The Proven Way to Eliminate Distractions with an EA

The Proven Way to Eliminate Distractions with an EA

“The most dangerous items on your to-do list are the ones that look like opportunities, but are actually distractions.”

This tweet by James Clear captures the importance of always knowing your “main thing,” or top priority.

When you know your “main thing” as a business owner, you are able to put parameters in place to protect your time, energy and focus to support that singular objective.

It gives you a filter with which to view your calendar and todo list, so you are able to know what is the best use of your time and what is a distraction.

 

Determine Your ‘Main Thing’

Many business owners struggle to own their “main thing” because, as you know, there are a lot of things that compete over your attention.

If you are a Leader who likes to work in your business rather than on your business, this may be a struggle for you. 

You may wonder: how do you own your “main thing” when you need to own secondary responsibilities like responding to customer service emails, posting to social media, writing blogs and more?

The answer lies in knowing the true value of your time.

To help illustrate this idea, consider how a lawyer invoices. 

Lawyers can only earn their standard hourly rate when they write briefs and arguments, appear in court, and discuss strategy with clients or co-counsel.

They cannot bill their standard rate for sending invoices, opening mail, sorting email, planning travel, creating social media, or processing paperwork.

As a CEO and Founder, your time is too valuable to spend it on work that can be done by “anyone.” Your time should be spent doing the work that only you can do.

When you learn to delegate work to that shouldn’t be on your plate to an Executive Assistant, you will find it gets done more quickly. 

This is because that work is likely your EA’s “main thing.” They can execute it more efficiently than you.

In turn, your time is freed to focus on high-dollar work to move the needle in your business.

 

Eliminating Distractions

Once you have identified your primary objective, your challenge is to remove anything from your calendar that does not move you toward that goal.

Partner with your EA to look at your calendar before a new week. Review your “main thing” — which can vary by week, month or quarter — and delegate the work that doesn’t need to be done by you.

An ideal EA will be assertive and help you identify work that is better done by them.

Your EA should work with you to create a process that outsources an entire outcome, not one-off tasks. Do this gradually until you are freed from the work entirely, until the majority of your time is spent on your “main thing.”

Remember, the work you delegate is not unimportant. It’s simply a distraction a from the high-value objectives that only you can do to propel your business forward. 

 

If you’re interested in learning about what an Executive Assistant can do for your business, schedule a strategy call with us.

Our virtual team experts will help you determine how your business can benefit from our Priority Executive Assistants.

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