For those of you considering hiring a virtual assistant in 2014, I cannot recommend it highly enough — this is easily one of the best things I did for my life and business last year. And yet, control freak that I am, I did not go down without a fight!
For YEARS I had read all the books (4-hour Work Week chief among them), and knew the importance of delegating and not being a bottleneck. But each time I tried to move forward with hiring someone, I got overwhelmed, discouraged and gave up. Who to hire? US or overseas? What should I delegate? How do I do it efficiently? Can I trust them?
Thankfully I gave it another go by hiring someone in October, and I’ve been hooked ever since. After just four days of working together, she became indispensable to my daily workflow.
As many of you know, I love simplifying complexity through tools, templates and systems. Today I’m sharing how I was able to successfully transition to working with a VA through specific templates and detailed pointers, in the hopes that it will help those of you who are tip-toeing around it to move past a state of stuck and into the zone of ninja level systems and efficiency.
If you’re still not sure what the fuss is about, check out The New York Times article on how “normal” people (i.e. not just Tim Ferris types) are Outsourcing [Their] Way to Success.
35-MINUTE CALL: HOW I WORK WITH MY VA
In December I recorded a 30-minute call on exactly how I work with my VA: who to hire, five categories of tasks that I delegate (scheduling, purchases, travel, research, one-offs), what systems and technology we use (email, Evernote and Google Docs), and a few important pitfalls to avoid.
DETAILED SHOW NOTES
Make sure to also check-out the 4 pages of detailed show notes (via Google Doc) to save yourself the trouble of taking notes.
RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE CALL
Mandi Holmes VA (who I use; U.S. based assistant team)
Templates mentioned:
Sample task tracking spreadsheet to observe your workflow and determine what to delegate
If you found the call helpful, I’d be grateful for you to share the love!
[Tweet this] Interested in working with a VA? @jenny_blake breaks down a detailed overview (who to hire, what to delegate & how): http://bit.ly/jbvacall
NINJA SYSTEMS STRATEGY SESSION
Last week I offered a special one-off 60-minute Coaching Strategy Session, and I still have spots open. If you’re interested in learning more about how to set-up more effective ninja-level systems in your life and work, let’s jam!
At the end of the call you will walk away with:
Vision: what you want to create this year and specifically in Q1
Strategy: key milestones to implement your vision
Systems: how to we best set-up your habits and workflow for success
Action Plan: concrete set of next steps and resources
I’m also happy to answer any specific questions about my business, and share templates and resources I use with my 1:1 clients
One of my superpowers is taking detailed notes while listening — you’ll walk away with 2-3 organized pages of your thoughts and next steps, so that you’re free to walk or look out a window (or otherwise free up your brain) while we’re on the phone.
Normally one month of coaching with me costs $1,500 for four calls with email in-between, but for those of you who want to get some iron-clad systems, vision and strategy in place for the New Year, I’m extending this offer to anyone who signs up in the month of January.
Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments:
What did you find most helpful, and what did I miss?
Any pointers you have for delegating well and setting up effective systems?
Any particular pitfalls to avoid?