The days run by so swiftly it seems like the world is spinning faster and time has compressed. Everyone I speak to feels this same rush as summer disappears into winter in the blink of an eye. So much to do and so little time to do it, has become a theme of our collective days. One way I tackled the challenge was to literally employ an extra set of hands. I hired a virtual assistant, Mary-Lou, and that decision changed my life for the better.

A virtual assistant is an administrative professional and business owner who works out of their home. The word virtual indicates they conduct their work over the phone and internet taking advantage of the many technologies designed to make telecommunicating accessible to all.

Virtual assistants are available in most parts of the world. Here in Canada you can work with a virtual assistant who works in the the same city or province if you prefer. You do not have to worry about language or experience barriers as you are hiring a locally trained administrative professional who has chosen to build a business working from their home rather than an office.

Hiring a virtual assistant is simple. There are no extended contracts. There are no employee benefits or CPP contributions to pay. They act as independent contractors who bill by the hour. You might require the services of a virtual assistant ten hours one month and twenty the next, it is simply pay as you go. You only pay for time worked, no coffee breaks or water cooler chats, just the time it takes to get the job done.

In my case the greatest area of concern was scheduling. As a coach for lawyers with busy legal practices most of my time is spent in meetings and about 10% of those meetings get rescheduled on short notice to accommodate my clients’ closings, trial dates and the like. The bottom line was I had to spend many hours each week simply on the back and forth exchange of emails and phone calls to get the schedule in order. (more…)