5 Ways to Reduce Stress as a Virtual Assistant
Working as a virtual assistant can be a fulfilling and fun career, especially when you get to make an impact on so many other businesses. But being a VA also comes with deadlines to meet, tasks to complete, and clients to satisfy, and it's easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out.
That’s why I’m sharing my top five tips (that I train my own Virtual Assistants with!) for reducing stress:
1. Be Picky
Be picky about who you take as clients. No matter how many hours you’re working with them, it’s important your personalities, values, interests and unique designs work well together. Take the time to vet potential clients with multiple intro calls and be sure to touch on the full scope of your work, values, and expectations before you get to the contract stage.
2. Prioritize Your Tasks
One of the biggest sources of stress for virtual assistants is having too many tasks to complete in a limited amount of time, especially when juggling multiple different clients and different brands. Create an organized “hub” with all your tasks for each client in one place, coded by client. Our favorites are Asana, Notion, and Taskify - each has it’s benefits depending on your organization style. Set internal deadlines in this program and be sure to check in each morning to evaluate priorities and refocus.
It's also important to set realistic deadlines for your tasks with yourself and with clients. When you have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and the timeline for completion, it's easier to manage your workload and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
3. Remember, you’re the boss…
… and that means you set your own schedule! You decide how many hours you work and what type of work you want to be doing. So don’t be afraid to take a full morning routine and start your day at 10, block an hour every day to head to the gym, and take plenty of breaks. It can be so easy to get caught up in your work when working virtually, but nourishing your body throughout the day is key!
4. Communicate with Your Clients
Communicating with your clients is essential for reducing anxiety and creating long-term relationships. Set clear expectations and boundaries from the start, and don’t be afraid to remind a client when they break these boundaries. If you have clear work hours or time blocks specifically to work on one client, but sure to share that availability so your client doesn’t expect responses outside those work hours. It can feel a bit daunting at first, but your client will always respect and appreciate your honesty!
And if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, don't be afraid to communicate this to your clients. They may be able to provide you with additional resources or support to help you manage your workload.
5. Connect with Other VAs
The VA life is amazing, but it can also get lonely! Join online groups and forums or head to a co-working space to connect with other virtual assistants and build a supportive community around you. We love these groups for sharing and asking for tips, advice and support when we need it most. And they can be great networking opportunities for finding new clients!
Whether you’re just starting out as a VA its KEY to incorporate these components into your regular workflow. And if you’re a VA pro, take a moment to reflect on your business practices and find anything that might be overstepping boundaries or pushing you into overwhelm.
And if you’re looking to connect with other Virtual Assistants and scale your biz further, the V+V VA Certification might be for you!
Through V+V’s Virtual Assistant Certification, we’ll help you build your dream business through combining the inner work of Human Design with high-impact strategy around marketing and operations.
By the end of our training portion (12 weeks) of the journey, you’ll have a fully built out business and strategy that will help you magnetize conscious clients that match your intentional business. This will help prepare you for your certification assessment. A 1 month project where you’ll be flexing your skills for a real client. At the end of this assessment, V+V will determine if we’d 10/10 recommend you. What does that mean exactly? It means becoming V+V Certified, a spotlight in the V+V VA Directory and first dibs on clients that visit V+V for retainer inquiries on VA services.
Here's a peek at what's included:
📝 30-Minute High-Level Business Audit Session
🌱 9 Intentional Trainings (with accompanying workbook)
📞 10 60-minute Group Coaching Calls
🦋 Connection with Other Like-Minded Virtual Assistants
🌟 Certification + Client On Completion
🔮 60-Minute Human Design Reading
📘 Human Design Community Textbook
The V+V VA Certification starts May 1st, so don't miss out! Head HERE to learn more.
