Top 5 Self-Organization Tips for Virtual Assistants

Being a virtual assistant is a considered convenient because it allows you to work anywhere and anytime as long as you meet deadlines and reach your targets. However, these same reasons can also bring in different challenges. Some VAs find themselves challenged in terms of being organized and managing their time. To overcome these challenges, here are the top 5 self-organization tips for virtual assistants.

Create a list

Making a list of things to prioritize is one way of organizing yourself. This is better than your typical to-do list as you’ll be setting the list based on priority and deadline.  Set the most urgent ones at the beginning. Combine this with time blocking and you’ll be able to properly schedule your tasks and projects and you’ll be able to work properly without cramming or trying to beat a deadline. Creating this list helps in getting the tasks that need to be worked on first out of the way.

Time blocking

As mentioned above, time blocking can work hand in hand with creating an organized list of priorities. But what is time blocking? It’s blocking out a schedule for specific tasks and sticking to it. With so many distractions, you can easily be tempted to put your schedule on hold and do these “immediate” tasks, even if they’re not really urgent. One example of doing this is by grouping similar tasks in one day, meetings are for Monday, sending emails to business partners is set on Tuesday, etc. What’s important here is that when you block your time or schedule, make sure you have the discipline to stick to it. Without this, the time blocking method would be useless.

Designate your own workplace

One advantage of being a virtual assistant is being able to work at home. However, if this is done improperly, it could pose a challenge as well. To prevent distractions that may hinder you from finishing your tasks properly and on time, start designating your own station or workplace at home. Find a place that has proper lighting and is quiet and organized. Stay away from the kitchen and the dining room as they are prone to noise and distractions. Visual distractions will not help, so working in front of a window is also not advisable. Choose a location that will best block out all distractions to keep you focused on your different tasks and projects.

Set work hours

Setting work hours may be unheard of for some VAs, but it’s one way of being organized. Setting “office hours” allows you to schedule your time for work and family at the same time. This also provides your client an idea of what time you usually are available in case they need to get in touch with you. This allows you to set their expectations on the timeframe you’ll be able to respond to their queries.

Make time for yourself

Life doesn’t revolve around your work, so make sure that you also prioritize your health. Make sure you give yourself time to relax and to exercise. Sleep deprivation is unhealthy and it may lead to complications. Take note that whenever you’re sick, you’ll not be able to operate properly, so it impacts the quality of work that you do. Get enough exercise, eat properly and make time to relax with family and friends. A happy and healthy virtual assistant works more effectively and productively.

By taking note of the top 5 self-organization tips for virtual assistants mentioned above, you’ll be able to work more with ease and efficiency. Recognize the fact that even if you work from home, you still need to be organized. Managing your time and organizing the tasks you need to do make your job and your life easier.  

 

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