If you make at least 6-figures in income and DON’T have a personal assistant, then chances are you are wasting a lot of your time on things that aren’t worth it.
I’ve had an assistant for over a year and will preach endlessly to every entrepreneur (or high-earning employee) that it’s a game-changer.
If time is the MOST important resource, then finding ways to delegate things you don’t like doing allows you to gain more time to do things you enjoy and are good at (and can often make you more money!)
You can call this a “personal assistant” or “executive assistant” or “coordinator.” The title doesn’t matter.
Here are my BIG tasks I delegate so that I can get a lot more time to do fun stuff…like write this post from London, England overlooking a quaint garden before I explore the city.
1) Everything Concerning Travel
Last year I was in 20 cities in 6+ countries and many American states.
That involved a lot of flights, hotels, restaurants and coordination.
My assistant, Paula, helps a lot to take the research (and actually bookings) off of my shoulders.
Plus, I hate researching travel logistics!
She’ll find 1 or 2 flight options, a few hotels and some activities to do as well. She’ll then review them with me, I’ll pick one and she’ll complete all of the registration and payment (using my card).
We’ve created an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and it’s at a point where she understands my tastes and I could say something like: “5 days in India, around this time frame and focusing on a few activities.” She’ll then create a google doc with details, run it by me, book everything and put it on my google calendar.
Sometimes she’ll book a restaurant, and I’ll change it an hour before.
Or she’ll book a tour and then I’ll cancel it on the spot (this was a hiking tour the morning after a late night seeing David Guetta in concert in Ibiza…ooopsss :P)
I like some flexibility 🙂
2) Email Management
She has access to all my key email accounts except for one. This was a hard one to offload, but once I started delegating one account, and saw the results, it got easier.
She can REPLY on my behalf (and she’ll say it’s from her and not me) in a speedy way.
I don’t like emails, and prefer not to get involved.
We’ll meet 3x a week for a quick check-in meeting and I can see whatever she has questions about.
She’ll remove me from emailing campaigns and delete unsolicited messages.
Plus if something is “high alert,” meaning it’s going to make me more money in one of my businesses, she’ll let me know immediately.
3) Research For Anything I Need
Since I’m pretty new to Dubai, I needed a LOT of help doing things like
- Finding short-term furnished rentals
- Long-term apartments to rent
- Finding and screening a maid
- Local doctors
- Local dentists
- Restaurants to try out
- Fun outings
Recently, I saw an ad for “Singin in the Rain” at the Dubai Opera house. I texted her on WA that I wanted to go and asked her to get me two tickets for a Saturday night showing and book a nearby restaurant beforehand. A few days later, it was done.
She can make any decision on her own under $500 (and I will increase that soon).
I don’t like researching tickets, and seats and entering all my contact info for the millionth time.
It’s a big time saver
4) Following Up with Business (and Personal) Projects
For now, I’m trying out business different “reach outs” such as
- DMing dentists on Linkedin
- Calling local clinics in Dubai
- And much more.
I wrote a how-to document and had her use my profile to reach out. If someone replies back, I can hop in and continue the conversation.
I also need followup with many, many other projects including
- Repairs to my apartment
- Installation of new things in my apartment (like a 110″ movie projector and surround system)
- Candidates for EO Accelerator Dubai
Paula can do most of the followup and save me time. And I’ve even been able to…
5) Delegate MY to-do items
Here’s a weird, but effective tactic. If something has been on my to-do list for too long (or my list is getting too big), I’ll just go on Asana (our project management software) and change the person assigned to my assistant.
This keeps HER eyes focused on the task.
She’s in charge of getting it done on time, and even if that involves me doing a key task, I can just play the supporting part.
Example: we need to post regularly to social media platforms. Even though I write the content, she’s in charge of getting it done.
This keeps my to-do list lighter (which is how I like it)
I’ll write the content, and she’ll format it for all the platforms.
If you’re a dental clinic in Dubai, we are offering “lunch and learns” in which I will bring you a delicious lunch and share with you the 10 most important key metrics to grow your clinic. It’s free, and you’re going to get a lot of value out of it, just email us at info@clinicassist.ae to book a meeting