what I expected to get for $50.
Mechanical Turk was way cheaper (even though $50 is already pretty cheap) but the quality varied greatly... from super-low to super-high. I would love to build an automated, nearly real-time proofreading tool that harnessed MT, though.
Living in NYC makes it easy to automate some more boring things, thanks to its population density:
- Drop off my laundry at the laundromat's wash and fold service to pick up the next day. There are even a bunch of services and laundromats that will come to your apartment to take your laundry and drop it back off for you.
- Seamless has about 100 places that deliver to my apartment, about 400 that deliver to work. You can schedule your dinner delivery time.
- I've had friends my age hire a maid to clean weekly apparently without costing much, or just Taskrabbit for one-off things.
- Fresh Direct for delivery groceries.
- No need for a car, so I can be productive on the train or at least read depending on the commute.
- Cabs are incredibly cheap here.
- Drop off my laundry at the laundromat's wash and fold service to pick up the next day. There are even a bunch of services and laundromats that will come to your apartment to take your laundry and drop it back off for you.
- Seamless has about 100 places that deliver to my apartment, about 400 that deliver to work. You can schedule your dinner delivery time.
- I've had friends my age hire a maid to clean weekly apparently without costing much, or just Taskrabbit for one-off things.
- Fresh Direct for delivery groceries.
- No need for a car, so I can be productive on the train or at least read depending on the commute.
- Cabs are incredibly cheap here.
So jealous, I would kill to have access TaskRabbit/Uber/FreshDirect/etc, but it seems like those types of services only make it to NYC or SF. Living in Charleston, SC has its perks, but getting new tech first is not one of them.
Laundry & Maid service is next on my list, though. I figure, if they save me even 2 hours a week, I've already made my money back.
Laundry & Maid service is next on my list, though. I figure, if they save me even 2 hours a week, I've already made my money back.
if they save me even 2 hours a week, I've already made my money back
(This depends on whether they save productive hours or idle, underutilized hours)
(This depends on whether they save productive hours or idle, underutilized hours)
You may be undervaluing "idle" time. Unless you find doing laundry to be relaxing, paying someone else to do that kind of task can have a big payoff.
Dont kill, move :)
I'm surprised Charleston doesn't already have these - I live in a mid-sized city nowhere near NYC or SF and we have versions of these. You should check around for alternates.
I really wish Fresh Direct would do unattended deliveries like Amazon Fresh in Seattle. Amazon uses an insulated temperature controlled crate that keeps things safe for at least a few hours. Scheduling my life around FreshDirect deliveries is annoying. It would be nice if I can just give them a 3-4h window before I get home from work and just find it outside my door.
I use Amazon fresh and I've got to tell you that unattended delivery is great. I usually do the 4am to 6am slot, and just pull in the groceries as part of my morning routine.
It sounds cheeky to describe grocery delivery as "life changing" but it really is.
It sounds cheeky to describe grocery delivery as "life changing" but it really is.
Just out of curiosity do you buy perishables like fresh produce or meet on your unattended delivery order? What about frozen items?
I used to use Amazon Fresh - and have bought perishables. The crate that it's delivered in has ice packs and is well insulated such that the goods are definitely safe for a few hours at most.
So you can't have it delivered in the middle of the night and fetch it in the morning, but you certainly can have it delivered after work - but not have to hurry home to make sure you get it right as it comes off the truck.
So you can't have it delivered in the middle of the night and fetch it in the morning, but you certainly can have it delivered after work - but not have to hurry home to make sure you get it right as it comes off the truck.
I buy meat, produce, milk all the time. Refrigerated items come packed in these insulated bags with ice packs. Frozen items come packed in thick polystyrene coolers with dry ice.
I wouldn't leave them out all day on a hot day, but for a few hours in typical Seattle weather, no problem?
I wouldn't leave them out all day on a hot day, but for a few hours in typical Seattle weather, no problem?
FreshDirect has a 2 hour window, that's not that bad. I usually pick the 6:30-8am window, (I normally wake up at 6:30 and leave at 7:30), so worst case I'm only a half hour behind schedule for work.
These services are great to help manage your time and attention. Of course, there is one big downside to these things: price. Using services like this aggressively is very expensive compared to doing laundry yourself, cooking more often, or using fixed cost transit (e.g. MTA or bike). Folks that can't afford to spend on those services tend to do it themselves or form close knit contacts that they can pool with to do some of these things (pooling laundry, sharing leftovers from cooked meals, etc.).
Alternatively, if you're young and single just live with a bunch of roommates — group cooking/cleaning/etc is really cheap.
I had similar services in London that were very useful.
Of course they didn't have fancy web frontends, but they still picked up and dropped off laundry (charged by weight), cleaned the house every week or two, delviered groceries (most UK supermarkets will) Etc.
These things are not expensive and take much of the annoying drudgery out of life.
Of course they didn't have fancy web frontends, but they still picked up and dropped off laundry (charged by weight), cleaned the house every week or two, delviered groceries (most UK supermarkets will) Etc.
These things are not expensive and take much of the annoying drudgery out of life.
Could you share links to these services?
What pros/cons have you found in using them?
Thanks!
What pros/cons have you found in using them?
Thanks!
I've been doing most of my grocery shopping for my past 2 years in the UK using Ocado:
http://www.ocado.com
The minimum order value can be a problem. With their £10/month subscription service, it drops from to £40.
Ocado's customer service is excellent, and they're very good at timekeeping — you just schedule an 1-hour delivery slot.
http://www.ocado.com
The minimum order value can be a problem. With their £10/month subscription service, it drops from to £40.
Ocado's customer service is excellent, and they're very good at timekeeping — you just schedule an 1-hour delivery slot.
Well, on food - Tesco and Sainsburys will deliver from their websites, and ocado.com for waitrose has been mentioned.
Pro - food comes to you and you only get what you want (not random hungry puchases). Con - you have to be in when they arrive, unsure what the windows are.
Laundry - I was living in NE London at the time (about 3 years ago) so I used http://www.theironingboard.com/ There must be more of these around in other parts of town.
Pro - somebody washes, dries, folds and (optionally) irons your clothes. Con - ???? (OK so it costs money instead of time, what you think is good value in this department is probably very subjective, and you have to be there to accept delivery, but they did deliver in the evenings :)
Cleaners are an odd one because you're allowing someone access to your property, often when you're not there. It may be best to find a trustworthy cleaner by word of mouth.
Pro - food comes to you and you only get what you want (not random hungry puchases). Con - you have to be in when they arrive, unsure what the windows are.
Laundry - I was living in NE London at the time (about 3 years ago) so I used http://www.theironingboard.com/ There must be more of these around in other parts of town.
Pro - somebody washes, dries, folds and (optionally) irons your clothes. Con - ???? (OK so it costs money instead of time, what you think is good value in this department is probably very subjective, and you have to be there to accept delivery, but they did deliver in the evenings :)
Cleaners are an odd one because you're allowing someone access to your property, often when you're not there. It may be best to find a trustworthy cleaner by word of mouth.
