How a VA Can Help Prevent Burnout




Burnout is the prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job or in the workplace. We’ve all heard the term and entrepreneurs seem to be more susceptible to it then others. This is in part because they are usually more passionate about their work; are more socially isolated then their employee counterpart; have few safety nets when a problem arises and hence operate in a higher level of uncertainty.

The ten most common signs that someone is approaching burnout and should take action are exhaustion, frustration and cynicism, inability to think well (inability to make decisions as well as becoming forgetful), decrease in performance, inability to leave work at the office (both physically bring work home and mentally have the mind at the office), short temper, negativities creeping in, no socialization, insomnia and dependence on sleep aids and health issues that creep in slowly. If caught early, sometimes a vacation will take care of the situation, provided that when you return, you are not walking right back into the same stressors. 




There are, however ways that your Virtual Assistant can help prevent burnout from happening or reversing the onset of burnout, but you have to delegate and trust your virtual assistant to do the work given to them….DON’T MICROMANAGE!!! Learn to delegate and let them do what you’re paying them to do.
Your VA can help you to define clear goals for both your personal life and your business. They may ask you to stop and organize before anything else. In order to effectively delegate your workload, you must first have an organized workload and know the expectations of each aspect of it. This includes adopting SOPs (standard operating procedures) within your business. Your Virtual Assistant can help to, not only develop these, but also help to get them into writing. Along with organizing, prioritizing goals and tasks is the second most important item.
By allowing your VA to assist with your calendar and scheduling, they can help to schedule time for self care. We’ve all heard that you can’t pour from an empty cup, your VA will assist in keeping your cup full by keeping your business running effectively while you take time for self care and/or time off. Make rest and realxation a priority, get the appropriate amount of sleep, physical exercise and adopting a healthy diet will all assist in preventing burnout.
Planning your next steps is also much easier when you know that your non-profitable tasks are being taken care of even when you aren’t the one physically working on them. This also allows for socialization time. For example, you can attend that networking event that you’ve been eyeing on the chamber calendar and actually enjoy yourself knowing that your work is still being completed. When was the last time you were able to go home at a decent hour and spend time with your family and truly enjoy that time? With a Virtual Assistant helping with your tasks and schedules, your stress level will decrease allowing you to enjoy the life you have worked so hard to build.
If you’d like to schedule some time to see if working with a Virtual Assistant is right for you, please visit my online calendar.

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