A.J. Jacobs: My Outsourced Life

Mon Oct 20 2008

Overwhelmed by the pressures of modern life, AJ decides to outsource his personal life to India. A.J. Jacobs is an editor at large at Esquire Magazine, and the author of the New York Times Bestsellers ‘The Know it All’ and ‘The Year of Living Biblically’.

Summary

Summary of "A.J. Jacobs: My Outsourced Life" – The Moth Podcast

Episode Title: My Outsourced Life
Speaker: A.J. Jacobs
Release Date: October 20, 2008
Location: The Moth Main Stage
Transcript Duration: Approximately 15 minutes and 52 seconds

Introduction to A.J. Jacobs and His Experiments

A.J. Jacobs, an editor at large for Esquire Magazine and author of bestsellers like The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically, introduces himself by discussing his penchant for conducting personal experiments to understand and transform his life. He shares his experiences with two notable experiments: reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica and practicing radical honesty.

"For the last few years I've been performing these experiments on myself to see how they change me and then writing about them." [02:00]

The Radical Honesty Experiment

Jacobs delves into his month-long experiment with "radical honesty," a movement advocating for complete truthfulness without filters. He describes the challenges and personal turmoil it caused him, including strained relationships and heightened stress.

"I did not recommend it for anybody. This was the worst month of my life." [03:10]

The Revelation: Outsourcing Personal Tasks

Facing overwhelming deadlines and personal stress from juggling work and family responsibilities, Jacobs discovers the concept of outsourcing—common in large corporations like Verizon and Microsoft—and decides to apply it to his own life. He reaches out to an outsourcing company, hoping to delegate low-level tasks to alleviate his burdens.

"I was totally at my wit's end and I was like, what am I going to do? I got to get another job." [04:10]

Meeting Honey: The First Outsourcer

The company assigns Jacobs a remote executive assistant named Honey. Impressed by her professionalism and efficiency, Jacobs begins to rely heavily on her for various tasks, from researching for articles to managing his communications.

"Her motto is, right time for right action is now." [06:15]

Jacobs is both impressed and intimidated by Honey's competence, recognizing her potential to overshadow his own abilities in the long term.

"I knew Honey would be our boss in 20 years." [07:05]

Expanding the Outsourcing Strategy

Encouraged by the success with Honey, Jacobs hires a second outsourcer, Asha, to handle personal tasks such as planning his wife's birthday party. While most assignments are executed flawlessly, minor mishaps, like purchasing incorrect items, highlight the challenges of outsourcing personal nuances.

"Honey is my better half. She is like my superego." [14:30]

Outsourcing Personal Relationships

Emboldened by his outsourcing success, Jacobs takes a bold step by attempting to outsource his relationship with his wife. He instructs Asha to communicate apologies to his wife, Julie, aiming to mediate their arguments. Contrary to his intentions of fostering passive-aggressive communication, Asha delivers heartfelt apologies that strengthen their relationship.

"This actually made our marriage better and our relationship stronger." [12:45]

Societal Implications and Ethical Concerns

As Jacobs' story gains attention, he observes the broader societal impact of outsourcing. His article in Esquire catalyzes a surge in demand for outsourcing services, leading the company to expand rapidly. This growth raises ethical concerns about job losses and the commodification of personal tasks.

"Maybe American jobs are being lost. Maybe there are Americans who want to research Jessica Biel's favorite foods and pets." [14:00]

Jacobs grapples with the moral implications of his experiments affecting not just his life but also contributing to economic shifts. However, an uplifting anecdote from a reader in Arizona who successfully found employment through outsourcing restores his faith in the system's potential.

"I felt a wave of relief like that we're going to be okay. We have some ingenuity, we're going to be ok." [15:30]

Conclusion: Reflections on Outsourcing

Jacobs concludes by reflecting on the complexities of outsourcing his life. While it provided significant relief and efficiency, it also introduced unforeseen challenges and ethical dilemmas. His journey illustrates the fine balance between leveraging technology for personal gain and maintaining authentic human connections.

"This is one thing to affect my life and change my life with these experiments, but here it was having some sort of effect on the greater society." [15:00]

Key Takeaways

Personal Transformation through Experimentation: Jacobs illustrates how personal experiments can lead to profound self-discovery and lifestyle changes.
Outsourcing as a Double-Edged Sword: While outsourcing alleviates immediate burdens, it raises questions about dependency, job displacement, and the erosion of personal responsibilities.
Ethical Implications: The expansion of outsourcing services poses significant ethical challenges, including the potential loss of American jobs and the impact on societal structures.
Balancing Efficiency with Authenticity: Jacobs’ experience underscores the importance of finding a balance between utilizing outsourcing for efficiency and maintaining genuine human interactions.

Notable Quotes

"I bring it on myself. So no one to blame but me." [03:30]
"This is like phone sex without the sex part." [09:45]
"Her motto is, right time for right action is now." [06:15]
"This actually made our marriage better and our relationship stronger." [12:50]
"There are millions of honeys. So. But she's doing a great job." [07:30]

Conclusion

A.J. Jacobs' "My Outsourced Life" offers a compelling exploration of the intersections between personal autonomy, technological advancement, and societal change. Through his engaging storytelling, Jacobs invites listeners to contemplate the benefits and potential pitfalls of outsourcing personal tasks, highlighting the nuanced impacts such practices can have on both individual lives and broader economic landscapes.