We use http://www.abelandcole.co.uk for food. They do deliver once a week, but with some planning and reoccuring orders you can pretty much automate your food supplies. Also they don't require you to be in - you can ask them to leave the boxes somewhere "safe" (behind a dust bin). Not ideal, and depends where you live, but we never had any problems in the last 4-5 years... Also they typically deliver quite early 5/6 am.
Customer support is great. No monthly subscription.
Cons: bit pricey, but I found the stuff to be of a better quality than in large supermarkets - they try really hard to be organic and stuff like that.
Tesco and Sainsbury's have 1 or 2 hour delivery windows and different charges (£10 or under) depending on day and time of day. Tuesday/Wednesday evenings (7-9pm) tend to be free for orders over £100 with Sainsbury's. We tend to do monthly deliveries including lots of the heavy/bulky items or non-perishables (tins, drinks, nappies). We then pick up the fresh items every day or two from local supermarkets/grocers.
Cleaners are £8-£10/hour (in SW London anyway), ours takes 2.5 hours for our 3 bed flat. They'll often do ironing too.
Couldn't ever go back to living without a washing machine though!
Cleaners are £8-£10/hour (in SW London anyway), ours takes 2.5 hours for our 3 bed flat. They'll often do ironing too.
Couldn't ever go back to living without a washing machine though!
Thanks for sharing. These will come in useful
Also for the food thing (and I'm sure most folks in the uk know this one already) just-eat.co.uk will tell you all your local delivery options and take your order/payment too. It's a great way to get fat.
> It's a great way to get fat
Haha, agreed :-D
Haha, agreed :-D
"- Cabs are incredibly cheap here."
Is that a joke? A 10 minute cab ride with light traffic can approach $20.
Is that a joke? A 10 minute cab ride with light traffic can approach $20.
Compare to other N. American cities.
Compare it with other first world cities outside N. America.
Americans don't realize how cheap they've got it.
Americans don't realize how cheap they've got it.
Yeah, but how far do you get in that ten minutes? :-)
How much is the wash and fold service?
Do services like seamless deliver food that follows certain diets. Like Ketogenic/No-Carb, Paleo, Vegan, etc?
Do services like seamless deliver food that follows certain diets. Like Ketogenic/No-Carb, Paleo, Vegan, etc?
It's roughly a dollar a pound. It's slightly more expensive for me since I provide my own detergent instead of having them use theirs (I hate fragrances). Since I don't own my own machines (if I did, I'd use them instead), I think using theirs myself would come out to maybe 40-50 cents a pound, depending on the load.
Some restaurants do cater to specific diets, yes, especially in NYC. It totally depends on where you are though. I'm pescetarian (and 98% vegetarian) and there're tons of options in this city, and a bunch of vegan places I'll order from sometimes too. There's also a macrobiotic place that delivers to work.
Some restaurants do cater to specific diets, yes, especially in NYC. It totally depends on where you are though. I'm pescetarian (and 98% vegetarian) and there're tons of options in this city, and a bunch of vegan places I'll order from sometimes too. There's also a macrobiotic place that delivers to work.
Food prep is by far the most time consuming and drudge heavy daily task, but it remains pretty much impossible to eat healthily if you don't cook daily. Short of paying a personal chef or landing a full time housewife there doesn't seem to be a solution. Restaurants and prepared food just don't have the economic incentive to use high quality ingredients.
About food, I remember reading a post on HN some time ago about how someone had found somebody on Craigslist to cook for him and his family. The lady would bring food three times a week or something like that and everything was homemade and of the season.
Personal chef makes it sound like it would be somewhat fancy, and thus expensive, but in that post it was just somebody who was cooking at home but make more and bring it to them. That could be something to look into if you're really interested.
edit: I believe it was this post http://sidsavara.com/personal-productivity/the-price-of-my-d... At least that's the idea. (I can't believe there's no date on that post)
Personal chef makes it sound like it would be somewhat fancy, and thus expensive, but in that post it was just somebody who was cooking at home but make more and bring it to them. That could be something to look into if you're really interested.
edit: I believe it was this post http://sidsavara.com/personal-productivity/the-price-of-my-d... At least that's the idea. (I can't believe there's no date on that post)
My bachelor buddy does that. Two ladies come every couple weeks, cook and freeze dozens of entres, chat and leave. Everybody happy, he doesn't frequent Wendys any more.
wow, that almost sounds too good to be true
Good god, man. What are you cooking? As a student I cooked meat, rice & vegetables (mixing around the meat & veggies as needed) for literally months, and it doesn't take more than a few minutes to get everything going.
I mean, sure, if you want some fancy-pants meal you're going to have to put in some effort. But if you don't want to spend time and still want something healthy, it doesn't take long. (Heck, how long does it take to make a sandwich?).
Frankly, anybody suggesting a personal chef must be off their rocker or living on a different planet than me. It's not hard to cook, even if you're lazy.
I mean, sure, if you want some fancy-pants meal you're going to have to put in some effort. But if you don't want to spend time and still want something healthy, it doesn't take long. (Heck, how long does it take to make a sandwich?).
Frankly, anybody suggesting a personal chef must be off their rocker or living on a different planet than me. It's not hard to cook, even if you're lazy.
Get a bag of quinoa, few cans of chickpeas, a bag of lentils, and a can of mixed beans. Cook the lentils and the quinoa (google for good instructions on the lentils). Mix in the chickpeas (already cooked in can) and mixed beans. Store.
Bulk bake some fish, chicken, whatever, for protein (or your favorite vegetable protein source). Store.
One of the healthiest dinners imaginable (quinoa, chickpeas, and lentils are wonderful) is now as easy as placing these two items on a plate and microwaving.
Sure, you'll get bored after a while, but just mix it up next time.
Bulk bake some fish, chicken, whatever, for protein (or your favorite vegetable protein source). Store.
One of the healthiest dinners imaginable (quinoa, chickpeas, and lentils are wonderful) is now as easy as placing these two items on a plate and microwaving.
Sure, you'll get bored after a while, but just mix it up next time.
Preparing food is one of the most rewarding activities in my life, and the same is true for many of my friends.
Maybe it's an attitude thing?
Maybe it's an attitude thing?
Similarly, some people really enjoy running, or sitting at a desk working in excel, and some people consider either of those to be horrific experiences undertaken only through pure necessity. This isn't news.
The trick is to make simpler meals, and ones that are freezer / fridge friendly; you can make a large amount, store it as leftovers, and alternate -- that way you don't eat the same thing twice in a row. I think I & my SO only cook maybe 3-4 unique meals a week. Bonus: you get a hot meal to bring to work for lunch, which doesn't require separate prep!
One solution that I've heard about, but never used, is a personal chef that cooks for you once a week, and packages meals to be trivially reheated during the week. That way, you have control over the ingredients, preparation methods, and the details of the menu, and it's a few hours of labor cost.
