Tag: How to Become a Virtual Assistant

4 Reasons Why Being a Virtual Assistant Makes You Better at Life

 Being a virtual assistant is awesome. You embrace your passions every day at work. You create your own schedule, working from home whenever you feel like it. You can avoid answering to a boss or getting caught in the corporate rat race.

That isn’t to say it’s always easy. But it’s always rewarding. What most people don’t realize about entrepreneurship, though, is it can affect your life outside of the office. How we work can change the mindset of how we live. Being a virtual assistant is great for many reasons, including the many ways it makes you better at life.

  1. You Become Better at Thinking Outside the Box

The business world often favors those who think outside the box. Good revolutionaries concoct new ways of approaching the same old problems and offer up new solutions.

A few decades ago, few people would have predicted that one of the top media companies in the US owns very little physical inventory or that one of the top taxi services owns no vehicles. But the founders of Netflix and Uber forever changed their industries with their creative thinking.

Virtual assistants are continually challenged to think outside the box. The more you work as a virtual assistant, the more you develop the skills to think creatively. As you practice approaching problems from new perspectives at work, you get better at applying that mindset in other areas of your life. You can find new ways to solve conflict, structure your day, remodel your home, etc.

  1. You Get More Mentally Tough

No one said being a virtual assistant is easy. The ups are great, but the downs can be soul crushing. Sometimes it feels like weeks since things went right. Overwhelming stress, exhausting burn out, and never ending projects can cause you to question why you are doing this in the first place.

And then something magical happens. You toughen up. You grit your teeth and power through, finding new ways to tackle problems (such as delegating your work to another virtual assistant to free up your time). You realize you can function on less sleep than you ever thought possible (not recommended of course, but it is empowering knowing you can).

The more mentally tough you get at work, the more mentally tough you get in all areas of your life. The skills you need to survive as a virtual assistant help you manage your time more efficiently, be a more patient family member, prioritize better, and many other important skills. Entrepreneurship is tough, and it makes you tough in the process.

  1. You Keep Yourself Young

But most entrepreneurs I see have grey hairs and stress wrinkles galore, you may think.

True. Virtual assistants who overwork themselves and fail to regularly practice self-care end up prematurely aging. Just like people in other lines of work with those same poor habits prematurely age.

A virtual assistant who prioritize their health can find that their line of work keeps them young. Their control over their schedule makes it easier to prioritize important health habits, such as working out, spending time outside, and maintaining a good sleep schedule.

Every day virtual assistants work in their area of passion. Have you ever seen someone’s eyes light up as they talk about their passion? This excitement about how you spend your time keeps you youthful. It energizes you and helps fight off burnout.

Virtual assistants are also always learning. Scientific studies remind us time and time again how important learning and using our brain is to maintaining our brain health, especially as we age. Learning new skills and methods of doing work helps entrepreneurs keep their brains young

  1. You Are Encouraged to Dream Big

Entrepreneurship encourages dreaming big at work. Small thinking limits the growth of your business, so you are supposed to entertain grand visions of growth and success. Even if your company never reaches that 15th franchise, considering it as a possibility can help motivate you to work harder than you thought possible.

The more you dream big at work, the more you find yourself dreaming big at home. Each day at work you find yourself asking “why not” and quickly you ask that question in all areas of your life. Why can’t I run that marathon? Why can’t I build the family life I desire? Why can’t I travel the world? The mindset of a virtual assistant is an optimistic one, helping entrepreneurs dream bigger at home than they ever imagined.

Entrepreneurship can be a powerful force on your life, changing and affecting you in ways you never would have guessed. The longer you live the virtual assistant life, the longer you reap its rewards. If you are looking to discover ways to improve your virtual assistant life, and in turn improve your life all around, check out our many training programs.

Back to School Organization for Virtual Assistants

Back to School Organization for Virtual Assistants
Number 2 pencils are being sharpened, school buses are traversing through the city, kindergarteners are waddling around wearing backpacks as big as they are – it’s back to school time once again!

The start of the school year is a natural fresh start in our calendars, regardless if you are sending children off to classes (or heading off to class yourself). It’s a time to shift gears from hopping aboard the boat at the lake to hitting the books. Back to school organization is just as important for virtual sssistants as it is for students.

Get ready to start the year strong with our back to school organization guide for virtual assistants.

  1. Get Your Schedule Sorted Out

Students rely on a schedule to be where and when. Sure, virtual assistants may not have to report to geometry in room A203 anymore. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow a schedule.

It’s the paradox of the virtual assistant life. You hold autonomy over your schedule, but you should use that autonomy to set restrictions. Ask any successful virtual assistant and they will tell you a schedule is key (not convinced? Check out this post on why you need to set your work hours when you work from home).

Take some time to develop a work schedule that will work for you. Maybe your peak productivity hours are early morning and late afternoon. Schedule your workout for the midday slump. Maybe at 3 you need to shuttle your kiddos around to after school activities. Start your workday a bit earlier. Making a schedule sets you up to be organized and ready to rock this year.

  1. Stock Up on Supplies

Most stores host back to school sales for supplies like paper, pens, post-it notes, and even electronics. Conveniently, all tools you use to run your Virtual Assistant business! Take advantage of these sales and stock up on anything you will need throughout the year.

