by Amber Miller | Sep 15, 2021 | Blog
Could virtual assistant services be the answer to your workload paralysis? You know, that feeling of having so much to do that you can’t get anything done. You perfectly understand what needs accomplished. You can visualize that ever-increasing to-do list. But it’s like you can’t take one step in the right direction.
Do you ever find yourself saying something like this?
“I can’t do anything.”
“Why can’t I do anything?”
“I can’t get myself to do anything.”
“I can’t get anything done.”
And the longer you let things go, the worse it gets. You increasingly get more stuck in the mud than the day before. This only adds to that sinking feeling of being unable to make the first move. You know things have to change and quickly but what can you do? If you can relate, here’s how a virtual team, virtual assistant or online business manager can help you get back on track when workload paralysis pays an unwelcomed visit.
Virtual Assistants Can Complete that First Task
Isn’t that the monkey you need off your back most anyway? That very first item that needs to be checked off your to-do list feels heavier than a Manhattan skyscraper. VA services can help you with that first essential task that’s been locking you up. And you know what? After that, the rest of those tasks won’t feel so weighty.
You Can Get Caught Up Quickly
If you’ve felt workload paralysis for a while now, you likely have what seems like a mountain of tasks you need to complete. The trouble is your responsibilities keep compiling. Because of that, it doesn’t just seem impossible to catch up—it actually is impossible.
That fact has nothing to do with your low motivation levels. Instead, it has everything to do with the fact you only have so much energy and hours in your day. But it’s way too easy to fall into a self-defeating cycle of telling yourself tomorrow will be different. That tomorrow will be the magical day when all tasks get done. That day you can leave work with your head held high because you finally conquered the impossible.
The truth is you can leave your business with confidence and peace, but not without added support. You don’t have to let that unhealthy cycle of hope and defeat continue. Especially if your tasks have stacked up for a long time now, a VA team can dig you out quickly. Otherwise, it will keep getting worse. A virtual team can get you up to date soon so you can get back to being awesome.
Someone to Walk Through the Tasks with You
Being an entrepreneur, business owner or manager can feel isolating. Few people, if any, understand the immense challenges you face. Sometimes it may feel like you have to pick up the world and carry it each day. That’s not a healthy way to go through a single day. But to do that over the long term can be crushing.
Just knowing you have extra people on your side in itself can help with workload paralysis. You don’t feel so much like everything depends on what you get done. Having a virtual team, virtual personal assistant or online business manager allows you mental relief and better results as the relentless pressure eases up.
The Chance to Take Better Care of Your Health
Often, workload paralysis is a symptom of other areas in your life not receiving adequate attention. That may include not getting enough sleep or exercise. A poor diet can also play a role, as can just being too busy.
In her lifehacker.com article entitled How to Overcome Workload Paralysis and Get Back into Action, Belle Beth Cooper shares the following:
“The easiest things for me to overlook when I’m overwhelmed with work are exercise time, healthy eating, and getting enough sleep. Unfortunately, those aren’t things I can easily give up if I want to keep functioning at my best. And when my workload is off the charts it’s even more important that I’m performing well.”
When your life is out of balance, mental and spiritual health can become a challenge. You can struggle socially as well when you’re too busy to meaningfully connect with friends and family. If you find yourself stuck and unable to do anything despite a packed schedule, it could be a great time to evaluate what matters most.
Hiring a virtual assistant, remote team or online business manager can give you the chance to take back your personal wellness. That way, you have the energy to focus on what’s most important at your business and away from it.
Want to Learn More About How Virtual Assistant Services Can Help?
At Smart to Finish, we understand you have a big job to do and that you’re only one person. We’re passionate about improving the lives of our clients and helping them realize a lot more is possible than they thought. You don’t have to do all of that alone. We’re here for you.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can assist your company, please get in touch with us. You’re also welcome to schedule a free 30-minute free consultation.
by Amber Miller | Aug 23, 2021 | Blog
While the rest of the world seems to have crashed our “work from home” party this past year, we’ve been helping clients THRIVE in online business for 16 years!!
Want to know how we got started?
Listen is as our head Delegation Diva, Amber Miller shares the story of how Smart to Finish began on her interview with AZTV. And learn what we do to maximize our client’s success.
https://www.aztv.com/posts/get-know-delegation-divas-smart-finish-office-solutions
—
Smart to Finish supports clients from ALL over the world. If you’re curious if the Delegation Diva’s can help your business reach its full potential, reach out for a free discovery call.
by Amber Miller | Aug 18, 2021 | Blog
What if you were to hire a virtual assistant for your upcoming program or product launch? Many business managers and owners wouldn’t think twice about adding a VA for other tasks. Still, they sometimes forget to consider the benefits of bringing in some reinforcements for such a vital and monumental step in their company.
Perhaps the overwhelming planning stage and seemingly endless to-do lists lead to tunnel vision. Or you figure that only you or your current staff can do the product or program launch. But could it be that you’re gripping the steering wheel too tightly and there’s a better way?
