A Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant
Posted 02-24-2009 at 10:22 PM by MandyJ
The topic for this month’s blogging challenge instantly had me worried. “A Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant”. I worried because I’m not exactly a Virtual Assistant….yet. I will be soon. But at this stage, I guess I’m more of a Virtual Assistant in training….or preparation….or something like that.
So I guess I have two choices in relation to this topic.
1. I can imagine what a day in the life of a Virtual Assistant is like.
2. I can write about what a day in the life of a preparing Virtual Assistant is like.
I do love imagining, but in the interests of accuracy and sticking to the topic, I’ll go with the second option.
In my experience, a Day in the Life of an (aspiring) Virtual Assistant goes like this:
I’m finding very quickly that it’s much more efficient to work without the kids in the next room arguing over the domestic arrangements of Barbie dolls, so there is absolutely nothing done until I return from dropping my girls off to school.
Currently, we’re in the midst of an extremely hot Summer, so as soon as I arrive home, I’m off for my daily power walk before it gets too hot outside.
Then, after rehydrating myself with lots of water, I finally sit down and turn on my computer. I begin by checking my emails and surfing a few of my favourite sites, which usually takes around 20 – 30 minutes, but I figure that after my walk, a short sit down in front of the computer is well-earned!
The next few hours are spent alternating between setting up my soon-to-be-operational business, and those unpleasant but essential jobs that every mother, wife or homemaker must do.
My most pressing concern at the moment is my website. On a typical day, I spend a couple of hours writing my website content and planning exactly how I want the site to look. I find this difficult. There are so many different styles and themes available, it’s hard to choose what would be best suited to me!
After a while of concentrating on websites, I log into my favourite forum, Virtual Assistant Forums! As you already know, there is an amount of information on this forum, both for the beginning Virtual Assistant and the more experienced. Therefore, it’s compulsory reading for me.
Time for a lunch break now, along with the obligatory load of washing and a quick run around the house to make beds, wipe down benches and tables and load the dishwasher!
Eventually I get back to my desk, where I decide to work some more on my logo. Choosing a logo has been both exciting and nerve-wracking. So much depends on it and what it conveys. Again, there are so many options. I’m feeling inspired from too many angles! Do I go for monochrome?; do I go for colour?; which font should I choose?; should I incorporate an image? What about my slogan? There are so many questions that I’m only just finding answers to!
I look at the clock and am relieved to see that it’s almost time to go and pick up my girls from school. The day has flown, but I’ve achieved as much as I had planned, so I’m content.
I have a rule that I will not work once the girls are home. I realise that once my business is up and running, this may very well change, but for the time being, I can easily stand by it.
So I arrive home with the girls and transform from being Mandy, Virtual Assistant in training, to being Mum (which is pretty well fine with me!).
I must add though, that after a couple of hours of hearing about Barbie’s domestic arrangements again, I’m well and truly ready to become Mandy, Virtual Assistant, once 9.00am rolls around tomorrow morning!
So I guess I have two choices in relation to this topic.
1. I can imagine what a day in the life of a Virtual Assistant is like.
2. I can write about what a day in the life of a preparing Virtual Assistant is like.
I do love imagining, but in the interests of accuracy and sticking to the topic, I’ll go with the second option.
In my experience, a Day in the Life of an (aspiring) Virtual Assistant goes like this:
I’m finding very quickly that it’s much more efficient to work without the kids in the next room arguing over the domestic arrangements of Barbie dolls, so there is absolutely nothing done until I return from dropping my girls off to school.
Currently, we’re in the midst of an extremely hot Summer, so as soon as I arrive home, I’m off for my daily power walk before it gets too hot outside.
Then, after rehydrating myself with lots of water, I finally sit down and turn on my computer. I begin by checking my emails and surfing a few of my favourite sites, which usually takes around 20 – 30 minutes, but I figure that after my walk, a short sit down in front of the computer is well-earned!
The next few hours are spent alternating between setting up my soon-to-be-operational business, and those unpleasant but essential jobs that every mother, wife or homemaker must do.
My most pressing concern at the moment is my website. On a typical day, I spend a couple of hours writing my website content and planning exactly how I want the site to look. I find this difficult. There are so many different styles and themes available, it’s hard to choose what would be best suited to me!
After a while of concentrating on websites, I log into my favourite forum, Virtual Assistant Forums! As you already know, there is an amount of information on this forum, both for the beginning Virtual Assistant and the more experienced. Therefore, it’s compulsory reading for me.
Time for a lunch break now, along with the obligatory load of washing and a quick run around the house to make beds, wipe down benches and tables and load the dishwasher!
Eventually I get back to my desk, where I decide to work some more on my logo. Choosing a logo has been both exciting and nerve-wracking. So much depends on it and what it conveys. Again, there are so many options. I’m feeling inspired from too many angles! Do I go for monochrome?; do I go for colour?; which font should I choose?; should I incorporate an image? What about my slogan? There are so many questions that I’m only just finding answers to!
I look at the clock and am relieved to see that it’s almost time to go and pick up my girls from school. The day has flown, but I’ve achieved as much as I had planned, so I’m content.
I have a rule that I will not work once the girls are home. I realise that once my business is up and running, this may very well change, but for the time being, I can easily stand by it.
So I arrive home with the girls and transform from being Mandy, Virtual Assistant in training, to being Mum (which is pretty well fine with me!).
I must add though, that after a couple of hours of hearing about Barbie’s domestic arrangements again, I’m well and truly ready to become Mandy, Virtual Assistant, once 9.00am rolls around tomorrow morning!
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Mandy, great take on the VAF Blogging Challenge topic for Feb! I wonder how many other VAs run loads of laundry during lunch and play Barbie after hours [probably quite a few!]
 Great post! |
 
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I've found through the VA-years that the job constantly evolves. What you might have been doing or planning one month, may change into something else the next month.
And, as children grow and familiarize themselves with Mom's business plans, the VA plan can change again. It's always great when they can occupy themselves while you work! It sounds like you have a good plan so far and are ready to go. Thanks for your post. It brought a smile to my face. Jan |
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Recent Blog Entries by MandyJ
- A Day in the Life of a Virtual Assistant (02-24-2009)
