Housekeepers have the Messiest Houses

It’s long been a saying of mine, “housekeepers have the messiest houses.” I guess it’s long been a saying in general, “the cobbler’s children have no shoes.” The definition of the saying on the first result from Google: someone with a specific skill is often so busy assisting others that their own affairs go unattended.

This was reinforced when my trainer was complaining about his hip.

“I wish I could just get someone to make my leg go this way,” he said, extending his leg and hip in an outward motion.

“Have you thought about going to see a chiropractor?” I said.

“That would be like a mechanic paying for someone to fix his car. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

And yet in my mind, it makes perfect sense. This is something that is obviously bugging him. He might have the skill and know-how on how to fix it, but does he have the time and energy?

I’ve worked at numerous marketing agencies. I somehow always get culled onto the sales or internal team in an effort to market ourselves and earn new customers. These agencies put out stellar, award-winning work for our clients. Everything we did for ourselves, fell flat. But why?

The agency wasn’t a billable time. We had to work in those spaces between paying clients. It wasn’t a priority. We didn’t have the strength of the entire agency behind a side, pet project for one of the higher-ups. What is not a priority falls through the cracks.

This is most exemplified by way of my father. My childhood home is running on an a/c unit from my childhood. My dad is an HVAC tech. He comes home from work and helps friends and family with their units before getting around to the complaints my mother makes about it being too hot or too cold.

With only so much time in the day, call a mechanic if you need car help, call a chiropractor for an alignment, call a marketing agency for marketing; unless you’re able to make these tasks your priority and you get enjoyment out of fixing the problems at hand.