An ultra runner recently ran across the state of MN in one week. A journey like this brings the concept of time to the surface. How long does something like this take? How much time do you have to dedicate to doing this? Would this be worth your time? What is worth your time. Is pest control worth your time?
Jars, Rocks and Sand
You have probably heard the analogy about filling your time jar with the rocks first and then filling the smaller space with pebbles and sand. If you start with the rocks first, you can fit in the other smaller elements. Great, but how many rocks can you fit? Can you fit unlimited sand? What is really worth your time?
Is do it yourself pest control worth your time?
Garden people really love working in their gardens. Entomological people love learning about pests and chemicals and environmental interactions. Most people do not. If you love everything about pest control, it is well worth your time. If you do not, it is far better to turn it over to someone else. Benefits of turning it over to a professional include:
- Higher efficiency solutions
- Environmental conscientiousness
- Safer approaches for human and pets
- Avoiding harming non-target species
- Complete solutions valued over temporary fixes
Is do it yourself pest control worth your time? This depends on your interests, values, and options. Create a list of the 25 most important things to you. If pest control is not in the top 5, you should turn it over to a professional.
Time and money metaphors
When you think of money metaphors, what phrases come to mind?
- Worth your time
- Time value of money
- Wasting time
- Spending time
- Invest time
- Give time
- Lose time
- Save time
- Invest time
- Burning daylight (a John Wayne frequently used)
It seems as though it is natural to gravitate to counting time as money. While this metaphor is imperfect, it is a great metaphor for evaluating services or other things that legitimately provide the opportunity to buy more time with money.
Is professional pest control worth your time?
Some people only look at the time of applying products and the cost of the products when evaluating pest control. What are the other time savings that professional pest control may provide? Consider:
- Time worrying about pests
- Time sorting through contaminated goods
- Time repairing damaged structures
- Time repairing and replacing landscaping elements
- Time researching causes and problems
- The recurrence of time interruptions
Remember that it is not just the time that is immediately lost. Every interruption in focus results in 23 minutes of less efficient time until focus is regained. If you are working on your deck and a mosquito buzzes in your ear even twice in an hour, you have lost the bulk of that hour. Is professional pest control worth your time? Yes.
You are time
Thinking of time as something you have is an illusion. You cannot give it so you must not have it. You cannot truly buy more time, but only exchange one set of time for another, so time is not truly money. The best way to look at time is as though you are time. You can only share your time because your time is you. If pests are interrupting your day either directly or indirectly, make it stop. Reclaim your time. Remember that when pests take your time, it is time for Rove Pest Control.