A smart way to get more things done is to delegate lower level tasks. That’s where a virtual assistant can be a tremendous asset. Written about in books such as The World is Flat and The 4 Hour Work Week, a remote virtual assistant from firms like Brickwork will take care of numerous time consuming tasks that can free up your time to do things that are more important to you. From a business approach, virtual assistants can do data entry, sales support, calendar management, and other administrative tasks. But they can also help with personal tasks such as booking dinner reservations, managing your email inbox, or even calling your spouse as was highlighted in the 4 Hour Work Week. When you can delegate tasks like finding a dentist you also conserve brain power because you don’t have to think about it or remind yourself to do it.
Remote virtual assistants are very affordable. Indian companies like Tasks EveryDay advertise services for as low as $6.98 per hour. Unless your time is worth less than $7 an hour, it is a no brainer. If your time is worth $100 an hour, you are saving about $93 by not finding a dentist yourself.
Some of the negatives of a remote virtual assistant from India can be difficulty communicating or misunderstandings. In the 4 Hour Workweek they give an example of a virtual assistant who wasted a lot of time on the clock because they didn’t understand what the client wanted. Therefore it is important to make sure that you are on the same page and you check the status of longer projects to ensure the VA is using time wisely.
However, I think the pros outnumber the cons, and even if you don’t need a VA right now it is good to get some experience managing a VA for when you do need one. If you are a busy executive, just think of the things that a VA can free you up to do.
Photo by dgrobinson