Seeking out virtual assistant services for your launch isn’t for everyone. Still, here are some signs that bringing on a VA could be the right move for your program or product launch plan.
You and Your Staff Feel Overwhelmed by Your Launch
Let’s face it. A program or new product launch inevitably causes some form of stress for business owners, managers and staff alike. That’s pretty much a given. But there’s a difference between healthy stress that propels your team forward and excessive stress that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and de-energized.
Are you up to the task of pulling this thing off or do you have way too much to accomplish? If you feel like you’re drowning in responsibilities due to your launch, a virtual personal assistant or virtual team can help. This support could include anything from helping with a specific aspect of your launch to overseeing the entire thing so you don’t have to worry about it.
You’re Falling Behind on Your Other Everyday Tasks
All those daily responsibilities you had to complete before your product or program launch still need to get done. So, maybe it isn’t the launch that has you feeling way in over your head.
Instead, it’s the simple fact that you only have so much time in your day. Trying to do everything you were before plus your launch is just spreading you too thin.
In that case, a virtual assistant can help with those tasks you typically did before the launch happened. That way, you’ll be free to spend ample time and focus on bringing about the next steps for your business.
The following was shared in a Forbes.com article written by several panelists on the topic of delegating during workplace overwhelm:
“If you can take all the small tasks off your plate and delegate them to other people, then you can focus on what is important.”
A remote assistant can help to keep those peripheral tasks in check. In a roundabout way, your online personal assistant will support your launch. You’ll just be able to delegate your everyday tasks so you can launch a product or program with far fewer interruptions.
You Want a Great Launch Instead of Just a Good One
Make no mistake about it, a VA can help if you get into a launch and realize you need way more support than initially suspected. That frequently happens, even to the best planners.
At the same time, a virtual assistant or remote team can assist companies who believe they have adequate tools and staffing for a good product launch. It could be that these businesses want to go above and beyond to ensure their launch is excellent instead of just good enough.
Some of those launch needs could include pre-launch planning, developing your opt-in pages, connecting your sales funnels and overseeing the testing phase to make sure everything is working as it should. Of course, there is much more besides that a good VA company can offer your launch.
Is It Time to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Your Launch?
If so, Smart to Finish is here for you. Your launch is an exciting growth step for your business and we’re honored to be a part of that. Whether you need a virtual assistant, remote team or online business manager, we can assist you.
Could you identify with some of the launch challenges we shared? If so, feel free to schedule a 30-minute free consultation with us. We can discuss an individualized plan to make sure your launch is a success.
by Amber Miller | May 6, 2021 | Blog
The definition of delegation is the assignment of authority to another person to carry out specific activities. It is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person, and is one of the core concepts of management and leadership.
That being said, we’ve all heard the phrase “I’ll just do it myself because it’s so much faster”.
Eleanor Beaton, founder of SafiMedia, coach, podcast host and writer (and AMAZING client of ours!), recently stated that “… effective delegation takes serious work on YOUR part…”
What does this mean?
This, in fact, means that delegating saves time in the LONG TERM, not necessarily the SHORT TERM. To delegate effectively means YOU have to invest the time to:
- Think through exactly what you want.
- Figure out if there is a specific way in which you want it done.
- Communicate your plan clearly and specifically — for best results, in writing.
If you think only short term and you don’t see results as effectively (or as fast) as you’d like, you may say things like:
- I knew I was the only one who can do this
- Why can’t I clone myself
- I guess I suck at delegating
Instead, dig a little deeper.
Obviously you aren’t the only one who can get a job done. Did you relay clear expectations? Were you able to communicate what you wanted effectively? Did you essentially sabotage your team by not contributing enough of your time, thoughts and wants?
If you clearly outline your standards and how you want things done in the short term, tasks and projects will run so much smoother in the long term.
“Fear of being labelled “controlling” or “micromanaging” can really hold women entrepreneurs back from giving clear and specific direction,” said Beaton. “If you know exactly how you want something done, why pretend that you don’t?”
The next time you’re faced with a fear of delegation, think back to Eleanor Beaton, and this blog post, and drive forward.
“Your job as a leader is to create a clear container for work to happen. Your team’s job is to make the work inside that container as amazing as it can possibly be. The quality of the end RESULT is dependent on each of us doing our part well.”
You can read the entire article HERE.
by Bethany Hogan | May 4, 2021 | Blog
Meet Tina Walker… the Web Manager and Senior Web Developer at Smart to Finish Office Solutions.
Tina is married to her high school sweetheart, and they have four kids, all boys. Though it’s hard to call them all kids: Zach is 24, Jake is 23, Nick is 18 and graduating high school in a few short weeks, and Ethan is 15.
Tina spends all her spare time with her family. Depending upon the season, you will spot on bleachers somewhere – football, basketball, baseball, or track. If they are not at a sporting event, then you’ll find them spending family time. Summers are spent playing cornhole, basketball, or just being together, BBQing and talking.