Transcript

A (0:00)

As we approach the end of the year, I'm thinking about the next. Next year is the year I finally make my Spanish better than my 9 year old's. Rosetta Stone is the most trusted language learning program available on desktop or as an app, and it truly immerses you in the language that you want to learn. I can't wait to use Rosetta Stone and finally speak better than my 9 year old who's been learning Spanish in his own way. Rosetta Stone is the trusted expert for 30 years with millions of users and 25 languages offered. Spanish, French, Ital, Korean. I could go on fast language acquisition. Rosetta Stone immerses you in many ways. There are no English translations, so you can really learn to speak, listen and think in that language. Start the new year off with a resolution you can reach today. The Moth listeners can take advantage of this Rosetta Stones lifetime membership for 50% off visit rosettastone.com moth that's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% off@Rosetta Stone.com moth today.

B (1:21)

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. Hi, I'm Dan Kennedy. The Moth features true stories told live without notes. All stories on the Moth Podcast are taken from our ongoing storytelling series in New York and Los Angeles and from our tour shows across the country. Visit themoth.org this week's story by AJ Jacobs was recorded live at the Moth main stage.

C (1:51)

So for the last few years I've been performing these experiments on myself to see how they change me and then writing about them. A few years ago I read the Encyclopedia Britannica from A to Z and tried to see how much information I could stuff into my brain. And you know, it was an interesting experiment. I don't recommend it for everybody because it is kind of time consuming, but it was interesting. More recently I did an experiment on something called radical honesty. And this is a movement that says that you should never ever lie. But more than that, whatever's on your brain should come out of your mouth. No filter. So I did that for a month. And this I don't recommend to anybody. This was the worst month of my life. To give you an idea, the name of the article I wrote about it was called I think you're fat. So there's a little hint of what it was like. But these experiments, they actually take a lot out of me and I'm not complaining. I bring it on myself. So no one to blame but me, but I work at home alone and I have no Assistant. I have three kids who are constantly barging into my alleged office, and so I'm always feeling overwhelmed and frazzled. And this particularly struck me a few years ago. I was facing some really horrible deadlines and I was totally at my wit's end and I was like, what am I going to do? I got to get another job. This is not working at all. And then I had a revelation because I was reading this article about outsourcing and how all of these companies, these huge corporations like Verizon and Microsoft, were outsourcing their low level tasks to India. And I was like, you know, that sounds pretty good. Why don't I outsource my low level tasks? So I email the head of one of the big outsourcing companies and I say, I know I'm not a Fortune 500 company, but I want to get in on this outsourcing thing, so can you take me on? And the head of the company emails me back and he's like, absolutely, we'll take you on as a client. And not only that, he writes, it would be a great honor to be working with someone of your stature. So already I'm loving this, because in America, I don't have stature. I barely command respect from the maitre d at TGI Friday. So here I have stat and they assign me my personal outsourcer. And she's named Honey. And she's a remote executive assistant is what she calls herself. And she emails me an introductory email that says her words are, I would be adapting myself per your requirements to achieve desired satisfaction. So that sounded pretty good. And she had a photo. She included a JPEG of her. And she was actually stunning. She was long brown hair and she was tilting her head alluringly. And I was like, this is to my desired satisfaction. Sure, I like this. Then I assigned her my first task, which was to research this actress named Jessica Biel, who I had to write an article about for Esquire magazine. I send off the email and a few hours later I get an email back from her and it's got an attachment. I open the attachment and my first reaction is, oh my God, America is so fucked. Because this thing is so comprehensive. It's so well organized. It's got Excel charts, it's got Jessica Biel's pets names and her favorite foods. Swordfish, by the way, in case you need to know. And not only that, but Honey has added her motto at the bottom of the email and her motto is, right time for right action is now. And this is very intimidating to Me, because for me and my friends, right time for right action is after a Starbucks ventilate discussion of Top Chef. So at that moment, I knew Honey will be our boss in 20 years. And, you know, we are just not equipped to be competing with millions of honeys. So. But she's doing a great job. So I expand her responsibilities in the next week and I decide she's going to be my point person. All my co workers have to go through Honey to get to me. And she's great because she's so polite, but she's also so protective. So I remember my boss at Esquire had not responded to an article idea I had. And she wrote to him. She wrote, Dear Mr. Granger, it would be much appreciated if you could give time and patience to considering Jacob's proposal and revert to him on the same. And do know that your response would be greeted with much respect. So, in other words, you know, what the fuck is the matter with you? You know, let's get going here. So by this time, I'm falling in love with Honey because it's two weeks in and I speak to her every day and she showers me with compliments. Oh, you're brilliant writer, you're a wonderful husband. And she's. It's like phone sex without the sex part. And she's. She. I feel awkward at times because I'm, you know, it's like I'm a colonialist, an imperialist, and I'm a viceroy in the British East India Company. And I'm saying, you