> Short of paying a personal chef
Ding, I smell a business idea:
OurChef: You want good dinners, and you want a life. We want to sell you good dinners. OurChef is your personal caterer, with authentic quality ingredients.
Ding, I smell a business idea:
OurChef: You want good dinners, and you want a life. We want to sell you good dinners. OurChef is your personal caterer, with authentic quality ingredients.
A poor student here has offered something similar: you pay for the food, he'll come cook for you, if he can join you for dinner. He got thousands of requests (see http://politiken.dk/indland/ECE1778538/halvfattig-tilbyder-a... )
Someone has taken the idea and try to scale it since: http://www.facebook.com/cook4food
It's social, it's local, it's mobile, it's cooking!
Someone has taken the idea and try to scale it since: http://www.facebook.com/cook4food
It's social, it's local, it's mobile, it's cooking!
One of my previous employer's clients was a company that did exactly this. I don't remember their name, or how well they were doing, but I thought that the idea was a pretty good one.
The only problem I saw was that their meals were typically fairly expensive, to the point where you could probably eat out every day for less money.
The only problem I saw was that their meals were typically fairly expensive, to the point where you could probably eat out every day for less money.
US: kitchit.com, munchery.com, kitchensurfing.com
UK: housebites.com
UK: housebites.com
two words: slow cooker
This doesn't eliminate prep time, it just separates the prep and eating.
That depends on what you are cooking I think. Most things I am normally inclined to cook require me to attend to them while they are cooking. Slow-cookers eliminate that and do other things instead, like go to work.
Even if you are cooking something relatively hands off in your oven.. how often do you leave your home while your oven is on? You are locked down to that location for the duration of the cooking time.
Even if you are cooking something relatively hands off in your oven.. how often do you leave your home while your oven is on? You are locked down to that location for the duration of the cooking time.
A digital electric pressure cooker is a better option than a slow cooker in my experience. I use one. Pretty much everything cooks inside 20 minutes, even a whole frozen chicken. I cook tons of stuff straight from frozen.
But still, preparing the food once or twice a day is a distracting pain. It would be great if I could just stop off at street vendors or fast food stores and eat well, but as it is that stuff will kill you.
But still, preparing the food once or twice a day is a distracting pain. It would be great if I could just stop off at street vendors or fast food stores and eat well, but as it is that stuff will kill you.
When cooking for one, a slowcooker will usually get me several meals. Still, healthy street food would be nice.
Yes it does eliminate prep time. You put a bunch of stuff into a slow cooker, add a can of soup like cream of mushroom for flavor, and it comes out amazing when you get home. Just don't end up eating too much meat this way. Use a lot of vegetables.
You don't have to stand over a stove watching stuff fry. You only have to clean one dish. You make enough for leftovers too.
You don't have to stand over a stove watching stuff fry. You only have to clean one dish. You make enough for leftovers too.
I love Steve's posts because I can always relate.
I definitely need to start using FancyHands (got the email from the guy who created it recently about how he was killing an old company and putting all effort into FancyHands). Unfortunately some of my current tasks require calling my lawyer and doing some other things that really only I can do.
I do need a dentist though, and a handful of other things. Time to delegate!
I definitely need to start using FancyHands (got the email from the guy who created it recently about how he was killing an old company and putting all effort into FancyHands). Unfortunately some of my current tasks require calling my lawyer and doing some other things that really only I can do.
I do need a dentist though, and a handful of other things. Time to delegate!
When you figure out how to outsource going to the dentist, let us all know. That's one of those services that pg talks about that everybody needs but nobody wants to provide: great startup opportunity.
I'm not so sure it's a great startup opportunity. Getting your teeth cleaned is awfully hard to outsource, considering your teeth generally cannot be removed from your mouth and picked up or dropped off.
If you're just talking about, "we come to you", that doesn't seem like a real compelling service. Dentist visits are rare and important, so I'm willing to invest a little more, and it seems like dentistry in the back of a truck would be limited. Much of the equipment at a dentist's office can't exactly be thrown into a truck.
If you're just talking about, "we come to you", that doesn't seem like a real compelling service. Dentist visits are rare and important, so I'm willing to invest a little more, and it seems like dentistry in the back of a truck would be limited. Much of the equipment at a dentist's office can't exactly be thrown into a truck.
I assumed that it would be obvious that this was a joke, but somehow the notion of outsourcing going to the dentist was taken seriously. Something about my deadpan delivery apparently needs more fine tuning....
Ah, good. Well, you know what they say- "sarcasm always translates well over the internet" ;)
Put a dentist in a van and drive to wherever you'd need?
"Yeah, my dentist is a guy in a van."
There would definitely have to be some great marketing for this to not seem shady.
There would definitely have to be some great marketing for this to not seem shady.
I'm surprised nobody has done this, actually. I live in Alaska and have a friend who is a dentist. He works exclusively in remote villages with a portable kit of equipment he flies around with on small chartered aircraft. It would definitely fit in a van.
There aren't very many licensed dentists that have to bother much about finding customers.
I think the idea would be to charge a large amount to make it worth the dentists while to do so. So high population density high income areas. New York and maybe San Francisco?
We actually do have this where I work. I don't know the schedule, as I would never trust my mouth to someone I can't easily return to with problems, but it does actually exist.
Here in the UK, a group of Hungarian dentists did this with inflatable surgeries (and could offer Eastern European rates too): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1051660/Deflated-c...
The already have something like that in the Bay area. I was up near Genentech a few months back and they had a huge trailer setup in the parking lot. It was a portable dentist office setup for employees to use.
I assume it shows up once or twice a month.
I assume it shows up once or twice a month.
Dentists seem to have about 5 different rooms, pay dental hygienists to do 90% of the work, then stop in for about 5 minutes during the course of the 45 minutes you are there.
A van wouldn't cut it - you would need a bus.
A van wouldn't cut it - you would need a bus.
You should take it for granted that people mean the hygienist. "Dentist" is sort of a colloquialism referring to the whole operation. You're spot on though, as a single dentist operates at a higher level, that dentist would be underutilized overseeing just one chair.
Can a hygienist practice independently?
Can a hygienist practice independently?
They do this for New Zealand school students. A truck with a dental clinic inside it comes to the school and everyone gets a check-up.
Like mobile dog grooming. I like it.
We plan a lot of people's dentists appointments (mine included). Even though I need to go to the dentist, I've got some mental block to actually schedule it myself.
(PS: Sounds like you were an enjoysthin.gs user, thanks for that!)
(PS: Sounds like you were an enjoysthin.gs user, thanks for that!)
It's not automation, it's hiring other people.
I wouldn't say it's full blown hiring. Maybe micro-hiring. Is that a term?
It is now !
Not a bad one either.
Not a bad one either.
With Fancy Hands, how do you deal with tasks (such as buying tickets) that require the use of your credit card, password, account info etc.