Tina really values and takes care of her people, whether it’s her family or clients. Tina has shown her commitment and dedication to Smart to Finish and our clients for almost 10 years.
Tina’s Background
Prior to Smart To Finish Tina worked at a family business in the construction industry. With 3 children at the time, she decided it would be better for them if she worked from home. She started doing a lot of freelance work with just local companies in her community. She happened to see a post that the Delegation Diva was hiring, and thought it sounded fun! Almost 10 years later, she’s a crucial part of the team.
Tina Puts the Smart in Smart to Finish
Tina’s special gift is her brain. There’s truly not a complex issue, whether it’s coding something code, or finding a bug that she can’t solve.
Stop Hesitating, and Start Delegating
Tina’s got a lot of advice for clients and technology. She says to ALWAYS have two forms of backups for your website, one at the server level, and the other using a backup plugin that can send the backup to Google Drive, or Dropbox. You should have a daily backup and at least a week of incremental backups. Also, you should update plugins, themes, and core files that need to be updated weekly, or bi-weekly. Updates are meant to fix known bugs and increase your overall security.
If you’d like to put Tina’s brain to work on your business, click here to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.
by Tina Walker | Apr 22, 2021 | Blog
Has your company thought of hiring a virtual assistant for a while now? If so, you may wonder whether to add one full-time virtual assistant or a team of VAs. Especially if you’re dipping your toes into virtual assistant services for the first time, questions like these can seem complex. While every business has different needs, hiring a virtual team holds plenty of advantages over onboarding one virtual assistant.
In his entrpreneur.com article entitled Hiring Virtual Assistants is the ‘New Normal,’ Jeff J Hunter shares his post-pandemic discovery of how indispensable a virtual team can be:
“Last year, building a “virtual team” sounded cool, but today, it’s a necessity for businesses to survive the current economic conditions. Yes, a virtual team is the “new normal” of work. It is about time you hire one.”
Why should you consider hiring a virtual team instead of a single VA? What follows are some compelling reasons to give it serious thought!
A VA Team’s Diverse Skillset Gives You Better Results
A winning sports team needs a variety of strengths from teammates to win games consistently. Similarly, a multitude of unique strengths from three or more VAs leads to better overall results than a solo VA can provide.
With a VA team, you can hire individuals who are passionate about their specific work (and darn good at it). If you hire one virtual assistant, you’ll see results but not of the same magnitude you would with a virtual team. A team’s results are greater than the sum total of people involved. Those results multiply as each virtual team member plays off of the strengths of another.
The Team Leader Option
A solid VA team doesn’t randomly crank out a bunch of substandard work from an unorganized group. Instead, a virtual team has order with someone overseeing the work and ensuring that completed tasks are of high quality and turned in on time. Sometimes businesses opt to do this in-house, but that isn’t the only option you have.
The best virtual assistant companies provide the online manager option, also known as an online business manager. An OBM works hard to ensure all tasks accomplish your company’s big-picture goals. There’s just more unity and quality results with this approach. OBMs also are able to do much more than lead a virtual team.
Another significant advantage of hiring a remote team leader from a VA company is their experience in overseeing virtual teams from day one. After all, leading a VA team is quite different from doing so in a traditional face-to-face office setting. Because of this, hiring someone already skilled in this area is a valuable consideration.
Hiring a Virtual Team Means Fewer Delays
One significant advantage of hiring a VA team is that you have more availability from your VAs. Even the most dedicated solo virtual assistant gets sick (all the more evident after 2020) and needs time off for rest or personal reasons. If you hire just one VA to cover all your tasks, this could slow down your productivity.
However, a VA team allows you to fill in the gaps when a specific remote team member needs to step away for a little while. This also enables you to cover more tasks than you could reasonably expect one VA to complete.
It’s true that VA team members each have unique skill sets they excel at. Still, the best VA teams are cross-trained so they can cover work for another team member while they are away from their desk.
Delegation During Your Non-Work Hours
Because a VA team is made up of team members from different time zones, you can sometimes find help with pressing tasks before or after your typical business hours. That way, you can accomplish your goals more quickly when deadlines matter most.
Cost and Convenience Perks
Not having to free up physical office space for one full-time virtual assistant is a big plus. However, with a virtual team, this is all the truer. This is convenient, but also saves some businesses money since the overhead of physical offices can be quite high, especially in the largest cities.
You Can Customize Your Team Size as Needed
When you hire a virtual team, it needn’t have the permanency of hiring as a traditional full-time team does. You can add or subtract to your remote team without all the inherent inflexibilities regular employment brings.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant Team: Would You Like to Chat Sometime?
Are you interested in hiring a virtual assistant, or would you like to see how a VA team can help you grow? If so, our virtual assistant company can help make those dreams a reality.
At Smart to Finish, we can offer support whether you need a social media virtual assistant, a virtual personal assistant, online business manager or remote team.
If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to us for a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll discuss which delegation plan would work best for your business. We can also chat about ways to keep your remote team intact even during uncertain economic times.
Recent Comments