Being a virtual assistant can be a busy job at times. Indeed, there are many times when we found ourselves so swamped with tasks that we don\’t know where to begin. The sheer number of work sometimes leaves our motivations paralyzed and we end up procrastinating.
Holding off on accomplishing the tasks that you are given can be detrimental both to your mental and emotional well-being and your business. The more you delay, the more tasks pile up on your virtual desk. Meanwhile, the less you get done and the longer you take in doing what you are asked, the lesser the faith your client invests in you, ending up with you getting lesser jobs from the same client and maybe their friends in the near future.
In such cases, something a whole lot more than simple self-motivation is needed to get you going. If you find yourself mired in tasks and experiencing bouts of procrastination, here are a few tips that might help you out.
- Start working on your tasks. Now what better solution is there to procrastination than actually starting to work on the task at hand? Really, just take the first step, and everything else will follow. Stop planning and setting things up and just get to work. Once you have taken the first step, you can then change your mindset from resistance to being happy that you are now actually doing your work. This can lead to a more positive attitude with regards to your task. Your enthusiasm might not be the same in the steps that follow, but at least you will accept them much easier.
- Do not overthink things. Oftentimes, we\’d rather dwell on the problem, overthink the big picture, and blow things out of proportion, paralyzing our willpower and drawing us to procrastination. If you are swamped with tasks or are facing a huge job that needs to meet a certain deadline, you might want to take a breather and focus on how you can accomplish them more than how you think accomplishing the task(s) might not be possible. Sit down, take a breather, plan a bit, and then take the first step.
- Begin with the hardest tasks. If there are plenty of tasks for you to work on, you might want to plan out a course of action in order to get everything done on time. Often, it is most efficient to start with the most difficult and most urgent tasks. Get them out of the way first, and then gradually work on the easier ones.
- Take any action. Procrastination, sometimes, is brought about by indecision driving you to be unwilling to take action. Shall you do it now? Which task should you do first? Where should you start? Such questions and the like can easily plunge you into delaying the tasks you are given. To break your procrastination in such cases, all it takes is to make any decision—even perceivably wrong ones—and start taking action from there.
- Set your mind on finishing your task. Think this way: you are given a task or a set thereof, you are paid to do them, and you are obliged to bring them to a finish. The keyword here is finishing your task, and it won\’t happen if you continue procrastinating. With this in mind, take the first step in the work process, and this mindset will give you the drive to accomplishing the work that you are given.