If there is a solution, they should mention it on their front page because I'm sure half the people who go there ask themselves: "Wouldn't I have to give my credit card info to complete strangers for this to be useful?"
This seems to be the weak link with these services.
If there is a solution, they should mention it on their front page because I'm sure half the people who go there ask themselves: "Wouldn't I have to give my credit card info to complete strangers for this to be useful?"
This seems to be the weak link with these services.
From their website: "Fancy Hands can purchase things for you. Yep, if you ask us to buy toner cartridges, lunch, or tickets, we can handle it.
First off, security is our number one priority with this feature and it's totally baked in from the start. At no point, does your assistant, or anybody else at Fancy Hands have access to your credit card number. Not bad, right? You don't have to worry about a rogue assistant using your credit card information, they'll never know it (plus, we don't have any rogue assistants)."
http://www.fancyhands.com/help/payments
First off, security is our number one priority with this feature and it's totally baked in from the start. At no point, does your assistant, or anybody else at Fancy Hands have access to your credit card number. Not bad, right? You don't have to worry about a rogue assistant using your credit card information, they'll never know it (plus, we don't have any rogue assistants)."
http://www.fancyhands.com/help/payments
Although... "While we can make purchases for you, we cannot do certain things including reservations (at hotels, etc), and airplane tickets."
So fancyhands couldn't have helped the writer of the blogpost with his airplane ticket problem
So fancyhands couldn't have helped the writer of the blogpost with his airplane ticket problem
I've had corporate travel services place tickets on a 24 hour hold for me before (i.e. the itinerary is reserved, but not yet paid for). I assume that's still possible, at least for the legacy carriers.
Continental used to have that, but dropped it shortly before the United merger. I think other companies did too. Instead, they let you cancel with no cancellation fee within 24 hours. (Although the funds may take up to two weeks to go back to your account).
So essentially, FancyHands can book it for you with their card, and cancel it if they can't charge you within 24 hours - but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't want to go that route.
So essentially, FancyHands can book it for you with their card, and cancel it if they can't charge you within 24 hours - but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't want to go that route.
American Airlines still has this feature (or at least it did last night when I was making a booking)
Edit: By this feature, I mean the ability to place a hold without the credit card.
United still has this feature. Choose "pay at the airport" and then just go back and pay online within 24 hours.
They could set up the itinerary for him to purchase quickly.
But they can certainly help find the best options for your travel so that you can go there and buy yourself.
That's what takes the most time, once you have that, just go and buy. Sure, having someone that could do everything would be good.
But you could do that with a travel agent.
That's what takes the most time, once you have that, just go and buy. Sure, having someone that could do everything would be good.
But you could do that with a travel agent.
As a potential customer, I for one would be scared off by the sloppy writing in the very paragraph that is supposed to inspire confidence (stray comma after "At no point"; awkward comma between the two clauses "You don't have to worry..." and "they'll never know it").
Oh brother. This "they messed this one thing up so they must be idiots" is already a way for the simple minded to be able to feel superior about something useless, but in this case you're not even correct. Go read some Mark Twain. That guy must have been a moron, right?
Quod licet Iovi non licet bovi.
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They can't do anything that requires your credit card:
http://www.fancyhands.com/not/good/for
Hi! This is Ted Roden, Founder of Fancy Hands.
So this can be confusing. We can definitely purchase things for you. Want us to order flowers? Have someone come install your air conditioner? No problem, we can even handle the payment for most things.
However, we do this by billing you securely (just like iTunes, etc), and then letting the assistants use "the company card." So the assistant won't actually handle your credit card information, but we can still make these purchases for you.
So users never have to expose their Credit Card information to their assistants. The assistant will never ask for it. If you need us to do something that actually requires knowing your entire credit card number for some reason, that's the type of thing we can't do. But making purchases doesn't fall under that umbrella.
So this can be confusing. We can definitely purchase things for you. Want us to order flowers? Have someone come install your air conditioner? No problem, we can even handle the payment for most things.
However, we do this by billing you securely (just like iTunes, etc), and then letting the assistants use "the company card." So the assistant won't actually handle your credit card information, but we can still make these purchases for you.
So users never have to expose their Credit Card information to their assistants. The assistant will never ask for it. If you need us to do something that actually requires knowing your entire credit card number for some reason, that's the type of thing we can't do. But making purchases doesn't fall under that umbrella.
May I ask: How large is the markup on that?
I mean if the flowers cost $60 (from the florist), how much would they cost the client via your service? I mean outside of the normal cost for using the service.
Essentially what I'm asking is if there is a "service fee" on purchases?
I mean if the flowers cost $60 (from the florist), how much would they cost the client via your service? I mean outside of the normal cost for using the service.
Essentially what I'm asking is if there is a "service fee" on purchases?
Nope, at this point, we don't take any percentage or fee. We even pass along any discounts we receive (we get up to 15% off flower some purchases for example and we pass that along to you).
Hi, looks like an interesting service! I've already sent it to a bunch of my friends who I think can get a lot of value out of it.
Unfortunately, I don't think I could extract $25/mo out of the service myself. Do you have any plans for alternative pricing structures? I would definitely pay $100 for a block of 20 requests that I could use over the course of a year, say.
Unfortunately, I don't think I could extract $25/mo out of the service myself. Do you have any plans for alternative pricing structures? I would definitely pay $100 for a block of 20 requests that I could use over the course of a year, say.
I was thinking along the same lines. I'd much rather 'pre pay' for tasks than have a monthly limit. Else i'll have to think if a task is worthwhile enough to use up one of my 5 tasks. And i would hate to run out of task slots some months but just not often enough to warrant an upgrade.
I doubt they would implement something like this. Their business model is likely built on a) having regular income and b) many users not using all their tasks per month (i.e. paying for something they aren't using). It's the same reason services like Dropbox don't offer a pay-for-what-you-use plan - the majority of their income comes from people paying the set monthly fees but not using anywhere near the maximum storage/bandwidth.
Sure, but there's no reason you can't offer a non-monthly plan at the true operating cost * 1.(your markup). It might be slightly (or vastly) more expensive per request than the monthly plan, but guys like me would still buy 20 or 30, instead of having no revenue from us at all...
Its actually very funny, to me, that you suggested this.
In my previous job, this was precisely the structure the firm evolved to give to certain customers who were on the fence about the service. (B2B - financial Services)
We had one tweak to it, and once people used it, they never got out.
In my previous job, this was precisely the structure the firm evolved to give to certain customers who were on the fence about the service. (B2B - financial Services)
We had one tweak to it, and once people used it, they never got out.
+1 ted. A feature request right here.
I'd like something like that too
Aren't you losing 2-3% of the transaction every time this occurs (because of your CC fees billing me)?
You attach some markup to the cost of something? If so, what %?
It looks like the HN bot killed tedroden's comment because it might have looked like a spammy promotion (e.g. we get up to 15% off flower purchases), though clearly it wasn't.
