by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Nov 12, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Goals, Productivity, Time Management
Our magnificent brains have a restricted capacity for devoting attention. When you multitask, you are not training yourself to manage more activities, but in fact, you are simply instructing your brain to take on more, with limited individual attention. It isn’t an act of increased productivity. It is distributing your focus over multiple activities simultaneously. You are more apt to forget, lose, or miss important details. You may think you can function on full throttle with a hoard of tasks, but it comes at a great loss. Consider it mental overload.
It is more important to be present and engaged with whatever you are doing versus being in the overtasked coma state. Your brain switches back and forth, stopping and starting whenever you choose to multi-task. Diverting your focus increases inefficiency, no matter how badly you convince yourself that you are the master. You’re not and it’s detrimental to your results.
While you can manage automatic, higher-level task switching like walking and talking at the same time, crafting an email, sending a text while Zooming a co-worker produces less than satisfactory results. Writing and speech-related tasks compete for attention in the prefrontal cortex. Some researchers suggest that multitasking can actually reduce productivity by as much as 40% and the number of errors can increase by 50%.
In an NPR interview, Stanford University professor Clifford Nass said ‘heavy multitaskers” have trouble tuning out distractions and switching tasks compared with those who multitask less The study revealed that even when chronic multitaskers were focusing on a single task, their brains were less effective and efficient.’
If you try to multitask in the classic sense of doing two things at once, what you end up doing is quasi-tasking. It’s like being with children. You have to give it your full attention for however much time you have, and then you have to give something else your full attention. Joss Whedon
Instead of consistently jumping around from project to project, create focused time blocks, turn off notifications, and tune out distractions.
Steps to STOP Multi-Tasking
- Set priorities
- Figure out exactly when you are most productive
- Reduce or eliminate distractions
- Turn off notifications
- Sign out of social media
- Time block your day
- Be present
- Finish what you start
- Don’t be afraid to say no
- Take breaks
- Be mindful of your habits and adjust accordingly
Take a step back and think of all of the times where you have been engaged in 2-5 activities at once.
Seems a little outlandish, right?
What were you able to:
1. Absorb
2. Contribute
3. Conquer
4. Complete
What will you do to minimize multi-tasking and commit your focus to a single project?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jul 10, 2018 | Social Media, Time Management, Virtual Assistant
Whether your business is real estate in Michigan or SEO services in Chicago, virtual assistants (VAs) can be major game-changers — at least if you know how to use them properly. Designed to support you remotely, a virtual assistant handles the same kinds of tasks that traditional assistants do: clerical work, marketing assistance, web design help, etc. But, as an added benefit, they handle those tasks in their own locations, saving you the costs of office space or equipment. What’s more, 91 percent of them can handle those tasks more efficiently when remote, according to a study from TINYpulse.
So, what’s the key to make the most of these assistants? The answer is strategy. Rather than hiring a VA and waiting for benefits, what you need is to think intentionally about the partnership. With that in mind, here are some key tips for knowing how to get the most out of your virtual assistant!
- Know what tasks to delegate. According to Natalie Sisson at The Suitcase Entrepreneur, one of the best ways to make use of a virtual assistant is by delegating several time-consuming tasks — and saving yourself at least two hours each day in the process. What tasks add up to big savings? Sisson suggests letting your VA manage your calendar, use social media, manage your emails, handle minor blogging tasks, take care of basic bookkeeping, manage your email marketing list, and take on customer support. Other resources suggest tasks such as researching data, updating membership sites, writing transcriptions, creating images for blog posts, moderating forums or creating quick redirects on your site.
- Always give thorough instructions. No matter what tasks you give your VA, aim to overcommunicate about their instructions. This is especially true upfront when you’re beginning to train your assistant. According to an article at EOFire, “you should set aside specific time each day during those first few weeks to train them on [the tasks you’re delegating].” In other words, rather than sending minimal information and hoping your VA figures out what you mean, provide clear, detailed information that answers potential questions before they arise. Think about this: The better you communicate with your VA, the less likely you are to deal with repetitive follow-ups and back-and-forth emails that waste time and lower business efficiency.
- Set deadlines when appropriate. If you give your VA tasks that need to be completed in a certain time frame, set deadlines. This helps set expectations for how quickly work needs to be done, keeping your assistant on track.
- Follow up in the early stages of a project. After giving your VA a larger project, follow up about 10 to 20 percent into the job. Ask how things are going, see if there are any questions, and adjust as needed. This small step can save you big headaches down the road if some part of the project didn’t get communicated.
- Share documents. Avoid miscommunications or lost work by using cloud storage for all documents. Whether you go with Google Drive, Dropbox or another solution, you’ll never have to worry that your VA’s latest work is hard to access.
