How can you make yourself more effective? That’s a challenge for many of us, as we spend hours working away and wondering how we can achieve more with less.
In the old days, on the production line, the study of effectiveness was called “time and motion”. In the case of car magnate Henry Ford, it led to the development of the production line, as he worked out how to build more cars, more quickly, using less people. Today, many more of us are desk-based, using our computers to help build our businesses, but the struggle for efficiency continues.
Those productivity tips and tools come thick and fast. Whether badged “productivity hacks” or wrapped up in the terminology of project management tools, there is a confusing array of options. Where do you start? And what’s going to work best for your particular set of circumstances?
One great solution is to get your virtual assistant to help come up with some answers for you. For a start, they set out from a great position, working as they do for many different types of businesses, across a variety of sectors. That means they get to see many different tools and a range of ways of utilising them in practice. Never mind watching a slick promotional video on a website, the virtual assistant is more likely to have practical experience.
They’re also likely to have knowledge of those “hacks”, timesaving ways of getting to the result, whether that’s delivering a PowerPoint presentation in double quick time, or working out how to resolve conflicts in an Excel spreadsheet.
Even if they have not used something themselves, they will have a strong basis from which to ask questions of anything new to the market. They are usually highly effective researchers of information on the internet, and can shortlist potential new solutions to your problem, without you losing time – a quick brief will be all that you need to give.
So use your virtual assistant to do some research for you. Get them to compare and contrast alternatives, and to do a quick trial or review of the new launches, be they productivity or project management tools, or a new CRM (customer relationship management) system. The modest investment will pay big dividends, as you end up with well-reasoned advice on the most productive way to get to your desired outcome – with lots of frustrating time saved. What’s not to like?
If you would like to find out more about what tools are available to you, how to use them and what Time Wise VA can do for you and your business, please call us on 0161 211 9837 or contact us here