WOW! 2013 is a year of Big Goals and Ideas for me. I am growing a business. Execution …not my strong suit. I am asking myself how do I move from here to there? I find that I am always in a hurry…rushing here and there trying to accomplish a large To Do List daily. I need to have some systems in place to make this happen. I recently had to admit to myself that I needed help. Help with things like e-mail, calendars and meetings is my first priority.
I also need some help within. Even inside my house (where I have my studio and my office), I am always delivering something from here to there. I have two levels and I am always carrying many items up and down. I often find that what I really need is on the other level. So I decided that a messenger bag would be an optimal tool. I really like the Baggallini Messenger bag. It should keep all those bits and pieces of paper, craft supplies and business notes in place as I move from the studio to the office and back again. I can just strap it on and go.
Building a Business
Execution…is all about systems and planning. When you are a freelancer, a blogger and a DIY designer, things can become pretty chaotic. I instituted an editorial calendar last year to keep me on track. That works as long as I have the time to fill in the information. Too many unwritten blog posts, untraveled journeys, unaccomplished goals. That’s where the VA will come in.
I needed to have a clear understanding of what I need from a VA. Knowing which tasks to delegate can be tricky, so I did some research and came up with a list of things that I need help with. Then I prioritized this list. Here are some of the tasks I need to turn over:
- Scheduling. Keep me on schedule first and foremost. Organize my day and week using Google Calendars and send me an email/text a half an hour before each meeting/engagement and again 5 minutes before. Sometimes I get so involved in creativity that I forget to remember.
- E-mail. Plough through the hundreds of daily e-mails on four addresses. Plus organize and delete the 30,000 ‘archived’ messages I have been keeping for some long-forgotten reason.
- Social Media. Monitor social media channels for responses I need to make. Post my blog posts and photos.
Since I don’t have great loads of extra cash to hire standard employees, hiring virtual help just makes sense. Letting go of these three tasks should free me to be creative and do those things I am really good at, while letting go of the admin chores that can eat up vast amounts of time {just like Pinerest}.
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