Starting a new venture can lead to the financial independence you have been craving. Setting the business up, however, takes more than just time. Start-ups will source investment founders, and you need to juggle multiple tasks to make the new business succeed. But let’s be real – many entrepreneurs use a strategy that is not sustainable, and will lead to burnout. An alternative is to look at outsourcing, namely, hiring virtual assistants.
Take on a virtual assistant
The true value of a virtual assistant, besides the huge cost saving, is that such people can take over those low-level tasks that waste your valuable time. This means that you will have much more time to focus on your core work. To know which tasks can be delegated, make a list of tasks, noting the amount of time you spend on each, and whether or not you like doing it. Much of the work you will offboard to a remote assistant will be admin-related work. There may be tasks you have no skill in, such as graphic design, or social media management. This way you can onboard the right skills for the necessary tasks, in an easy-on-the-pocket manner.
But what about multitasking?
Some stubborn entrepreneurs refuse to delegate, clinging tightly to every conceivable task. Then there are those who fail to grasp that they could be delegating work, while paying a reasonable amount only. Either way, if you think that multitasking is doable, think again.
What is multitasking?
Briefly, multitasking implies working on two or even more tasks simultaneously. In the process, you will switch from one to the other in quick succession.
Multitasking reduces productivity
Many businessmen believe that gaining the maximum from their staff members by having them complete several tasks at once will be good for business. However, research studies have concluded that multitasking can negatively affect the productivity levels of the business.
How multitasking impedes productivity
Multitasking leads to a critical toll on productivity. The human brain is not able to conduct various tasks successfully at the same time. Also, those who believe that they are multitasking are not really doing so – they are just doing short sprints hastily, then jumping to the next. Instead, had you focused on just a single task you would be more effective. Here are the reasons!
Multitasking is distracting
The habit or need to refocus on various tasks at once is distracting. What researchers have found is that those who consider themselves multitaskers are extra distracted. Additionally, these multitaskers struggle to focus on one task at a time. Therefore, their habit of jumping from one task to another can be counterproductive.
Multitasking reduces your speed
Oddly enough, researchers have found that when you multitask, you work more slowly. More so, that you are also less efficient. The reason for this is the task-switch costs effect. When you switch from one task to another, this reduces your speed since your brain has to focus on more than one thing. On the other hand, when you focus on one task, you can run on autopilot thus helping you use your mental resources efficiently.
Multitasking can lead to mistakes
Because multitasking can reduce your performance, you are also more likely to make errors.
Break the multitasking habit
It is possible to break this bad habit: sort out your work, focus on your important work, and delegate the rest.
You can delegate your social media and digital marketing tasks to a virtual assistant. You then do not have to learn how these platforms work, or spend time posting and scheduling new posts, since everything can be taken care by your remote assistant. This leaves you to focus on the business growth and strategy. You can delegate those admin-related tasks to a virtual assistant. This can include everything from managing your email inbox to the bookkeeping.
The bottom line
Entrepreneurs are starters and doers, but they can also become overwhelmed by what needs to be done. A strategic solution is to delegate some of the tasks to a virtual assistant. Not only is outsourcing more cost-effective for a business, it can lessen the burden on the entrepreneur’s shoulders. The time saved can be used to take the business further. The entrepreneur realistically cannot do without a game-changing virtual assistant.