- Respect their schedules. VAs are not employees. They often have more than one client. As such, you can’t expect them to be available round the clock or to respond right away whenever you contact them. Find out what their typical work hours are, and respect their schedules. This can help you make the most of your relationship over time.
- Consider time-keeping software. Just because someone works remotely doesn’t mean you shouldn’t monitor them the way you would any employee. Consider using time-keeping software to track hours and projects.
- Empower your VA with more involvement. To truly maximize the potential of a VA partnership, encourage proactive behavior. How? Instead of thinking of your VA as a contractor, think of him or her as a partner. So, rather than only delegating minor tasks, you can let your VA grow in responsibilities and the accompanying sense of ownership that comes with them. Instead of just having your assistant update spreadsheets, for example, have him or her follow up with prospects.
- Keep an open dialogue. Check in with your VA from time to time to see how things are going. Ask for questions, concerns, comments or other suggestions. You may be surprised what you learn through this kind of follow-up. Likewise, try to be available via email or Skype for quick questions that come up for your VA, especially in the beginning when he or she is still learning about your business.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner who wants to save money, scale your business, boost efficiency, and work smarter, you can’t afford to ignore the potential of virtual assistants. So, to make the most of your relationship with one, keep the nine tips above in mind! By thinking strategically about your VA, you can maximize the benefits of using one.
Author bio: Shanna Mallon is a contributing writer for Straight North, one of Chicago’s top Internet marketing agencies providing SEO, web development and other online marketing services. Shanna has been writing professionally online since 2007.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Nov 16, 2017 | Guest Blogger, Productivity, Time Management
We read about what will make us more productive in life and at work. We know what to do but sometimes we can’t get ourselves going.
Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Here are 6 different and I hope unique ways to experiment with to get you powered up each morning.
- Make your calendar reminders more specific so they grab your attention. Example: Instead of “Morning routine,” list the specific things which you know make you more productive, more focused, organized or have a positive attitude. What works for you? This is useful for getting into a new habit, reminding yourself of one if you’re feeling as if you’re falling off track, or after sickness, vacation, or any break.
- Give yourself a deadline. Remember SMART goals? They work for many people, because they are specific and set a deadline. I’ve been trying to get back to riding my exercise bike, so my goal [finally] became: by the time the U.S. Thanksgiving month begins, I’ll be biking three times a week at 6:30 a.m.
- Get yourself a motivational or accountability partner. Short term or permanently. For example, if for trouble getting out of bed, ask your spouse or one of your kids to get you going. Or if you need support starting a new morning routines, work with a coach. That task you’re procrastinating on …. How about working at the time your kids are doing their homework. Or ask Suzie to call you each day and check in on how you’re doing!
- Are you a numbers person? Use your interest in numbers as your momentum or motivation. For example, use Excel or an app to keep track of how you’re doing with the healthy habits you find important, i.e., breakfast, water, protein, walking, meditation. If you feel you spend too much time on your devices, then use a paper notepad or an index card to track. Or choose a favorite number and meditate, journal or walk for that number of minutes. If it’s short enough, do it twice a day.
- What’s your purpose? Some people get their motivation or momentum from tying a routine to a bigger, meaningful goal. For example, by meditating every day, which you know makes you calmer, you can be the kind of parent you dream of being. Or by walking each day, your mind is clearer at work, so you’re more productive and therefore lead your team more effectively.
- Write down what happens if you consistently do not follow through on your morning routine. If you don’t feel like doing it, and this has lasted more than a week, answer this … and write it out because it will make a greater impression in black and white, staring back at you: How will I feel about myself in another week if this continues? What happens if do not do this for a month, when I know how good it has been for me in the past? And what about in a year? How will you feel about not following through on commitments to yourself?
Guest Author
Sue West
Productivity & ADHD Coach
Certified Organizer Coach®
Certified Professional Organizer®
In Chronic Disorganization
Connect with Sue
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Website & Blog: www.CoachSueWest.com
Phone: 603.554.1948
Email: Sue@OrganizeNH.com
Think you may have ADHD or similar symptoms? Try Sue’s coaching services or self-paced, ADHD workbook to focus and get started on managing your distractibility or follow through, before they manage you.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jan 12, 2017 | Entrepreneur, Executive Administration, Small Business, Time Management, Virtual Assistant
Greeting the day as an overwhelmed entrepreneur has become part of the norm for many first-time business owners. The hats we wear are numerous and can present unexpected challenges in our day-to-day operations. It can be suffocating trying to figure out where to turn or what to do next.
Becoming more productive and being able to free up more time and leveraging your existing time, is one of the most skills that can literally multiply your success. Tor Refsland
You are an executive who worked hard, paid your dues and now you are sitting in the seat of responsibility. With responsibility comes an increased need to manage your time effectively. You cannot spend hours of your time formatting documents, writing business letters, building forms, writing and responding to emails, and editing or proofreading marketing material. Your decision-making, client relationships, and management of the company’s fiscal responsibilities take precedence. Hiring someone full-time is just not in the books yet.
