What Would You Do With 40 Extra Hours a Week?

Lots, we imagine. Here's the secret hack to maximising your productivity.

Have you ever wished you had more time in the day? At some point, we all have. For busy professionals, CEOs, and executives, even 40 extra minutes a day could help maximise their productivity—but 40 hours a week could be life-changing!

It may seem like wishful thinking, but for those in the know, the secret lies in hiring a whizz Virtual Assistant to perform a multitude of daily tasks that can easily be delegated, allowing you to focus on the things that really matter. Due to the evolving nature of business and the rise of remote work, Virtual Assistants have surged in popularity over the last few decades, as more companies reap the rewards of tapping into the different skills and specialisations of this generalist talent.

Find out some of the key benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant, along with the critical skills and types of tasks that this generalist talent can perform.

Work Smarter, Not Harder 

In Tim Ferriss’s best-selling book, The 4-Hour Workweek, he shares a pathway he used to achieve success without overworking himself in the process. He discovered that living like a millionaire no longer requires the extra-stressful, time-consuming CEO lifestyle. 

To do this, Ferriss shares a four-part strategy called the DEAL method, which stands for: Define short-term, achievable goals; Eliminate lazy thinking; Automate tasks and Liberate yourself from the location-specific restrictions of doing business as done in the past. 

In 2007 when his book was published, Tim Ferriss had the groundbreaking idea that leveraging the power of a VA could Automate the multitude of tasks that occupied his time and energy. This freed up his time to focus on the critical tasks that only he could perform.

Further, Ferriss discusses how hiring VAs and Generalists can help a founder or CEO to become a “Ghost in the Machine”. For Ferriss, this meant replacing and multiplying himself as many times as necessary to scale his business and get more things done—to the point where he only had to work 4 hours a week. 

What Can a Generalist Do for You?

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

How can you gain 40 extra hours per week? Many executives, managers, and entrepreneurs may not realise how their numerous general daily tasks add up to a full-time job—a job that can be outsourced to a top-tier VA. The right VA can help you and the rest of your team focus on the high-value tasks that matter most. Here are a few examples of the critical skills and types of tasks that this generalist talent can perform, helping to save you precious time and money.

• Extend Your Customer Service Capacity

Generalists and Virtual Assistants can act as the first point of contact for your customers and team members when your attention is required elsewhere. This means communicating via phone, email, social media DM, and so on. It requires developed communication skills and the ability to manage a contact list. Every contact is different, and should be managed in your communication style. 

• Transform Your Calendar Management 

A Virtual Assistant must handle scheduling meetings, important video calls, and more. Naturally, these day-to-day tasks are what immediately come to mind when thinking of VA skills. Knowledge of online calendars and virtual scheduling like Google Calendar and Calendly is critical. 

However, what many don’t realise is how a Virtual Assistant can bring to life long-term accountability in terms of goal-setting and milestone achievements. This was exactly the case with Amol Shah, COO of The ROOM.

“Hiring my VA helped me align my monthly and quarterly priorities, and I instantly saw how much a VA can transform my calendar management. Many executives think mainly of the day-to-day tasks VAs can perform. But my VA helps me with long-term priorities and holds me accountable. I had to put my monthly and quarterly goals on paper so my VA could perform their job, and this enabled me to reach those goals.”

• Excel at Excel 

Highly skilled and trained VAs should be proficient in organising, updating, and managing various spreadsheets. Keeping important spreadsheet data on-point can save noticeable time. This was the case for Anna Graham-Meyer, the Controller of an education company in San Diego, who needed someone to support their bookkeeper. The VA she hired from The ROOM helped her finance team focus on high-value tasks while speeding up collection time by 40%.

“Pacifique was amazing. She jumped in and provided immediate relief to our finance team. We were able to collect payments faster and improve our cash flow. She was meticulous and professional. We plan to hire another assistant soon.”

• Maximise Productivity with Precise Record Keeping 

The time and effort it takes to input all of your online records and update databases adds up. VAs can effectively manage record keeping, organise files and continue to collect information for future use. This is the secret of many highly successful CEOs and founders, allowing them to maximise their productivity and easily access up-to-date files, contacts, and all the information they need to stay on top of their game.

• Increase ROI through Market Research

Understanding what the trends are in your industry can be a full-time job. Gathering information about the needs and preferences of your target audience is an essential business operation. A trained and skilled VA can perform that market research to help free up your time. 

CEO Scott Lynch, host of The Motivated Mind podcast—which has earned 3 million downloads thanks to valuable insights from top-level executives about mindsets in both professional and personal growth—discovered precisely this when he hired his VA. After providing a short brief of what he was looking for, his VA continues to perform valuable market research that frees up his time to do what he does best, enabling him to operate his business effectively.

“We all have the same amount of time, yet many of us are looking for more. For busy Founders, CEOs and executives, we’re in control of how we manage our greatest resource. Gaining 40 extra hours a week of that precious time is a game-changer, and hiring a VA can do just that.”

How to Hire a Generalist VA 

Virtual Assistants have long been the secret weapon of CEOs and entrepreneurs such as Tim Ferriss. With the global marketplace having intensified its reliance on technology, this has presented a powerful opportunity for talent to meet that demand. This demand requires that VAs continue to equip themselves with new skills and a mindset for action. 

If you’re ready to see what this generalist talent can do for you, visit The ROOM to access a pool of world-class Virtual Assistants. The ROOM is home to a highly specialised community of agile digital talent, connecting individuals and companies across the globe with the skills and resources they need to thrive in the new world of work.