Every growing small business, including education businesses, gets to the point where they have too much ‘stuff’ to do, and not enough time.
At that point, it’s usually a good idea to consider whether you can afford to hire a virtual personal assistant. This involves getting over the mindset where you ‘save’ money by doing ALL THE THINGS and readjust so you make more money by outsourcing the tasks you could do, but don’t bring any cash into the business, so that you can focus on the tasks that ONLY you can do, and which bring more money into the business.
Once you’ve decided you need help, and can afford it, it’s a good idea to work out which tasks it is that you’d like to outsource – it will help you to find the right person for the job.
This is the point where a lot of education business owners get stuck or overwhelmed, because the number of tasks they have…is…HUGE and they don’t know where to begin.
That’s where Katie’s amazing sorting method comes in. I give it to all of my overwhelmed clients who can’t see the woods for the trees, and it hasn’t failed yet.
Katie’s Amazing Task Sorting Method
- Spend a week writing down every single thing you do in your business, as you do it. Just a quick note, so you don’t forget. When you get to the end of the week, read them through. You’ll be amazed at exactly how much stuff you got through. (If doing this sort of stuff digitally floats your boat, hold on to your knickers, because I’ve got an AWESOME Airtable base for you to grab at the end of this blog).
- Decide on a way of sorting these tasks into three different piles. This will be different for many people. For most, monetary value is a good starting point. How much actual cash value does this task bring to my business? Sort those tasks into £1000 tasks, £100 tasks and £10 tasks. If money doesn’t chime with you, who about sorting them into tasks which give you most, middling and least joy? Tasks that you are mega, mostly and slightly confident in doing? Tasks that take you ages, a little while and no time at all? The possibilities are endless, and the way you sort them should chime with you, and the type of overwhelm you’re experiencing.
- Take a look at your piles. Assuming you did the £10-£100-£1000 task sorting idea, you now have a great idea of what you should be holding onto as the stuff you do, and what you can give away. Ideas for the next set of teaching resources that are going up in your e-commerce store? That’s likely high value, and something you should be doing. Scheduling 6 million pins of those resources each week? Low value but very necessary. Outsource it. I’d say that to begin with, looking at those extremes is a good start. Store those middling ones away as ones that you will possibly outsource in the future.
- Look at your lowest value pile, and find go find a VA who can do all or most of them.
And transformative step number five?
Why…book a call with me to see if my team could be the business best buddies you’ve been looking for!