Millions of busy Brits are ditching DIY in favour of DFY - jobs Done For You.
A new report of 2,000 adults reveals fewer people are taking on day- to-day jobs and chores, preferring instead to pay tradesmen.
People are hiring help for everything from assembling flat-pack furniture and cleaning the oven to doing the weekly shop and weeding the garden.
A spokesman for retirement housebuilders McCarthy & Stone, which conducted the study, said: "There is no shame in looking for external help when jobs become too much to handle.
"It is well known that British people are amongst the hardest working in Europe, and it can only be possible to manage a busy lifestyle by getting a little bit of assistance along the way.
"Having someone else to help you move house, walk the dog, or do the dusting when you're too busy to do it yourself can save a lot of stress."
The study shows the average adult thinks nothing of getting someone in to help with odd jobs like putting up shelves, blinds or curtain poles. Fitting anything new around the house is now often left to the experts.
Setting up home technology like computers, printers and TVs are also now considered jobs best left to experts someone else.
Making or altering clothes, pruning plants and hedges and jet washing the driveway other tasks Brits are happy to leave to others.
A quarter of people admitted they are more likely to rely on external help than doing household tasks themselves.
A third won't touch jobs such as decorating and gardening any more, and many say tasks like washing the windows and cleaning the oven would certainly fall by the wayside if they didn't employ someone else to do them.
Four in 10 of the adults surveyed claim they struggle to get things done at the best of times, with a further 43 per cent feeling bogged down by work, chores, clubs, sports and family life.
And when given any spare time at all, 56 per cent of adults would far rather spend that time enjoying themselves than getting on with the household tasks.
The study reveals 51 per cent of people no longer feel it is taboo to hire help around the house, while 48 per cent say that people today try to do so much getting additional help has become a necessity.
The spokesman for McCarthy & Stone added: "As the survey shows, an extra pair of hands or two can make all the difference.
"At McCarthy & Stone we offer our homeowners a Smooth Move and part exchange service which includes things like free removals, de-cluttering, packing and unpacking and a handyman to put up shelves - all with the aim of taking the worry out of moving, allowing retirees to focus on the next chapter of their lives and do more of things they enjoy, like spending time with family and friends.
TOP 20 JOBS 'DONE FOR YOU'
1. Car maintenance (changing plugs, checking oil etc)
4. Washing / valeting the car
5. Odd jobs such as putting up shelves
6. Putting up blinds / curtain poles
8. Fixing anything which is broken around the house
10. Installing the computer / printer
11. Setting up electrical items such as Sky or modems
12. Building flat pack furniture
15. Fitting anything new around the house
16. Gardening, pruning plants / hedges / trees, weeding
17. Packing boxes when moving house
18. Jet washing the driveway/ patio
19. Making / altering / repairing clothes
