To comprehend the value of having a Virtual Assistant in your life, answer this question:

“Do you work to live or do you live to work?”

In business, if you haven’t paid back your investment within 5 years it may be time to re- assess the future of the venture. There is pressure to turn things around and with personal biases to deal with it becomes difficult to have an objective view on business.

Entrepreneurs start to adapt a “win- at- all- cost” mentality. The business becomes the center of your universe; you double up your time hoping to accomplish more.

But the answer is to work smart, not work hard.

The best solution is to hire a Virtual Assistant. Here are four ways how a Virtual Assistant can change your life forever:

1. Free up more time for the ones that matter

When you live to work, the outcome is inconsequential. In the end, you lose.

It’s great to own a business. We are our own boss and we set the schedule. It gives us a source of income whereby results are near accurately- measured by our effort. Establishing a business gives us an enterprise that will not only support out family but leave a legacy for them.

But what if things don’t work out as planned? Do we invest all of our time in the business and expect those who matter to us to simply “understand” the situation?

Remember as long as you work with conviction, diligence and purpose, you will always have opportunities to make money and recover your investment. But time foregone is time lost forever.
If you are a parent can you imagine missing your child’s first birthday?

2. Achieve more

According to personal coach Steve Pavlina, the average worker only contributes 90 minutes of productive work in a 480-minute schedule every day. 90 of 480 is only 19% productivity. That is very low! The 81% is spent on procrastination.

As a business owner, you can ill- afford to have unproductive time. But you need to accept the fact that you cannot do everything. If you try to manage every single aspect of your business, you will be taking valuable time away from functions that require your expertise.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant will allow you to cover all the bases. Your Virtual Assistant can manage all non-essential tasks as well as areas which do not fall under your core competencies.

By delegating work, you are able to focus on activities that contribute to revenue generation, have the other aspects of the business taken care of and consequently, achieve more every single day.

3. Manage stress

Entrepreneurs are risk –takers. They want to be at the forefront of every decision and remain on top of every aspect. When you manage your own business, the risks are great especially during the first six (6) months when the enterprise is trying to gain traction.

The life of an entrepreneur is very stressful. PayPal founder, Tesla Creative Architect and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was quoted as saying that when he was on the verge of losing both Tesla and SpaceX in 2004, he was on the verge of a “nervous breakdown”.

Unattended to, stress can lead to several conditions: high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, migraines and stomach discomfort. Unmitigated, stress can cause heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and has been linked to cancer.

When we’re stressed we care less about ourselves and more about the business.

By hiring a Virtual Assistant, you will be able to re- purpose time for yourself to re- charge. Among the best ways to counter the effects of stress is to exercise, meditate, take extended breaks and being with loved ones.

4. Never miss out on opportunities

If there is one thing entrepreneurs do more in day than any other activity is to check e-mail.

Some entrepreneurs report checking their e-mail five (5) times a day! Unfortunately, thrown in with the mix of relevant communication are promotional e-mails. Even if you did subscribe to the service, having to plough through communication that is not a priority can be both time- consuming and frustrating.

A Virtual Assistant can filter your e- mails. He can itemize communication as priority and if authorized, he can respond on your behalf. If there are communications that present opportunities for your business, you cannot pass these up or delay the courtesy of a response. You have to engage the sender right away.

A Virtual Assistant can do this for you especially if he covers your after- office hours.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant has been a popular strategy because of its ability to streamline business costs. But there are other benefits which cannot be measured directly by currency.

In life, the most valuable commodity is time. And this is what the Virtual Assistant will afford you. The time to value your life.

In business, it is more important to work to live than to live to work.