Today, we’re doing something a little different. I don’t have an episode for you per se, but I do have a note I wanted to share! This was shared with my list a few months ago right when I was making the transition from virtual assitant to “hoster of Worktreats”. Enjoy!
(Lonnggggg email alert! skip to the P.S. if you want the TLDR version)
I’ve been a virtual assistant/project manager for the last 2.5+ years. I’ve seen deeply into dozen’s of businesses and worked along side dozens of owners and leaders.And every time, I’m completely taken aback by just how much stuff (tasks, expectations, requests, problems that aren’t theirs to solve) get’s thrown at them each day.
I’m equally surprised at how often they accept all those things as their own work to-do/crap to deal with.
It’s insane. And overwhelming.
But it’s why they hire a V.A. in the first place, right?They need more hands to hold the impossible number of tasks/emotional weight. I’m not saying hiring V.A.s is bad. In lot’s of cases, it’s perfectly necessary. But sometimes, it’s not. Hiring help doesn’t address underlying problems.
Sometimes, even with multiple people juggling the stuff, a leader is still hardly sleeping/ stressed out AF. Hard stuff is happening with their marriages and they have no mental bandwidth to address it. A whole host of life happenings and opportunities for celebration are flying by, without them being able to respond (you know, because all their energy is sucked up in stuff they don’t actually care about).
And it’s because they have created habits, communication styles, and processes that demand SO much from them there’s not a lot of room for anything else. (Except burn out. It always finds room.)
And I get it.
Sometimes it’s easier to try to keep it all going vs. stopping to see if there’s a different way to operate in your life & business.It’s easier to hire a V.A. than to be confronted with the fact that you’ve (intentionally or not) trapped yourself in a pretty sucky cycle.
It’s not sexy to admit that what you’ve built is exhausting you and sometimes you resent it.
But it does sometimes happen.
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I truly love people.
I also truly hate seeing people so stressed out that theybecome burnt out, cynical and apatheic about their life’s work.
So, while working with my clients, I’d occasionally switch out my ‘V.A.’ hat for my ‘coach’ hat.
We talk through protecting time with a stronger communication. And dealing with the fear of changing relationship dynamics (at home and at work).
We find strategies for filtering what’s allowed in their brainspace (and inboxes and social feeds).
We talk about anxiety. Where it can actually serve us and how it makes some changes harder.
I hold them accountable to finding the time to work on their most important projects (hello deep work!) and structure their days to make it work.
Together we find simple ways to be free(er) from most of the daily fires. So that when they get home, they have enough bandwidth to participate in the rest of their lives.
There have been programs created, services shut down, tears had, and lots of action taken.
It’s been really fun and I consider it the most important part of my job.
So, I’ve started offering a hybrid of my project management services with the coaching parts. I’m calling the whole thing ‘Worktreats’.
Now obviously, I’m not a #guru. But I am exceptional at holding space and asking great questions.
(And in case you didn’t know, my background is in Leadership & Organizational Communication. I nerd out pretty hard about interpersonal communication, boundary resetting, personal rhythms…so fun!)
It’s my way of using my superpowers to make us all better leaders, business owners, partners, parents, and friends. You can influence your circle sooo much better when you’re not nearing the point of exhaustion.
And that matters to me. A lot.
Yours,
Hailey
P.S. Skipped down to the bottom? No worries. The TLDR: I want more people to spend more time with the people and projects that actually matter to them (AKA their “one-year-from-now” vision). So, I’m going all in hosting Worktreats! Learn more about them here.
To check out the BrainSpace Optimized Podcast Click here.
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