Does your to-do list seem to be never-ending in your Virtual Assistant business?

Whether you are trying to get your VA business off the ground, full with great clients, or somewhere in between, the task list sometimes just seems to get bigger.

One of the things that many VAs I know struggle with is setting goals.

I remember when someone taught me to set goals ‘way back when’. They taught me to have a 10 year goal, a 5 year goal and so on. I found it totally overwhelming to set a goal that far away – let alone figuring out what I needed to do to reach it.

I started setting short-term goals instead. Of course they are connected to the long term vision I have for my business, but I find that setting short-term goals helps keep things much more in focus for me. And maybe it can for you too.

Because you can get so many more things done in your VA business when you set a goal, and then put the action steps in place to do it. Here’s how:

We’ll use the example of finishing your website (it’s a big thing with so many VAs, that it keeps them stuck!)

1. Define the big goal.

Write down what it is you want to accomplish. Launch website. That’s it. Step 1 done!

2. Identify the action steps to reach the big goal.

Here’s where the work happens. Write down every single thing you need to do to reach that big goal. There are lots of steps for this goal – make sure you write down all of them – domain name, host, theme, pages, content, images, graphics/logo, etc.

3. Break those steps into actionable tasks that you can do every day.

By breaking your activities into small tasks, you can fit something in every single day to help you reach your goal. Choosing your domain name can be one. Buying it can be another. Choosing a theme. Deciding on pages. Creating an image. Calling graphics contact about logo. Small activities that take 15 to 20 minutes a day.

4. Create a checklist with your daily tasks.

Putting things together in a checklist can help you organize the order in which you need to get things done. And it helps you to assign deadlines to the things that you need to do. And of course, you get to check things off as you do them – is there any better sense of accomplishment?

5. Assign the daily tasks into your calendar.

When you have broken down your tasks to a small chunk of time, you can do a little bit every single day – instead of trying to work on it for 2 hours on a Sunday night, you can do 15 minutes every single day, and accomplish much more in less time.

6. Complete your small daily task every day.

You will find yourself moving closer to your goal every single day when you are focusing on it daily. And if you do miss one day, you are only 15 minutes ‘behind’. Not like if you miss that 2 hour block on a Sunday night!

7. Reach your goal!

It really is that simple. The easier you make things for yourself, the easier it will be to set and reach goals.

And I promise you when you take this approach of task and time management, you will get more done.

Whatever you need to do, use these steps and see just how well it can work for you!

If you need help with time management and other business tips, look no further than your VA community! An annual membership in CAVA is the answer. CAVA is a professional association for Virtual Assistants in Canada. We provide community, visibility, resources, connections, training, client opportunities and so much more. Check out our full list of benefits here: https://canadianava.org/join-cava/

About the Author: Tracey D’Aviero is a Virtual Assistant Coach, Trainer, Speaker and Author. After operating a busy VA business of her own since 1996, Tracey began teaching others to run their VA businesses in 2010 through Your VA Mentor. In 2016 she purchased the CAVA and GAVA VA associations and now teaches and coaches VAs exclusively. She has a vast amount of experience working in many different industries which helps her to offer her students and coaching clients a unique perspective and sound advice. She is a proud advocate of the Virtual Assistant industry. Learn more about Tracey’s journey in the VA industry here.