Here's the whole comment:
Here's the whole comment:
Nope, at this point, we don't take any percentage or fee. We even pass along any discounts we receive (we get up to 15% off flower some purchases for example and we pass that along to you).I would guess it was anti-dupe code, not anti-spam; the exact same comment is posted and visible further down.
I love the idea. Are the services available outside US/UK?
Interesting - one more question : If I do not live in the US, can I still purchase for some item and have it shipped where I live (international shipping?) provided I pay for the delivery costs? Is that something you do ?
How is your support for users form continental Europe?
From the site it seems like they are setup reasonably well for international customers but since all the staff is in the US some things like calling them or having them call people will be less than ideal. Also i can imagine that they have some partners and go-to solutions setup for requests in the US which they simply would not have for european customers.
The website is confusing. They can buy things for you. I'm not sure how it works exactly (but I used it to signup for a $30 race).. I think they billed it to their own credit card and will charge me for it at the end of the month?
Pretty close. We charge you right away (you would have received an email asking to approve the charge) and then use our own card.
How do you handle the credit card processing fees - do you end up charging your end-user more to compensate?
I'd also like to know how much the fee for this is.
I am probably reacting too quickly, but I note about 3 other places (not including the sibling comment to this one) where people have asked you whether or not you charge a markup and purchases, and you've not answered.
Granted, it's only been an hour, but that silence doesn't make me feel good.
Granted, it's only been an hour, but that silence doesn't make me feel good.
(Sorry, we were at lunch).
Nope, at this point, we don't take any percentage or fee. We even pass along any discounts we receive (we get up to 15% off flower some purchases for example and we pass that along to you).
Nope, at this point, we don't take any percentage or fee. We even pass along any discounts we receive (we get up to 15% off flower some purchases for example and we pass that along to you).
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Immediately I think of that Robot in Rocky 3 that serves them food and the like..
I got all excited about Fancy Hands, then realized that this is just a post to farm referral dollars and give free advertising.
FH had a message on their pricing page that immediately turned me off. Sometimes, it's better to not be so dynamic (i.e. I would have signed up had I not seen the message below):
"Steve Corona knows you'll love having Fancy Hands. Sign up now and get 50% off your first month or 5% off your first year."
FH had a message on their pricing page that immediately turned me off. Sometimes, it's better to not be so dynamic (i.e. I would have signed up had I not seen the message below):
"Steve Corona knows you'll love having Fancy Hands. Sign up now and get 50% off your first month or 5% off your first year."
I'll change the link, I don't care about the referral dollars, it was to get you 50% off for using the link. Anyways, I'd rather it didn't detract from the message of the post.
BTW- I love FancyHands and have 0 ties with them.
BTW- I love FancyHands and have 0 ties with them.
Thanks for doing that. I'll leave my original comment up in shame--I shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly.
A note for the FancyHands team, though (I know the founder is hanging around here somewhere): I didn't notice the referral link at first; my first reaction when I saw "Steven Corona knows you'll love FancyHands" was that Steven worked for the company, which detracts from the authenticity of his blog post. I'd seriously consider removing that 'feature' and making the referral process more inconspicuous, leaving it up to the bloggers to disclose their participation in the referral program.
A note for the FancyHands team, though (I know the founder is hanging around here somewhere): I didn't notice the referral link at first; my first reaction when I saw "Steven Corona knows you'll love FancyHands" was that Steven worked for the company, which detracts from the authenticity of his blog post. I'd seriously consider removing that 'feature' and making the referral process more inconspicuous, leaving it up to the bloggers to disclose their participation in the referral program.
Or try running an A/B test on it, and submit a blog post with the results to Hacker News!
I think the referral link is a great idea - both from a discount perspective and because you are referring us.
I'd propose just disclosing exactly that: "here's a referral link, and you get 50% off the first month by using it." If folks are uncomfortable with using it, they presumably can find Fancy Hands' website on their own. Or offer both direct & referral links.
I'd propose just disclosing exactly that: "here's a referral link, and you get 50% off the first month by using it." If folks are uncomfortable with using it, they presumably can find Fancy Hands' website on their own. Or offer both direct & referral links.
The people taking issue witg using referral links for something when they are actually being referred should just type it into google themselves. There is nothing malicious about it.
What would the nature of the referrer's intention have to do with your excitement about FH? Ostensibly you were excited about FH's features. Even if you found out about it through a junk mail flyer in your snail mail box, what difference does that make about FH's value to you?
It's been a personal goal of mine to make it a habit to write scripts to automate a repetitive task, no matter how minor or rare the task. As long as the solution takes 9 minutes to code to deal with 10 minutes of grunt work. I'd argue, though, that the benefits of practice (and habit building), that it's worth spending 12 minutes of scripting time per 10 minutes of code, even if you never have to run that script again. Obviously, TMMV.
Using Mechanical Turk for proofreading/editing has always appealed to me. I wonder what the OP's results were with that that led him to choose Fiverr instead? As a writer, I would be paranoid about throwing any of my (commercial valuable) work online to the crowd...what if you wrote a script to break your manuscript into sentences and paid 2 cents per sentence? You could only catch within-sentence grammatical errors. But you'd vastly reduce the fear that your work is floating out there for someone to misappropriate.
[pedantic]
There's a grammatical error (I think) in the last sentence of the post ("half an hour an Amazon"):
> You can automate almost all of the boring parts of your life, today, for less than 25 bucks and half an hour an Amazon. And make sure to have your assistant email me telling me how much time I saved you.
Using Mechanical Turk for proofreading/editing has always appealed to me. I wonder what the OP's results were with that that led him to choose Fiverr instead? As a writer, I would be paranoid about throwing any of my (commercial valuable) work online to the crowd...what if you wrote a script to break your manuscript into sentences and paid 2 cents per sentence? You could only catch within-sentence grammatical errors. But you'd vastly reduce the fear that your work is floating out there for someone to misappropriate.
[pedantic]
There's a grammatical error (I think) in the last sentence of the post ("half an hour an Amazon"):
> You can automate almost all of the boring parts of your life, today, for less than 25 bucks and half an hour an Amazon. And make sure to have your assistant email me telling me how much time I saved you.
Fixed the error, thanks :) Obviously I did not have Fiverr proofread the post for me!
I used Fiverr over MT because of the spin-up time involved in setting up the MT project. I only tested Fiverr with one 62 page chapter, which I was able to send to my guy in one document. If I used MT, I'd have to split up all of the content into paragraphs, create tasks, and review all of the work, etc.
I'll probably test MT again in the future and use some sort of system to.. automate it ;)
I used Fiverr over MT because of the spin-up time involved in setting up the MT project. I only tested Fiverr with one 62 page chapter, which I was able to send to my guy in one document. If I used MT, I'd have to split up all of the content into paragraphs, create tasks, and review all of the work, etc.
