Light Bulb! Realizing A Virtual Assistant Could Do It Better

Have you had that “aha” moment yet? You know the kind I’m talking about; that moment of sudden insight or discovery when you realize something important that shifts the entire paradigm of how you think and view an assumption? In this case, the light bulb moment that I’m talking about is one that’s so important for business owners and entrepreneurs – the realization that you can’t do it all yourself and, more importantly, there are actually people that could do some things even better than you can.

The “aha” moment is about realizing your true value. At some point, we all have to realize that working harder, or working more – more hours, more nights, more weekends – isn’t the right path to success. The truth is that sometimes working less but more strategically will actually produce better results.

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There’s an important difference between being busy and being productive. In this case, I’m not talking about time management which is also important. We need to realize that being productive is actually less about time management and more about managing the ways that you are actually spending your energy. Often, the ways that most small business owners are spending their time doesn’t make the most sense for growing their business.

Business Reflection
Are you a social media marketing specialist? Are you a WordPress website guru? Are you an expert copyeditor? Can you write a professional blog post in 30 minutes? What about newsletter marketing? If these tasks aren’t your areas of expertise, then why are you spinning your wheels and spending so much time on them? These tasks are making you busy, but they aren’t contributing to your productivity. They’re certainly important business tasks, they do contribute to the overall success of your business, but they aren’t the best use of your time. Particularly when there are specialists in these areas who can execute these tasks more efficiently and with better results than you can yourself.

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1. Stop doing everything yourself and let other people help you
There are cost-effective options for getting specialized help from people who are experts in areas that you are not. A skilled virtual assistant can take all sorts of administrative, writing, and marketing tasks off of your hands and see that they are completed efficiently, freeing up your time so that you can focus on doing the things that you love.

2. Stop working overtime to increase your productivity
The fact is that the more you work, the less productive you’re actually going to be. That’s true in the short term and definitely also in the long term. You’re going to burn yourself out and you’ll also have too much on your mind so you won’t be able to focus on the most important tasks that are unique to your business. There are parts of your business that truly need your attention. Start focusing on those tasks and let go of the other busy work and distractions.

3. Don’t let perfectionism trip you up
Being a perfectionist is actually a major hindrance to productivity. That doesn’t mean that quality should go out the window, but it does mean that though there are some things that you might have done a little bit differently yourself, someone else can help you and do a very good job and the results will be more efficient, even if they aren’t held up to your current understanding of “perfect”. Save the perfectionism for specific client-related delivery and allow the “great” to happen with the help of others.

Many small business owners don’t realize that they’re creating a box when they focus too much on small tasks. We’ve all heard the expression “think outside of the box” and it’s also important that you GET outside of the box. Create some space from your work, let other people help you, and step away from your work once in a while so that you can take a look at the big picture.

When you try to do everything yourself and you believe that you’re the only person who can get it done, or that if you don’t do it there’s no possibility for it to be accomplished, you’re actually boxing yourself in. Your true value doesn’t lie in hours and hours of busy work. There are many tasks that a virtual assistant can actually do more quickly and professionally that you can let go of. This will allow you to work more strategically and produce better results for your business. Partnering with a virtual assistant can take your “a-ha” moment and your business to the next level! Take a peek at this free workbook to learn more!