Picture me with a big cheesy infomercial smile saying “Save your marriage! Get a VA!” So, I’m partially joking because I find it amusing how much our personal lives are affected by our professional lives.
Here comes more infomercial: Do you find yourself skipping out on family functions because you’re too busy working? Are you cranky and tired all the time? Do you lash out at your loved ones at the end of the day? Get a virtual assistant! We can help! (I almost feel like I said that a little too well!)
How exactly does a virtual assistant save your marriage anyway, you ask?
As an entrepreneur, you’re already stressed; it comes with the territory. You’ll always be more stressed than your 9 to 5 counterparts, and there isn’t really anything you can do to change that. It’s just the tradeoff you make for the perks. However, we often take that stress farther than we need to, and it boils over into our personal lives. When we get overly stressed out and overwhelmed, it can make us a little short-tempered and snippy with our families. Even specimens of perfection like me get that way sometimes. It’s what you do about it that matters.
If you’re the type of person who hasn’t unplugged in seven years, your family and spouse notice. Period. Even if they never pipe up and say anything, I bet if you ask them if they’d like to spend more time with you, they’ll say yes. That’s where your virtual assistant comes in. They take those stressy, time-consuming tasks off your plate, leaving you more time and energy for your family.
Like one of our clients.
Mr. Solopreneur often worked fourteen to sixteen hour days, six days a week, sometimes seven. A workaholic, he never totally unplugged during vacations either. Every single “vacation” he was glued to the laptop and cell phone, all work work work. After nine years of this, his wife got ticked. Really ticked. Said she had had enough and insisted he get help for his business. (No one tells you this sad fact when you start your business: divorce stats for entrepreneurs are higher than average.)
Because he was in the doghouse, he tapped into us for virtual assistance and we’re happy to report that he works fewer hours, takes every Sunday off and a minimum of two vacations a year where he unplugs and enjoys spending time with his wife (we have the pictures!). Grateful for having her husband back, his wife still sends us wonderful gifts.
Speaking of gifts………
So another bonus of having a VA — as if the extra time and more energy wasn’t enough — is they can send something awesome to your neglected spouse for their birthday too. Sorry, but not sorry, many men have no clue what to buy a woman for a special occasion. (Hint: Buying your wife a new vacuum or kitchen appliance unless it’s been specifically asked for is NEVER the answer to this dilemma!)) Your virtual assistant can also make sure the dozen roses you wanted to give her for Valentine’s Day actually show up this time, unlike last year when you forgot until the last minute and then walked in the door with the half-dead carnations you picked up at the gas station.
Disclaimer: Just for the record, your VA isn’t a marriage counselor, and if your marriage is in trouble, you really need to see one of those.
You’re welcome for that. No charge.
Seriously, though, if you have a nagging feeling you’re neglecting your family, consider bringing a virtual assistant onto your team to lighten your load.
As always, thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Angie
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