I'll probably test MT again in the future and use some sort of system to.. automate it ;)
I've found MT results quality to be a problem. 95% of the workers are great, but you do have occasions where you get a bot completing the task or someone being deliberately careless in the hope that the HIT will get automatically approved. To combat that, I give the task to different workers until 3 answers match and that works well. It's worthwhile once you've automated, but that's worthwhile only if you've got a fairly large number of tasks.
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I think you should make it clear that your link to FancyHands is a referral link.
Why should he make it known that his links are referral links? I have seen a lot of negative comments around HN regarding bloggers that include referral links in their posts.
You are reading their writing. If you are reading it, it must be somewhat interesting. If you click on a link leading to a list of items the author included in his post, he probably just saved you some time. If you buy one of those items, you probably would have bought it anyway. Why not let the author benefit too? Why complain or question? Why do you care?
/rant
You are reading their writing. If you are reading it, it must be somewhat interesting. If you click on a link leading to a list of items the author included in his post, he probably just saved you some time. If you buy one of those items, you probably would have bought it anyway. Why not let the author benefit too? Why complain or question? Why do you care?
/rant
When someone recommends a service, the assumption is that they're linking because they really find the service useful. If it's a referral link, the issue becomes clouded - are they recommending it because they genuinely think the service is useful, or do they just want the cash?
I'm not against bloggers using referral links, but I think they should make it clear when they're using them. Their recommendation carries less weight if you know that they're getting paid for everyone who signs up through them.
Also, this line:
If you buy one of those items, you probably would have bought it anyway.
If this was true, no one would ever need to pay for advertising or referral links. But clearly, people do pay for advertising and referral links. Ergo...
I'm not against bloggers using referral links, but I think they should make it clear when they're using them. Their recommendation carries less weight if you know that they're getting paid for everyone who signs up through them.
Also, this line:
If you buy one of those items, you probably would have bought it anyway.
If this was true, no one would ever need to pay for advertising or referral links. But clearly, people do pay for advertising and referral links. Ergo...
Yeah, it reminds me a bit of when Jeff Atwood writes up a big blog post recommending utility belt tools or something and every link is an Amazon affiliate link.
As soon as someone uses an affiliate link, I become wary of their motives. Are they really linking to this service because they use it themselves, or are they linking because they offer higher kickbacks than their competitors?
The web is full of affiliate spam, so every time I see an affiliate link I wonder if the article is just a very elaborate form of spam.
The web is full of affiliate spam, so every time I see an affiliate link I wonder if the article is just a very elaborate form of spam.
Now I haven't spoken with the author, but I would guess his motive is to inform you about something, link you to the thing they are talking about, and possibly make some money all at the same time. If this was an article on one of those ridiculous, obvious blogspam type websites, then yes, I'd be wary too.
Fancy hands isn't even automation, and tbh Amazon's service isn't that useful unless you're running a business...
....But both allow referral links. Call me a cynic, but it strikes me that this person had a referral link to Fancy Hands, threw in Amazon's obscure service because Amazon also allows referrals, and gave it a catchy headline of "automation".
I didn't think Refer.ly had any target market, but it appears we found one potential customer.
....But both allow referral links. Call me a cynic, but it strikes me that this person had a referral link to Fancy Hands, threw in Amazon's obscure service because Amazon also allows referrals, and gave it a catchy headline of "automation".
I didn't think Refer.ly had any target market, but it appears we found one potential customer.
No. This angst of affiliate links is getting tiresome. What terrible horrors are unleashed upon you when you click a link with an affiliate ID attached to it? Right, ... none.
You are now listening to somebody with a conflict of interest. Did he recommend X because it's great? Or because it pays the best?
The worst problem is that incentives distort belief. Watch friends who sign up for some network marketing thing. They find ways to be excited about their products. Basically, they end up liking the stuff they're pushing more, because otherwise the cognitive dissonance is too painful.
The worst problem is that incentives distort belief. Watch friends who sign up for some network marketing thing. They find ways to be excited about their products. Basically, they end up liking the stuff they're pushing more, because otherwise the cognitive dissonance is too painful.
I thought about this conflict of interest too. But imo people should still be able to use aff links. Their trustworthiness should be deduced from other factors.
You're welcome to deduce trustworthiness from anything you like. But people have been asking "Cui bono?" for 2000 years, so you're unlikely to change many minds there.
When I worked as a consultant, I never took vendor kickbacks like these. At the very best, they created the appearance that I was working for somebody other than my clients, so that I'd have to work a lot harder to maintain client trust. The worst case was that they'd distort my thinking without me noticing, meaning that my clients shouldn't trust me.
I think it's the same deal for writers. The whole point of incentive systems is to distort behavior. It's not unreasonable that people assume that they work.
When I worked as a consultant, I never took vendor kickbacks like these. At the very best, they created the appearance that I was working for somebody other than my clients, so that I'd have to work a lot harder to maintain client trust. The worst case was that they'd distort my thinking without me noticing, meaning that my clients shouldn't trust me.
I think it's the same deal for writers. The whole point of incentive systems is to distort behavior. It's not unreasonable that people assume that they work.
I removed the aff link since a few people think it's detracting from the message of the post. I could care less about the referrals, the point was to get my readers 50% off by using the link.
I'd actually really appreciate the affiliate link, thinking about trying it out. Would you mind posting it in the comment thread here?
Sure, it's http://fncy.it/RvrAPd
You get 50% off your first month, I get 10 bucks.
You get 50% off your first month, I get 10 bucks.
The point was that you were doing it in an obfuscated way, (using shortened links), without disclosing. I don't think people generally mind when they are explicitly made aware.
I think no one would mind if you just state that it is a referral link, and secondly, if you want, you can give both with and without referral links. That improves the credibility of the post.
I wouldn't worry about it, they're probably the same ones that still disable JS or use NoScript in 2012.
[deleted]
Enough with this nonsense. It's a link. You click it. It takes you to a page the original author referred you to. What's the big deal?
It means the author is getting paid by the company he's writing about to get people to use their service. That's something I expect to be disclosed in the same way I'd expect him to declare if he owned shares in the company, or was employed by them.
Amazon, too. Seriously, Steve!
I'm trying to outsource some tasks myself--mostly home repair--but I'm running into quality problems. I end up with a result that is not up to my standards, and it feels like I have to spend overly much time vetting people or dealing with tha back and forth about quality issues, etc. If I'm paying good money to get a task done, I don't want it to take up my time. If it does, I feel like I might as well have done it myself.
I'm working on changing this mindset but it's proving difficult.
I'm working on changing this mindset but it's proving difficult.
That's kind of what sites like Service Magic (Home Advisor) try to solve. But, I think their biggest benefit is the user comments and reviews, not their service.
I prefer to just DIY. Then when it breaks again, at least you're empowered and know what happened.
I prefer to just DIY. Then when it breaks again, at least you're empowered and know what happened.
That is not automation. That is delegation.
I was going to say exactly the same thing. It's automation only if you remove the biological elements from getting tasks done.
