As a bustling business owner, you may not realize just how busy you are. You are likely at a point where some of your tasks need to be delegated to an assistant in order to free up your time and lower your stress. If any of the following signs sound familiar, you may want to consider hiring a virtual assistant.

1. You are always thinking, “I’ll remember that” and never actually remember anything.

If you’re guilty of constantly telling yourself that you don’t need to write something down because you’re sure you will remember it and then promptly forget about it, you might need a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can help you remember important dates, appointments, and tasks. They can also go ahead and write important stuff down for you, no matter how sure you are that your “trusty” memory won’t fail you. Even if you are 100% certain that you couldn’t possibly forget your mother’s birthday, wouldn’t you rather have an assistant around to save you, just in case?

2.  You’ve come to ignore the sounds of notifications.

Maybe you’re on top of putting appointments on your calendar, shooting off emails, and creating reminders on your phone – but do you actually pay any attention to the seemingly endless sounds of notifications? Perhaps you are setting too many alarms (do you really need your phone to chime every time someone likes your Facebook status?) or maybe you’re a bit too busy and couldn’t possibly field all those phone calls. Whatever the case, a virtual assistant can help you better organize your calendars and prioritize your notifications.
A virtual office can field phone calls, leaving only the most important ones for you, while your virtual assistant can screen emails and other notifications and make sure the most important items catch your attention first.

3. You answer messages in your head, but never send them.

You see a text message and compose your response in your head, then get distracted and never actually respond. Maybe you open emails on your phone and tell yourself you will write a detailed response once you are in front of a computer, then forget all about it. The point is, you are leaving a lot of people hanging, and whether it’s your kid sister or an important client, you are coming off as rude and unprofessional.
Oftentimes, a virtual assistant can answer a large amount of messages for you, meaning you can spend less time trying to battle your inbox. For messages that require your attention, your virtual assistant can be there to remind you and focus your attention on anything that might have slipped your mind.

4. You’re glued to your phone.

If you are constantly yammering into your phone or furiously responding to messages, you could make good use of a virtual office. If you know a client is particularly chatty on the phone, you can have their calls sent through a virtual office voicemail or messaging service so you can get the bullet points of what they want to discuss before calling them back. You can also have your virtual assistant respond via email or phone call and save yourself the struggle of setting aside enough time to let your client make small talk. Being available via cell phone is important, but there is no reason for you to be on call 24/7. A virtual assistant can help shoulder the workload, giving you more chances to set down your phone and keep your eyes off a screen.

5. You never have time for errands.

While a virtual assistant won’t be able to go pick up your groceries, they can call your insurance company with questions about your policy, call your bank to update your address, and unsubscribe you from the endless emails that clog your inbox. These small tasks are often productivity killers because they either loom over your head while you try to tackle larger tasks or you end up deciding to try to check the small things off the list and wasting an hour making phone calls instead of working on an important project. A virtual assistant can take care of these small tasks that complicate your to-do list.
Virtual offices and virtual assistants are a very cost effective way to increase productivity, lower stress, and work more efficiently. If you are guilty of any of these 5 things, a virtual assistant could really improve your work and personal life!