I do the mowing until the heat of the summer makes me sick then I pay someone. He gets the job for about a month. HOWEVER, my DH just purchased a self propelled mower. It's a rebuilt one and didn't cost a lot but it's worth every penny (plus). Hold the controls and the dang thing scoots right along. AND the shaft is straight so the mower doesn't vibrate my hands to numb.
My 1 acre is fairly flat so I do alternate my mowing just for the patterns (left/right one week, up/down next, diagonal next, back to l/r). It's my "me" time.