If you are lucky enough to have a storage area, pack it to the brim with discount supplies. If you haven’t already, make sure your supplies are organized and easily accessible.

  1. Get Ready to Learn

Students everywhere are getting ready to learn and so should virtual assistants! Plan out a duoable learning schedule you can follow throughout the school year.

Maybe you take an online course through Udemy where you dedicate one hour Tuesday evenings to. Maybe it’s reading a business development book for twenty minutes a day (try this list of top books every Virtual Assistant should read). Always be learning. It’ll make you a better Virtual Assistant (and more well-rounded person).

  1. Gather Up the Timelined Checklists

Checklists are a great organizational tool for virtual assistants. They help you remember those dozens of small tasks you need to do without letting something fall through the cracks. Checklists are a virtual assistant’s friend. At the start of the school year, collect ones you will rely on the following months.

Here are a few we recommend:

  • Beginning of the Year Checklist
  • Summer Slump Checklist
  • End of Year Checklist
  • Linkedin Personal Branding Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly Checklist

  1. Test Out Productivity Hacks

Productivity hacks are great for virtual assistants. They let you work smarter, not harder. Pick a few new productivity tricks to try out this school year. You can even pick a new trick each month to continually make yourself a more effective Virtual Assistant.

Here’s a round-up of some great tips to get you started:

  • Streamline your business with these free tools
  • Keep your to-do list short (a few items or less)
  • Test out the pomodoro method of time management
  • Try batching your tasks
  • Plan your day the evening before

Use these organization tips to start your school year off right. Don’t forget, The Virtual Assistant Roadmap is always here to lend a helping hand. We can assist with any aspect of building your Virtual Assistant business. Let us help your company grow this school year. Reach out today with a quick email to get started.

How to Set Work Hours Working From Home as a Virtual Assistant

The ability for a virtual assistant to design their own work schedule is a double-edged sword. It’s great not feeling chained to your desk for the arbitrary 9-5 grind.

But it’s also easy to avoid ever setting a schedule. Before you know it, you’re always either working or thinking about work. It’s increasingly difficult to leave work at work. Projects that could be done in an hour end up taking longer.

The irony of the “I don’t need to abide by a set schedule” virtual assistant life is that we often function better when we create a schedule.

The Benefit of Setting Work Hours

Many work-from-home virtual assistants resist setting work hours like the plague. One huge appeal of being your own boss is the freedom that comes with control over your schedule right?

But the reality of failing to set work hours tells a different story. Not sticking to a work schedule ends up hurting you in the long wrong in different ways.

  1. It’s hard to leave work at work as a virtual assistant. When work stops at 5, it’s easier to stop thinking about work at 5. When there is no firm end to the work day, it’s so much harder to transition from “work mode” to “living your life mode.” You feel guilty watching TV and wonder if you should go get that one article done. You daydream thinking of your to-do list. You always feel “on,” making it difficult to give yourself the rest you need.
  2. You waste precious mental energy. Each day you wake up without a firm schedule. Each day, you waste time and energy deciding how much you will work and when. It’s the element of decision fatigue. The more decisions we make each day, the more drained we become. It’s why superstars like Steve Jobs wore the same outfit every day. One less decision to make meant a bit more energy for more important matters.
  3. Tasks take longer than they should. Parkinson’s Law basically states however long a task can take is usually how long it will. Maybe you wake up and know, if needed, you could log a 10-hour day today to get that big project done. What ends up happening? You tend to work that 10-hour day. The beauty of the set work schedule is work is only allowed to fill those hours. Usually, everything always gets done.

These problems can be tackled (or at least minimized) by setting a consistent work schedule. The initial constraint of work hours ends up giving you more free time and freedom to enjoy your time outside work guilt free.

Setting an Optimized Work Schedule

Here is where you get to enjoy the freedom of being a virtual assistant. Maybe your peak creativity hours are early morning and early evening. In the middle of the day, you suffer from the afternoon slump. So work in the peak hours and go workout or run errands when your brain power dips.

A virtual assistant work schedule does not mean you must bow down at the altar of the 9-5 work week. Those hours are not ideal anyway! In fact, with the right productivity tactics you may get 8 hours of work done in 7 or 6. All a work schedule means is setting strict work hours and strict non-work hours. If you can accomplish you work between 10-4, that’s great!

You can even set a different work schedule for different days of the week. Maybe you are a work-from-home parent taking advantage of a babysitting co-op. On Tuesday mornings, you get to wrangle the group’s kiddos to the library activity. So on Tuesdays, your work day starts a few hours later.

It doesn’t matter what type of schedule you make. What matters is knowing going into the day which hours you work. Designated work hours protect your “non-work” time.

Once you create a schedule, protect it fiercely. Don’t check your email outside of work hours. Let your clients know what hours they can expect to reach you by phone…and don’t pick up if it’s outside of those (or work into your contract it’s a $75 fee every time they do). When you are done for the day, be done. Don’t fall into the trap of well I could get one more thing done. Allow yourself to rest and relax!

Working from home can be the ideal set up. Setting optimized work hours helps you be the ideal worker and live a balanced life. It’s a win-win!

If you want assistance on setting hours that work for you or need help getting all your work done in the allotted time,the Virtual Assistant Roadmap is here for you! Just shoot us an email to get started.