There is a stereotype that comes along with working from home. Anytime I go to my kids school or run into an old friend at the grocery store, I can read the look on people’s faces…
“What do you do all day?”
Now for those of us in the biz, we know what a Virtual Assistant is capable of. We work hard and get stuff done. Not just a little stuff, but serious (insert colorful expletive here) STUFF! We don’t mess around!
However, some people think that working from home includes sleeping in, taking a nap, lounging around in my pajamas and/ or watching every afternoon talk show. Want to know a little secret? I DREAM of a nap! If I had time to watch Ellen every day, I totally would!
I don’t take offense to it. It’s an honest (sometimes unspoken) question and I welcome the intrigue.
It is truly a blessing to work from my home, but it isn’t the cakewalk that some people tend to think it is.
Here is a little peak into……
*Caution: This feels a little like a “Dear Diary” moment!*
5:00am: My day starts. I’m a morning person, so by 5:00am I’m up, dressed and taking my cup of coffee to my office. I recently bought a Keurig and am secretly thinking of bringing it up to my bedroom with bottles of water so I can work from bed like Winston Churchill. I like to get a couple hours of work done before it’s time to get my kids ready for school.
7:00am: Time to get the littles up and at ‘em. No need to go into detail here. I have 4 daughters, so just imagine the drama and you’ll send me sympathy cards. I love them, but OH.MY. WORD. girls are a bit dramatic!
8:00am: Kids are dropped off and I’m back in the office. I have 4 hours of back to back interviews starting at 8:40, so it’s time to catch up on my email. Today I was offered a chance to speak at a large event. WHAT? I can’t believe I get to live this life!
8:10am: Email my team about the event. We need slides, content and I need a new outfit! 😉
8:35am: One of my Clients emailed asking for advice on a project he’s working on. I’m a servant at heart, so I do my best to make sure that my clients are taken care of.
8:40am: Let the interview marathon begin! I love meeting with people all over the country. This time is peppered with emails, texts and slack messages.
12:30pm: I have a quick window to eat a quick bite of lunch. I need to check with my client to help him out with his tech problems. Lead Pages, I love/hate you.
12:45pm: I was able to hop on a call to sort out the glitch issues. Client is all set.
1:15pm: I have another hour and a half of meetings coming up soon. This time, I’m meeting with potential clients. I don’t complain ONE OUNCE about the meetings that I have, I could talk to people all day. Today it seems as though I am! 🙂
4:00pm: Kids are home from school and I have 1 meeting left.
4:25pm: So, my meeting has ended. Time to work on a few things for my client. I have to edit her blog post, follow up on content creation and I have about 2 hours of work left. All I need to do is wrap this up and I can transition from Trivinia the VA to Mom. Now, I’m a good Mom. I take care of my kids and do a lot for them. They are my heart. I say all of that gushy stuff so that you won’t judge me for what I’m about to tell you…. After my meeting ended at 4:25, I needed a little more time to concentrate, so it was time to get a little creative. I turned on talk radio so that my kids still heard voices coming from my office. Some may judge me, but I felt like it was a brilliant move! PLUS…. It worked! Remember – don’t judge me. It’s not nice.
6:30pm: It’s time to wrap it up for now. I have a little to catch up on, but for now, my kids need to eat. We’re a normal family. Both parents work. It’s what we do and we make it work. Some days are harder than others, but I love every minute of it!
9:00pm: Kids are in bed. Remember the speaking engagement? It’s time to perfect the slides and I’ve got to seriously practice, this ain’t no sissy crowd, this is a big deal. I’m nervous, I won’t lie. I’m working through content and slides that my team helped me with while I swam in meetings today.
11:15pm: Time for bed. The work is never done, but that’s with any career. There is always something to be done, but I have to take care of myself and get some rest. My new “rule” of bedtime at 10:00pm got totally blown on this day… but I’ll start again tomorrow and do the best I can. ‘Night!
I didn’t document my day just to say “Woe is me” or “Look at me and what I can do”.
I wrote all of this to remind you (and myself) that our work isn’t just “busy work”. The meetings, the tasks for your clients, everything you do matters. It makes a difference.
If you’re a client, know that Priority VA takes your business seriously. We look out for your best interest. We truly appreciate each of our clients. It’s an honor to play a small role in making your dreams a reality!
Tell us…. How do you manage your day?