What can you do? Is there a simple solution to help you achieve more by doing less?
Delegating
The purpose of delegating is to enable you to focus on your core genius, the tasks and projects that ONLY you can do; the revenue generators.
If you are being busy with many of the back end, admin tasks, you not using your expertise to the best of your ability; thereby further impairing your business advancement and opportunities. You’re potentially hindering your own growth which is counterproductive to starting your business. Let go to grow.
Tracking Hours
How much valuable time is used for follow up emails, searching/scheduling social media posts, writing/editing content, travel planning, document reviews, calendar reminders, project management, or presentation prep, just to name a few?
Track your time for the rest of the week, including the project, time on task, distractions, task completion, new additions to your list, items that were dropped to a lower priority or simply forgotten and how you felt at the end. In your review, what tasks clearly represented your core genius? What tasks were a low value?
Infinite list of responsibilities
All of the above are just a few of the basic yet necessary components to your business operations. It can be exhausting and frustrating to manage all of these tasks on your own. Unless you’re a super hero, it’s nearly impossible to be all things, to all people, all of the time.
In his blog post “The Way To Measure Your Productivity As An Entrepreneur”, Dan Martell suggests you:
- Create 4 buckets of activities: Admin, Work, Mgmt, Strategy
- Measure each with a monetary value: $10, $100, $500, $5000
- Focus on moving your way up the value chain (working ON vs. IN)
Measure each activity for what it is, then tally up your time for the day to get your daily value creation score.
The goal of these activities is to nudge you to work ON your business, rather than IN it. Typically, the IN does not generate revenue but keeps you busy. Busy isn’t necessarily productive. Busy can be frittering time. You don’t have time to waste.
When you love what you do, you want to do more of it!
Delegating gives you the flexibility you need to keep the company momentum going. Unburden yourself of these time consuming, the low payoff tasks/projects that keep you from the core of your business.
Stop doing stuff that isn’t valuable. So much of what people do in attempting to be productive involves just trying to fit more low value tasks into the same amount of time. Being productive means accomplishing more with the same or less effort. Mark Shead, Productivity 501
ACTION STEP
What’s on your To Do list right now that you’re ready to outsource? Do it and discover for yourself why so many other entrepreneurs embrace the power of delegating. What do they know that you don’t?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Dec 20, 2016 | Delegation, Entrepreneur, Time Management, Virtual Assistant
Let’s get real about time management. Sure, scrolling through social media and completing daily to-dos are satisfying, but will they translate to success? Likely not! These activities are like sidekicks, important to keep the business chugging along, but they won’t be the superhero bringing in the major cash.
What is the best use of your time and expertise?
Your core genius: something you love to do, is effortless, creates a sense of joy and contentment, generates a fire within and time disappears. It could be coaching, writing, graphic design, speaking, leading, selling, training, motivating, marketing or whatever your passion is. When you are focused on your CG, you are alive, vibrant, and producing outcomes.
As an entrepreneur, when you can maximize your potential by focusing on your core genius, you not only follow your passion but can devote your time ON your business rather than IN it. You become more productive and efficient. While many daily business tasks require attention, it doesn’t necessarily have to be on your time. Delegating the lower return projects and tasks gives you back your time to build your business, develop strategy, nurture relationships, foster loyalty, seek partnerships, and focus on your bottom line.
Compare the individuals, the business owners, who dedicate their time to every task, every project, even those that they don’t like, don’t truly have time to do, or the ones that are more menial “time robbers.” These people are taken away from their core genius and focused on the back end, admin-type projects instead of building their companies and concentrating on income-generating projects.
“Most entrepreneurs spend less than 30% of their time focusing on their core genius and unique abilities. In fact, by the time they’ve launched a business, it often seems entrepreneurs are doing everything but the one thing they went into business for in the first place.” Jack Canfield
Everything we do is an investment of our time. When you choose to watch television or engage on Facebook that is an investment of your time. In many ways, time is more valuable than money, as you always have the opportunity to make more money, but you cannot recreate lost or wasted time. It is gone forever. If you think of time as a commodity and all of your actions/choices as an investment, it may change how you approach your daily activities.
Think about the return on your time invested. In a recent article by Anthony Iannarino, “Return On Time Invested,” he suggests measuring each activity, the time you spent, and the return. If there was no return on your time, then you must realize that that task or activity is not worth doing. A better use of your valuable time is to focus on those activities that produce a desired, profitable, and rewarding outcome.