Delegation is just getting someone who earns less money than you to do your boring stuff for you.
Delegation is just getting someone who earns less money than you to do your boring stuff for you.
> Delegation is just getting someone who earns less money than you to do your boring stuff for you.
They don't necessarily have to earn less money than you.
They don't necessarily have to earn less money than you.
When I first heard of Amazon Subscribe I really wanted to use it but the bulk sizes are just too large. As a single guy all the quantities they have are about double what I need. 40 rolls of toilet paper, for example, would last me a year or more.
I love this. And I think being in the business of Automation is pretty cool too : http://edu.mkrecny.com/thoughts/automation-as-a-service
I have daily job and children. On side I have an huge open-source project. Procrastination was my huge enemy.
I solved it by 'will'. TODO lists, monthly shopping, booking everything on time... It is easier than you think.
I solved it by 'will'. TODO lists, monthly shopping, booking everything on time... It is easier than you think.
I've been interested in a virtual assistant since 4HWW came out - never thought I was busy enough to justify something like GetFriday.
I dealing with general fake-work but seems like there's just as much work involved in getting someone else to do these things as just doing them yourself?
Also - any recommendations for other services to compare to?
I dealing with general fake-work but seems like there's just as much work involved in getting someone else to do these things as just doing them yourself?
Also - any recommendations for other services to compare to?
since nobody has posted it yet, here's the obligatory link to an old esquire article that takes this idea to the extreme. Presenting: "My life outsourced" http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0905OUTSOURCING_214
This is a hilarious and informative read.
The things I want to automate are expensive to do so. I'm talking about things like the dishes and the laundry and commuting. I have a house cleaner that comes periodically, but I'd be spending a lot more (and have a lot more intrusion on my privacy) if it were daily / nightly.
The automated driving component might work. Maybe if I lease a black hybrid, have the driver be my employee, and let him do uber on off hours, it could actually net money. But setting this up sounds complicated. If only I could automate it.
The automated driving component might work. Maybe if I lease a black hybrid, have the driver be my employee, and let him do uber on off hours, it could actually net money. But setting this up sounds complicated. If only I could automate it.
The dishes, the laundry and commuting have already been automated. Washing machines, dish washers, cars and public transport all made our lives so much easier that we seem to have forgotten the amount of labor that went into such simple tasks in the past.
So now we look to automate the remnant of actually having to operate the machinery. It's interesting because it shows how spoiled we've become. Even loading or unloading a washing machine or dishwasher are now considered work.
So now we look to automate the remnant of actually having to operate the machinery. It's interesting because it shows how spoiled we've become. Even loading or unloading a washing machine or dishwasher are now considered work.
Your comment about remnant is needless because obviously I'm talking about the machines I use.
And yes I'm talking about the 30 to 120 minutes I spend daily on these things, as if a >10% increase of free waking hours isn't a big deal.
And yes I'm talking about the 30 to 120 minutes I spend daily on these things, as if a >10% increase of free waking hours isn't a big deal.
"Spoiled" is a funny way to describe avoiding doing things that I don't mind doing, but still are taking my attention away from other things I should be doing instead.
Well we have huge populations with shrinking labor markets, it is starting to make sense to hire people to do things like this.
Yes, but what you call the "remnant" still takes too much time. Laundry requires me to sort clothes, put them in a bag, carry them to my building's laundry room, load up and configure the machines, then set a timer so that I don't forget to go back and pick them up. I then need to fold the clothes and put them in their corresponding drawers or hang them in the closet. The worst part in all this is that even though I am not doing the actual task of washing the clothes, I still need to block off a time period, meaning I can't actually be in another location doing other things while laundry is getting done.
Similarly, doing the dishes and commuting can still be annoying despite the automation. Loading and unloading dishes takes a fair amount of time. Commuting requires having to schedule one's time around bus and train schedules.
Similarly, doing the dishes and commuting can still be annoying despite the automation. Loading and unloading dishes takes a fair amount of time. Commuting requires having to schedule one's time around bus and train schedules.
What is "too much", really? More than zero? You make laundry sound like a daunting chore, but I know I don't spend more than ten minutes a week on it.
Laundry is definitely a pain point. You first have the chore of removing and subsequently installing fitted sheets, which are certainly not zero-insertion force. And the folding and sorting of the clothing (distributing towels to bathrooms, etc.) This requires enough seek time to at least hit each room once, and in the case of suboptimal routing, probably twice.
In the case the laundromat, you have the carting of multiple baskets of clothes and materials, often down flights of stairs, into a vehicle, and at some distance. Materials experience spillage. A community (e.g. apartment complex) laundromat eliminates some travel, but your quarter supply may vary unexpectedly, requiring unexpected travel. This probably amortizes to eliminate the gain.
In the case of doing laundry at home, you have both an infrastructure cost and a pipelining problem. Speaking for myself, I can rarely accomplish anything useful during a laundry cycle, leading to a near-total loss.
In the case the laundromat, you have the carting of multiple baskets of clothes and materials, often down flights of stairs, into a vehicle, and at some distance. Materials experience spillage. A community (e.g. apartment complex) laundromat eliminates some travel, but your quarter supply may vary unexpectedly, requiring unexpected travel. This probably amortizes to eliminate the gain.
In the case of doing laundry at home, you have both an infrastructure cost and a pipelining problem. Speaking for myself, I can rarely accomplish anything useful during a laundry cycle, leading to a near-total loss.
My sweet mother, subscribe and save? Hacker News pays for all the productivity it costs, one hundred times over.
Just an FYI: websense seems to be blocking your domain, classified as adult-and-pornography.
it's because of my run naked post from a few months ago, haha
How does FancyHands deal with task failure? For example, if I make a request and the result turns out to be "sorry, we weren't able to do it because..." does that count towards your monthly total?
> CTO at Twitpic
Does Twitpic still not allow you to export your own pictures or did they give up on that?
Does Twitpic still not allow you to export your own pictures or did they give up on that?
Are there any FancyHands competitors in Europe?
How does Fancy Hands differ from the "concierge" service that already comes with my credit card for free?
Is it just that I can make a request via a web form, rather than via a phone call?
Is it just that I can make a request via a web form, rather than via a phone call?
If I didn't have my wife I would so do something like Fancy Hands. For those of us that have ADHD, procrastination is a real killer on our quality of life.
Are you suggesting http://www.fancywife.com/ ?
In all seriousness having a SO that can remind you and help out with important reminders and things in life is pretty handy.
In all seriousness having a SO that can remind you and help out with important reminders and things in life is pretty handy.
I'm curious if anyone else is curious about the distinction between automation and delegation. It seems like a better description of OPs life hack is the latter. I'm not sure if this is relevant, but if you take the universe or the world or a society and the amount of work being done as a zero sum equation, handing off buying plane tickets isn't really automation because you're not reducing the total work in the system; you're just changing where the resources come from.
You could say that delegating work to "experts" means the work is done more efficiently so you save resources, and that's a step in the right direction towards automation, but not automation.
