If you’re interested in hiring or becoming a virtual assistant, it’s useful to know how VAs spend their time. In this day in the life of a virtual assistant, we’ll look at how VAs structure their day, what kinds of activities they do, and what they do in their free time.
What Is a Virtual Assistant?
First of all, though, what is a VA?
A virtual assistant is someone located remotely who provides support to either an individual or a whole team. VAs often work with entrepreneurs, small business owners, and executives. However, many other types of professionals also find a VA useful, including real estate agents, sales reps, and coaches.
The great thing about VAs is they offer such a wide variety of services. Virtual administrative assistant services include things like inbox management, data entry, and posting on social media. Specialists provide support with everything from web design and development to bookkeeping and marketing.
Meet One of the MYVA360 Virtual Assistants
To give you the most accurate picture possible, we interviewed one of our own VAs. Meet Natasa Rilak, who is going to tell us about his/her typical day as a virtual assistant.
Why Did You Become a Virtual Assistant?
My main motivation to become a VA was the change of lifestyle. In particular, I wanted to eliminate my three-hour commute! Plus, I prefer working in a quiet environment, free from interruptions. This helps me organize my time better — and be more productive than is possible in a regular office environment. Now, I’m able to meet and work with amazing people from all over the world — I’m no longer limited to local job opportunities.
What Was Your Life Like Before You Became a VA?
Although I received recognition for the high standard of my work at previous jobs, there always came a point when I was no longer learning anything new. As I’m not the kind of person who’s driven by money alone, I found that this destroyed my motivation. The three-hour commutes (including daily traffic jams) didn’t help. I realized I needed a change of lifestyle to strike a better work–life balance.
For me, job and life satisfaction are reliant on a combination of factors — not just a decent salary and recognition. Being a VA brings together all those factors I was missing. In fact, it gives me greater overall satisfaction than I’ve found with any job or lifestyle before.
Can You Describe Your Work-from-Home Routine?
At the start of the workday, I check emails, calendars, and systems. This allows me to divide my day into different tasks according to priority.
During breaks, I tend to do some low-impact cardio or yoga — what I choose depends on how much time I have. I always make sure to find some time to stretch, as I consider this crucial for my productivity and overall health.
I wrap up each workday by checking my calendar for the next day and going over my to-dos, projects, and follow-ups. On Friday evenings, I look at the full week ahead.
What Are Some of Your Favorite Professional Resources?
I prefer reading books, listening to podcasts, or taking online courses to checking blogs and magazines daily. In particular, I recommend:
Tell Us About Your Hobbies Outside of Work
I spend a lot of time reading — actually, this is kind of related to work, since I prefer nonfiction. I also enjoy listening to music, working out, writing, drawing, and practicing my makeup skills.
What Services Do You Provide as a VA?
I offer a wide variety of virtual assistant services. In terms of general virtual assistant services, I offer the following.
Calendar Management
I use four different tools for calendar management: Google Calendar, Acuity, Calendly, and Outlook. As I’m proficient using all of these, my clients are able to choose whatever calendar tool they prefer.
Time Blocking and Organization
To help clients become more organized, I use time blocking. This involves dividing my clients’ schedules into blocks of time and designating a different activity to each block.
Invoice and File Management
Another reason professionals (small business owners, in particular) tend to become disorganized is due to the sheer number of invoices and files they need to deal with. I create a system for each of my clients and make sure everything is in its place.
Forms & Questionnaires
A major time-waster for clients is filling out countless forms and questionnaires. With some basic information about the business, I can take over this task.
Research
I’m experienced in finding the exact information clients need through online research. Among other types of research, I conduct product research, find out what competitors are doing, and identify market trends.
Photo Editing
I improve the appearance of photos for products in ecommerce stores, social media posts, blog posts, and more.
Project Management
When a project has many moving parts or when several people are involved, it’s necessary to have someone oversee everything to keep the project running smoothly. Clients contract me for that very purpose.
Customer Care and Email Management
I offer customer service, particularly through responding to queries clients receive via email.
Business and Technical Writing
I assist clients in producing pieces of writing that are structured correctly and use the right language. I specialize in writing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and manuals.
Company Presentations
I create the text and layout for slides to create professional-looking presentations.
Proofreading
My clients can send me anything they write themselves and I will proofread it. Clients often find it useful to have a second pair of eyes check for mistakes and make any necessary minor improvements.
In addition to the above, I offer some specialist services.
Executive Assistance
My prior work experience has equipped me with the necessary skills to act as a representative for executives. The virtual assistant services I provide to executives include managing proposals, generating reports, customer communication, and team wrangling.
Podcast Launching and Editing
I work with clients to develop a strategy to launch new podcasts. I also edit audio files before clients release each episode, find the best place to host files, and syndicate files into an RSS feed.
Digital Marketing Strategy and Execution
One of the most important aspects of running any type of business today is digital marketing. I create personalized strategies for my clients and then execute the strategy.
Social Media
I manage social media accounts and overall social media strategy for clients. This includes account setup, optimization, content creation and scheduling, ads, and interacting with users on platforms.
Content Writing and Distribution
I write content for blogs and articles. In addition, I offer content distribution services using owned, earned, and paid channels.
Copywriting
Compelling copy is crucial for any business. I write copy to help clients promote their products, services, and brands as a whole.
What Are You Working on Right Now?
Currently, I’m helping a client rebrand his business and improve his lead generation efforts. The rebranding part has involved developing a new image for the business to better connect with the target audience. I’ve also been working on a strategy to turn more users into leads. This will prevent wasted opportunities and increase sales for my client.
Receiving Virtual Assistant Services
Schedule a consultation with MYVA360 for support with any of the services Natasa mentioned. We have many virtual assistants offering all these and more. Let us know exactly what you need and we’ll match you with the ideal VA.