Leveraging your time and effort is a fundamental strategy for success. There are only so many hours in the day that you can work and by only using your time, you can only accomplish so much. When you choose to utilize other people’s time via delegation, you intensify your productivity and efficiency to an extraordinary magnitude. It feels great to do more in less time.
- Eliminate unnecessary activities
- Prioritize so you focus your energy on those tasks that provide the highest rate of return
- Set long and short-term goals with action steps, motivating you and keeping you on target
- Learn how to effectively delegate
- Outsource non-core tasks/projects
Action Step:
- Identify the daily activities that are devouring your time by keeping a journal: logging activities, projects, and time spent
- Build a plan to delegate the time robbers that are taking you away from your CG
- Call Ace Concierge to discuss your delegation strategy and project timeline
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Aug 10, 2016 | Delegation, Executive Administration, Time Management
There will come a time in your business when you feel overwhelmed with the day to day operations. There is simply too much for one person to achieve while remaining efficient and effective.
As an entrepreneur, the CEO of your company, you have a limited number of hours to work both IN and ON your business. Constantly flipping your hats not only takes time, but a shift in focus, a reorganization of your priorities and it disrupts your workflow. It probably makes you a little crazy or insane. You may end up overlooking important business details or even client needs because you are buried in the trenches instead of running the front line.
There’s just not nearly enough time to get everything done and still operate your business. It is this realization, the “Ah ha” moment, that you recognize delegating these projects and tasks to an assistant will make your life and your business, much more productive.
Delegation is an advantageous productivity tool we frequently hear about— one that will transform your businesses in terms of greater income and more free time for you! And who doesn’t love both of these?
BUT, many are timid about beginning the process for fear of relinquishing control of parts of our business processes and procedures. Mine! Mine! Mine!
It’s time to give up this thought process and embrace a growth mentality for your business.
Focus on the high payoff activities that model your organization’s vision, foundation, and core competencies.
Effective delegation for entrepreneurs is essential! When you outsource your tasks and projects, you are able to focus on more important responsibilities that only you can do to cultivate your business and generate revenue. The art of delegation is an indispensable part of establishing your growing business.
When you delegate properly and use software to help you delegate, you’ll find that your company runs more efficiently, productivity levels rise, people are happier at work, and your quality of work improves immensely. Amara Pope – timedoctor.com
You know you need to start delegating if:
- You spend 7-10+ hours online, curating, scheduling and managing your social media and it takes away from time with clients, colleagues, partners etc.
- You need to implement some systems to streamline your business processes
- You have wished for a like-minded brainstorming partner
- You are ready to scale, but don’t have enough hours in the day.
- You find it hard to concentrate and stay focused because there is too much for one person to do.
- You have some projects or platforms that are barely started or only half-finished.
- You lay awake at night wondering how you will manage everything.
What stops people from delegating:
- They feel they are too disorganized to illustrate what needs to be done.
- They believe they don’t have the financial means. (It is actually more cost-effective to partner with a Virtual Assistant as you only pay for project time).
- They feel their schedules are too hectic to take the time to delegate. (If you are this busy, your time restraints will only increase without delegation).
- They feel someone else won’t do it the same way or be as efficient (A virtual assistant is a solopreneur like yourself: efficiency, productivity, and industry expertise IS our business. We know of different tools and tips to professionally manage your projects in a proficient, resourceful manner).
Each of the above objections emphasizes the necessity to delegate. As long as you continue to clutch the tasks that stop you from growing your business, you will feel exasperated, overwhelmed, and unproductive.
Delegating will free up your time. It enables you to eliminate low-priority tasks while allowing you to concentrate your efforts on those business systems that enhance your productivity and your profit margin. Your time and energy should be committed to creating new products or services, networking, consulting with clients and prospects, forming strategic alliances, expanding into new markets, business development, social media engagement and so forth. These are tasks that only YOU can do. They are your CORE GENIUS.
Ask yourself:
- Is delegating a logical next step to help grow my business?
- How much time am I spending on tasks that impede my progress and waste my time?
- What are my most pressing issues or pain points that eat up most of my time?
- Have I been able to accomplish ALL of my daily To Do list items?
- If I delegated tasks, how would I use an additional 5-8 hours per week?
- How would I feel if I only worked on income generating tasks and outsourced the rest?
Delegation is the perfect low cost, high impact tool to help expand and develop your business without having to increase responsibilities or sacrifice your personal time with your family.
The bottom line is that effective delegation is the sensible alternative to help you scale your business and get more done.
It takes courage, intelligence, and humility to delegate in ways that actually drive productivity, engagement, and success throughout an entire organization. But every leader should aim for that high standard, rather than shrink from the risks it entails. Baird Brightman
Do you have a minute? Please share in the comments below your thoughts on:
What has been your greatest success or disappointment from delegating tasks/projects?
