A Day in the Life of a VA

8:00AM – Wake up and grab Blackberry to check e-mails that came in overnight, whew, nothing too pressing. Review my calendar and note that I don’t have any appointments today. Should be a good day. I’ll have plenty of time to work on the items in today’s file, should be able to finish everything.

8:15AM – Cell phone rings with client saying he’s going to drop by the box of work I’ve been asking about for three weeks. Tell him I’ll be at the office and should see him there.

8:45AM – Rush out the door grabbing a box of cereal on the way out hoping to beat client to the office.

8:55AM – Arrive at office. Client already came and left but was able to leave everything for me.

9:00AM – Heat a cup of tea and make a bowl of cereal to start the day.

9:05AM – Open e-mail and Morning Coffee to check my daily reading sites.

9:15AM – Client calls while I’m doing my morning reading to say he can’t find the e-mail with the address of his morning appointment. Stop reading to log into his computer and text him the address.

9:20AM – Return to morning reading.

9:25AM – Client calls back asking for another address that he can’t find. Log back in to his e-mail and text the second address.

9:30AM – Continue with morning reading.

9:45AM – Another client calls, huge proposal that was due yesterday was missing one page when he submitted it. Asks me to find the copy on his computer and resend to his customer. Log in to clients computer, find missing page and send to his customer on his behalf.

9:55AM – So much for my morning reading. Grab today’s tickler file and plan day adding the box that arrived this morning. Plenty of time today for everything scheduled.

10:00AM – Begin reconciling client’s checkbook and print accounts payable checks. Then start working on job costing report for project just completed to send to client for review.

10:35AM – Client calls with an urgent change needed to their custom estimate template. Quickly make the fix and e-mail them that it is finished.

10:45AM – Finish working on client’s job cost report and submit to him.

11:00AM – Pull out new client’s paperwork and begin setting up their QuickBooks file.

11:25AM – Phone rings, a business owner that I’ve been networking with via twitter that wants some information.

11:45AM – Return to new client’s set-up.

12:15PM – Phone rings, president of an organization I belong to requesting some time to discuss some issues/changes coming down the pipeline.

12:55PM – Review, sort, reply and file e-mail so I can get back to new client’s file.

1:00PM – Respond to bookkeeper that I oversee for a client and invite to Skype chat to discuss the problem she’s having with the client she’s working on.

1:25PM – Respond to protégé’s tweet about getting connected with local new anchorman’s blog and the publicity she’ll get.

1:30PM – Return to new client’s set-up.

3:30PM – Review box brought by client this morning and call client to let them know that the two files I needed weren’t in the box and that I can’t work on it until I get those files.

4:00PM – Wonder why I’m so hungry and realize I haven’t eaten anything since the bowl of cereal at 9:00AM.

4:05PM - Review, sort, reply and file e-mail so I can get back to new client’s file.

4:15PM – Pull file for client that was going to be worked on two days from now to reply to his urgent issue that came in via e-mail. Reply to him that it will be taken care of when the full reconciliation I completed on that day.

4:30PM – Compose e-mail to new client responding to concerns and asking for necessary information to proceed.

4:40PM – Receive notification of a proposal request. Put together proposal and send to potential client.

5:15PM – Get notification of meeting that I was going to attend at 6:00PM tonight.

5:15PM – Clear desk and file work for tomorrow. Read, review, and file e-mail inbox to zero. Quick scan of e-mail pending items to ensure nothing urgent was missed.

5:30PM – Run out the door with headset to make it home in time for webinar.

5:40PM – Drive through fast-food drive-thru for something to eat.

5:50PM – Get home turn on laptop and get ready for webinar with dinner on my lap.

6:00PM – Realize I got the wrong date on the webinar.

6:05PM – Spend some time on twitter and have discussion with local business owner regarding networking vs. sales.

6:25PM – Mark calendar for meeting with local business owner met on twitter.

6:30PM – Check e-mail and realize report that was due today for volunteer position didn’t get submitted.

6:35PM – Log in to office computer and compile information for report and submit to the appropriate person.

7:00PM – Review calendar for tomorrow and remember about the marketing group meeting.

7:05PM – Read three chapters of marketing book and prepare worksheets for meeting.

10:00PM – Watch the 6:00PM news that was previously recorded.

10:30PM – Check Blackberry for e-mails. Reply to Facebook requests and notifications. Reply to Twitter responses.

11:00PM – E-mail bookkeeping assistant to let her know you’ll be available tomorrow to discuss the problem she’s having finishing client’s work.

11:15PM – E-mail reminder to myself about tomorrow nights activity. Confirm 9:00AM coffee appointment with client.

11:30PM – Head for bed. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be able to finish the other three projects that were scheduled for today.

Day 2…
8:00AM – Wake up and grab Blackberry to check e-mails. Receive e-mail from client regarding 9:00AM coffee meeting. Her printer broke and she needs a report can I bring it.

8:30AM – Rush out the door to get to office, print report and make 9:00AM coffee appointment.

Here goes another day…