Understanding Virtual Assisting – Part 14 – A Typical Day in the Life of a VA

Updated on: by Amy Kennedy

If you have been following this series, then you’ll recall that to date we’ve discussed what a virtual assistant (VA) is and does. We have also discussed some of the steps to planning your virtual assistant practice, transitioning into it, finding clients, writing a business plan, and VA networks and organizations.

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If you haven’t been following this series or seem to have forgotten parts of it, you may go to the navigation bar, click on “Virtual Assisting” and follow the drop-down menu to the “Series”.

Now we will discuss what a typical day looks like in the life of a VA. There usually aren’t many typical days, because every day is different. Every day brings its own challenges, variety of clients and work, deadlines, and flexibility.

While it is exciting to have control over your own schedule and to work at home, most VAs strive for good time management. Good time management includes:

• Planning your day
• Prioritizing your workload
• Staying focused on work
• Keeping distractions to a minimum
• Taking breaks to avoid stress
• Learning to set boundaries with clients

When it comes to planning your day, be certain to include other things that you enjoy. Activities such as exercise, mediation, and knitting can be enjoyed guilt-free when you allow scheduled time for them.

You might also want to establish a morning routine or an evening routine. A morning routine could consist of exercise, meditation, a shower, and taking the kids to the bus stop.

Don’t spend every waking hour in front of the computer. Get out and do things. You will come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next project.

When feeling stressed or overwhelmed, go back and review the five bulleted suggestions mentioned above. One of those five suggestions is probably not being followed. Also when prioritizing your work, don’t allow “rush jobs” to become the normative.

Set boundaries with your clients and stick to them. Boundaries can also be set on how late you will work and whether or not you will work weekends.

Me? I start my day with exercise, meditation, a shower, breakfast, and trying the latest crock-pot recipe. Then I move on to answering emails and reviewing my day planner and Google calendar. By now, I am ready to jump into my client work.

So, get out there and enjoy your version of a typical day. You may never have another one like it!

For those of you who have a “typical” day or “routine” what does it look like?

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Jess

April 5, 2012 at 5:39 pm

Good blog post Leisa 🙂

Leisa Good

April 5, 2012 at 5:42 pm

Thanks, Jess. I always say if it starts getting “typical” then I start getting bored. I love challenges! LOL