know, I'll have another cucumber sandwich, Honey. But then she'll say like, something like, oh, you're so brilliant. And I'll kind of push the guilt to the side. But the thing is, I'm still frazzled at home. I'm still overwhelmed because work is going better, but I still have all these tasks to do at home. My wife's birthday is coming up and I have to plan a party. And so at this point, I'm like, well, why don't I just outsource my personal life? Why am I holding myself back? So I call another outsourcing company and hire a second outsourcer because it's actually very inexpensive for one week. It's about the price of a nice dinner. So I get my second outsourcer, and her name is Asha. And Asha is just as good as Honey. Whatever I give her, she does. She paid my bills, she rented cars for me, she bought my wife a birthday present. And it's not always perfect. There was I asked her to buy wax paper at the drugstore, and a couple days later, we get sent wax mustache strip removers for women. And my wife was like, what the hell is this? What are you trying to say? But at this point, I'm sort of. I'm going overboard. I'm like, you know, there's nothing that these people can't do. There's nothing that I can do that they can't do better. So I'm like, you know what? I'll just outsource my relationship with my wife. So my wife and I were in an argument because I had forgotten to get money at the atm, and my wife is a much better debater than me. So I was losing, and I knew I was in trouble. So I was like, you know what? Asha can't do worse than me. So I call Asha and I say, would you mind just telling Julie, yes, I'm sorry I forgot to get money at the atm. But remind her that she is always forgetting things too. She lost her wallet twice in the last week, last month. So got to be fair. So she. Next morning, Asha emails my wife, Julie and ccs me. And the email says, julie, I do understand that you are angry that I forgot to get money at the automatic machine. However, that does not stop the fact that I love you. I love you so much, and I'm very sorry. And this was actually sent not on a regular email, but an e card with two hugging teddy bears at the bottom. And one goes, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So it was like, I read this, and I was like, what? This is. I was like, this is exactly the opposite of what I had asked for. You know, I was trying to do a little passive aggressive jab at my wife, and this was just like, you know, an abject apology. It's like, here are my testicles. You know, so. But the thing is. The thing is, my wife loved it, and she was like, oh, honey, I'm so glad you're sorry. I love you too. And it actually made our marriage better and our relationship stronger. So I was like, you know, Asha is my better half. She is like my superego. So at this point, I'm like, all right, that's it. I'm outsourcing everything. I'm, like, drunk with power. So I call him up. I'm like, would you read bedtime stories to my son? Sure. Definitely. Absolutely. Would you call my parents, wish them happy anniversary? Ah, that would an honor. You know, I. I try. I call them, I say, you know, would you just talk to my therapist, for me, I don't. It'll save time. Just relay what they say. And they were into it. But my therapist was like, there are ethical problems or something. So. But I was like, that's all right. You know what? I was really worried about this book proposal I had out. So I asked Honey. I was like, you know what, Would you just worry for me for 10 minutes a day? And she's like, yeah, do not worry. I will worry. And I have to say, that was one of the best things. It really felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was great. I remember I was playing a lot of solitaire at the time on my computer, and I was like, you know, maybe they could play solitaire. And I asked them that and they were like, that one. They were like, maybe after the other tasks. So they very politely say, he kind of reached a limit there. But all this time I'd been telling my boss at Esquire, or Honey had been telling him about what's been happening, and he wanted me to write about it because it's in the same genre as these other experiments I've done. So I did, I wrote about it, and the article came out in Esquire. And I called Honey and Asha to see what they thought. And. And they said, you know, they said the same thing. They said, we are so swamped with emails and phone calls from other Americans who want to hire us as outsourcers. And I was like, oh, my God, you know, and then it just snowballed from there. The CEO of the company said, you know, that they got so much demand, they started a division of the company devoted to personal outsourcing, and that in a few months they had 200 employees. And. And they had a six week waiting list. And I know this would have happened anyway. My article is just like a nudge in the direction that would have happened no matter what. But it was very awkward feeling for me. I was really conflicted about it because I'm like, this is out. Maybe American jobs are being lost. Maybe there are Americans who want to research Jessica Beale's favorite foods and pets. And I was really stressed out. And we were, you know, I did get a letter from a reader saying, you know, outsourcing is a bad thing. You should not be publicizing it. And I was kind of despairing at the whole thing. I'm like, you know, it's one thing to affect my life and change my life with these experiments, but here it was having some sort of effect on the greater society. And it was just really conflicted. And then I got an email from this guy and he's in Arizona, and he said, I was laid off from my job a year ago by outsourcing. They outsourced my job in the computer industry and I've been looking for a job for a year and then I heard about Honey and I hired an outsourcer to look for a job for me. And so he'd been laid off by outsourcing. He outsourced his job hunt and his outsourcer found him a job within a week, he said. And so I was like, oh my God, that is so brilliant that I felt this wave of relief like that we're going to be okay. We have some ingenuity, we're going to be ok. And I felt a little bit better. So thank you very much.