More assistants are looking at the advantages of ditching the office in favour of becoming a VA. Sarah Rugg, co-founder of My VA Business, worked alongside virtual assistant Sam Evans to document what the average day in the life of a VA was.
Commute, work, sandwich, work, commute, dinner, bed – and repeat. Itโs okay for some but how about this insteadโฆ
7.00am: I roll out of bed, giving me plenty of time to get ready, poke both the kids and get breakfast ready.
8.30am: Everyoneโs out of the house. Ah, peace and quiet finally. I contemplate my commute. Hubby left an hour and a half ago and probably still hasnโt even reached the office. Me? I just climb the stairs to the office – otherwise known as the spare room.
11.30am: Fuelled by my second coffee, I plough through the morningโs emails, make a few calls for a client and even get that tricky event finally booked and sorted for my favourite client.
12.00pm: I try to think of a reason not to, but canโt, so I take an hour for myself and hit the new Yoga class at the gym at noon.
1.30pm: After grabbing a shower and a sandwich, itโs back to work. Iโve got to put together a travel itinerary for a client and do some research on her competitors. Then there are a few more calls to make and a quick fight with the printer to get some letters sorted in time to catch the afternoon post.
3.00pm: Itโs no coincidence that I head to the Post Office โ swinging by to pick the kids up from school on the way back.
3.45pm: I come back to an enquiry from a potential new client who Iโd met at networking recently โ sounds interesting. I give them a call back.
4.45pm: I spend ten minutes networking on LinkedIn before I shut up shop โ meaning I turn off the computer and head downstairs to have a quick coffee before getting ready to meet the girls for dinner.
When I get back that evening I just canโt help having a sneaky peek at my emails (I know, I know, but it doesnโt feel like a chore!). I decide to deal with a few there and then (my choice entirely) as, knowing what client work I already have on tomorrow it will make life easier to box them off now.
Whilst I donโt believe thereโs such thing as a โperfectโ one-size-fits-all work-life balance, I love how Iโve created mine โ it suits me down to the ground, fitting around my husband, my children, my social life and my passion for photography. Plus doing a variety of different jobs that challenge me every day is fabulous.
Yes, I still have deadlines to meet, I can do the work whenever it suits me โ whether thatโs 6am, 2pm or 11pm.
And thatโs the beauty of being a VAโฆ Choice!
Becoming a virtual assistant isn’t for everyone but it is an increasingly popular trend that assistants are turning to.
Sarah Rugg, My VA Business
Why not share your ‘Day in the life’ story with PA Life by emailing Vincenzo Ferrara on v.ferrara@forumevents.co.uk.
