7 Top Tips For Planning a Productive Week as a Virtual Assistant Without Missing Out on Life

I decided to become a Virtual Assistant not only because I needed a side hustle that I would work flexible hours of the day with and set my own rates, but because I wanted to eventually live out a lifestyle where I was able to work around what was important to me in life.

One of the things that derail many Virtual Assistants early on in their business is skipping out on planning out each week and even month in advance.

If planning quarterly or even monthly overwhelms you, at the very least you should make a plan to carry out a productive week and do your best to stick with it!

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1. Set aside just one hour each week to plan

I do not recommend leaving these planning sessions open-ended.

Set a start time and a stop time.

Sunday is usually a good day to do this.

We all have 24 hours in a day. Besides sleep, chores, and daily lifestyle things it’s up to us what we do with our time. To make the most of this time it helps if we have a plan.

Each week make it a habit to sit down and plan what you are going to do each day of the week.

Don’t go into too many details.

Choose one or two big things that you’ll want to get done in a day.

Make this a weekly ritual and see the difference!

2. Collaborate with clients to understand their needs on a monthly and weekly basis

As virtual assistants, client work tops the priority list for us. As it should. But that doesn’t mean we make working on our business a lesser priority. Managing time for your business without forfeiting quality client work is possible when you set boundaries and deliver on time for your clients. Regular communication with your clients will help you be on top of the game.

Be sure to follow up with them weekly or monthly. Whatever cadence works mutually for both of you.

Have your clients know that you are available for calls only on certain days of the week.

Keep your boundaries.

3. Decide when to have “Office Hours”

Whether you are a morning person and want to knock out client work before starting your day, or you’re a night owl, or a student working around classes, it is important to plan blocks of time in your schedule to work on client work!

Plan out these blocks during your weekly planning ritual. And stick to them.

At the end of the time block shut down your computer and go out and about!

Enjoy your time away from work.

4. Determine set days/time blocks of the week to designate for calls.

Taking Discovery Calls?

Determine a day(s) for those to be available.

Client status meetings each week?

Select the best day(s) or time blocks for you to be in “client call” mode.

This way you have a clear boundary set with clients that you are not available for calls outside of those times!

This will help you avoid feeling like you must be tied to your phone all of the time.

5. Select set times of the day that you check email/messages and keep to them so that they don’t pile up!

• Select a time for responding to client emails and a time to respond to general inquiries.
• To avoid overwhelm, determine what your typical response time frame will be. I aim for 1-2 business days for non-urgent client requests and then as many as 3 business days for general inquiries.
• Always communicate with clients and set expectations for them around email response times and when you typically check emails. I like to check emails in the morning after I have had my journal time and then once again in the mid-afternoon.
• I always give clients a method of communication for urgent issues as well so that they feel supported.

These small actions and habits will make a massive difference in your productivity. Set your own timelines for tasks that work for you. Everyone works differently. Figuring out what works best for you and sticking to it is key.

6. Make sure you have at least 1-2 days to dedicate solely to your own rest and enjoyment!

This is the beauty of running a virtual assistant business.

• Time freedom
• Location freedom
• Schedule freedom

You are the boss.

But make sure you are a good one!

 

It is essential for a healthy work/life balance and your mental health that every week you have a day or two away from work.

Passion projects don’t count as work. So it’s good to have time to spend on your passions these days.

But no client work!

Try your best to avoid client work on at least 1-2 days out of your week.

This will help you feel like you can enjoy your life even more along with the perks of being able to make your own schedule however you please.

7. It’s great to plan, but don’t over-schedule yourself!

After all, being a Virtual Assistant is all about working as much/as little as you would like and working on projects and with people you enjoy!

I always keep “wiggle room” in my schedule and say no to projects or clients that will overload my plate so that I can live life!

Make sure to consider raising your rates whenever possible before feeling like you need to take on more clients just to increase revenue.

If you are booked out, that is the first option to try before overbooking yourself!

Life happens so make sure you leave out spare time to see where life takes you.

One of the biggest perks of being a Virtual Assistant is time freedom!

But at the end of the day, you’ll need to make sure each of your clients is happy and their requests are completed appropriately and professionally or your business will dry up faster than a drop of water in the Sahara!

Additionally, you’ll be working on your own marketing to make sure you have leads to fill spaces in your calendar.

It is important to your success that you plan and stick to boundaries with clients.

You will find yourself living out a productive week while still enjoying a spa day on a Monday if you so wish!

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