When I bought my computer a few years ago it came with a cordless keyboard and mouse. It never would have occurred to me to get one. After all, why would I need cordless? It's right in front of my computer, right?
Well, I was having a difficult time sitting with my feet hanging down at one point and I wondered if I could sit in my recliner and still work on the computer. The desk was fairly close to the recliner--certainly close enough to see my nice, big flat panel monitor--and I did have a cordless keyboard and mouse, after all.
That was when I discovered why I had that little box that sat on my desk behind the monitor. It was the device that talked to the keyboard and mouse and translated the information from my fingertips to the computer--just the way the cords would have if I had them. Well, I couldn't get very far away from it but I discovered that if I put it on the keyboard drawer under my monitor and pulled the drawer all the way out, it was close enough to me to make it all work.
It was great! I could sit in my recliner and do my work and my feet stopped swelling up to the size of fire hydrants. When I moved I even arranged the living room (also my home office--living alone has its definite advantages) so I could choose whether I wanted to sit in my office chair or my recliner.
Then one day my mouse failed to work any more and I had to go out and buy a replacement. I'm here to tell you, get one with a cord was no longer even an option in my book but, being the frugal person I am, I decided to get an inexpensive (read "cheap") one at a local discount store. The only thing I liked about this one was that the mouse had two extra buttons that I could use to go forward and backward when I was in my web browser--very convenient. Other than that, it was awful.
I decided to just suck it up
and use it until it wore out. It turned out I didn't have to wait all
that long. I went out this past weekend and bought a keyboard and
mouse with bluetooth technology that works wonderfully well and I
absolutely love and adore. If it lasts a year it will cost the same as
the cheap one (assuming the second and third ones wouldn't have lasted
any longer than the first) and I'm so happy with how this one works. I am no longer tied to the remote thingy that talks to the keyboard and mouse. I just plugged this tiny, little bluetooth thing into a USB port and I can wander farther away than I can see the screen. It's a joy to work with. Oh, and it may take a year to learn all the things it can do and what all the buttons and scroll things do.
All this got me to thinking about how many people I talk to who try to do everything themselves when what they really need is someone to assist them with the more mundane aspects of their businesses. I talked to someone not long ago who said she couldn't afford to hire an assistant right now. I can appreciate that. In the next breath she told me she thought she was going to have to turn down a speaking engagement in another state because she just didn't have time to go right now. She needed to do too much in her office or she was going to get too far behind to ever catch up.
So, she turned down a $2000 opportunity because she couldn't afford to have someone else doing the things she needed to get done in her business. I suggested that perhaps she might want to reconsider whether or not she could afford an assistant. She could pay for a lot of hours of work with that $2000 and spend more of her newly available time finding additional speaking engagements.
As we approach the new year, think about how you spend your time. Do you spend as much time doing what you do best or are you spending several hours a day doing the routine work of your business? Is that work something a trained assistant could do for you? Where is your time best spent?
I am always happy to help people find the perfect Virtual Assistant to meet their specific needs. It would be fabulous if I were that person but, when I'm not, I know many other VAs and have great ideas to help you find the perfect VA for your needs.
Drop me a note if you need more information about what a Virtual Assistant can do to help free up some of your valuable time.