Note: I'm very interested in words and the contrast between what they mean and how people use them.
You could say that delegating work to "experts" means the work is done more efficiently so you save resources, and that's a step in the right direction towards automation, but not automation.
Note: I'm very interested in words and the contrast between what they mean and how people use them.
I'm not even sure it can be considered a "life hack"; it is literally a service provided by a company. At that point, is it really novel enough to call a hack?
When I buy goods and services, I am hacking my life ;)
Probably he just meant that it is in effect 'automated' for him for a cost.
A couple years ago, I listened to an interesting interview with Ted Rosen on the Founders Talk podcast:
http://5by5.tv/founderstalk/2
I still haven't become a Fancy Hands user, but I do remember him saying lots of new parents turn to them for help when a baby arrives, so perhaps that'll be me someday.
http://5by5.tv/founderstalk/2
I still haven't become a Fancy Hands user, but I do remember him saying lots of new parents turn to them for help when a baby arrives, so perhaps that'll be me someday.
Unless I'm gravely mistaken, the cost is dramatically understated. $25/month will only buy you 5 'requests'.
Related: $1/day is a really bad way to present a pricing plan of $25/5 requests. Yes, that's technically correct, but I don't want to amortize the cost over the number of days in the month; I want to amortize it over the number of days I actually use the product (or, better yet, the number of times I use it - so $5/task).
Related: $1/day is a really bad way to present a pricing plan of $25/5 requests. Yes, that's technically correct, but I don't want to amortize the cost over the number of days in the month; I want to amortize it over the number of days I actually use the product (or, better yet, the number of times I use it - so $5/task).
So basically, pay for and outsource the tasks that you don't like or find mundane. This is cost prohibitive and a way around or optimising them would be better. I just need to get busy enough to feel forced to.
[deleted]
I would love to have a service like Fancy Hands. Is there an equivalent in the UK?
I think delegating is a little different than automating. Granted it's out of your hands either way though.
Amazon automatic shipping....
Of course, you could probably rig a replenishment system using python, some hardware, and the Amazon API... An erp for your home...
Of course, you could probably rig a replenishment system using python, some hardware, and the Amazon API... An erp for your home...
You can automate tasks in the house (e.g. a maid) with http://redbeacon.com (disclaimer: I'm an engineer at Redbeacon).
I also automate groceries at http://shop.safeway.com .
In San Francisco you can automate laundry with http://sfwash.com . Great service.
I also automate groceries at http://shop.safeway.com .
In San Francisco you can automate laundry with http://sfwash.com . Great service.
Finding personal services professionals sucks, but I'm unsure of how I'm supposed to use redbeacon. I load up the site (in Los Angeles), and find maids, set 1 bedroom, see it's $114 avg, see comments for deep cleaning, find the "reoccurring" checkbox, and get no results.
Automation would imply a scheduled event to me, but it looks like this is more for one-off transactions?
Automation would imply a scheduled event to me, but it looks like this is more for one-off transactions?
Yeah, I did the exact same thing. No love for LA :(
I like how when I signed up for redbeacon, it gave me incremental input fields.
When I signed up for Safeway, I hit an input wall, of the same size, that almost made me close the tab.
When I signed up for Safeway, I hit an input wall, of the same size, that almost made me close the tab.
Does anyone else find useless virtual assistants? Isn't it easy enough to buy your plane ticket at hipmunk.com and book an apartment at AirBnB?
I think it takes me longer to describe what I want to the assistant than doing it myself.
I think it takes me longer to describe what I want to the assistant than doing it myself.
We've gone full circle.
People used to book through travel agents. They'd call them and tell them when and where they want to go and the agent books something for them.
Travel agents disappeared because people would rather take the time to do it on their own in order to save money.
Now people are too busy to book flights on their own and want some form of assistant to do it for them. On comes a novel new service!
People used to book through travel agents. They'd call them and tell them when and where they want to go and the agent books something for them.
Travel agents disappeared because people would rather take the time to do it on their own in order to save money.
Now people are too busy to book flights on their own and want some form of assistant to do it for them. On comes a novel new service!
If you have an infinite amount of money, so that you don't have to choose a good offer then yes, booking flights and apartments probably takes you 3 minutes, not 30.
I have been using virtual assistants for the last 3 years, and I will never come back.
A VA in the Philippines cost $5/h and can be very helpful.
(disclaimer: I run the outsourcing marketplace http://taskarmy.com where you can find screened virtual assistants: http://taskarmy.com/virtual-assistance-outsourcing)
(disclaimer: I run the outsourcing marketplace http://taskarmy.com where you can find screened virtual assistants: http://taskarmy.com/virtual-assistance-outsourcing)
python+iMacros
I wish my bank/brokerage/etc all had the equivalent of "valet key" logins where I could set-up and manage accounts for others which only had a subset of my own rights. For example, I'd like to hire an assistant to reconcile/aggregate/classify my financial records, but I'd either have to take a lot of time to gather everything up or expose the ability for this person to steal from me. My brokerage account includes the right to buy/sell securities, but I only want my bookkeeper to be able to view my transaction history.
One problem I see is that access to one's financial records sometimes is used as a proxy for identity, much like the presumption that, if you can read an email sent to a particular address, you must "own" that email address. Didn't PayPal once (or even still does?) debit N cents from one's bank account and then ask what amount was charged as a way of verifying new users?
One problem I see is that access to one's financial records sometimes is used as a proxy for identity, much like the presumption that, if you can read an email sent to a particular address, you must "own" that email address. Didn't PayPal once (or even still does?) debit N cents from one's bank account and then ask what amount was charged as a way of verifying new users?
Credit n cents, and they still do.
What else would you have them do? They are verifying this is your bank account and this is the best way to do it. Think of it like feature detection in JS vs. user agent string matching.
What else would you have them do? They are verifying this is your bank account and this is the best way to do it. Think of it like feature detection in JS vs. user agent string matching.
They're verifying that I created a PayPal account which links to a bank account to which I have read-level transaction ledger access. It's a better-than-nothing proxy, but it doesn't prove that the person setting-up the PayPal account has the legal right to withdraw funds from that account.
How I automated non-essential purchases:
create an account on slickdeals
set up a deal alert for your desired keywords
don't think about it again until you get an email alerting you to a good deal
This removes a cognitive load for me. I no longer waste time researching trivial outlays.
create an account on slickdeals
set up a deal alert for your desired keywords
don't think about it again until you get an email alerting you to a good deal
This removes a cognitive load for me. I no longer waste time researching trivial outlays.
Something I'd pay to have "automated": a "ghostwriter" to help me organise my thoughts and experiences into blog- and tweet-sized chunks.
I think I have something worth sharing, I just don't have the discipline to get it written down.
I think I have something worth sharing, I just don't have the discipline to get it written down.
(Except cat litter, that is totally worth getting delivered from Amazon just to avoid carrying it.)