When you spend so much time focusing on building a company, walking into your house and glancing at your massive to-do list (that doesn’t even include work responsibilities) can feel exhausting. Most CEOs willingly recruit help at work by hiring an Executive Assistant, but when it comes to tasks in their personal lives, they try to manage it all themselves.
One of the best ways to start quickly crossing the tasks off of that endless list is to have an assistant handle them. Here are 10 tasks you can hand over immediately.
1. Managing personal email
Your work email probably isn’t the only inbox that’s overflowing. With the number of promotional emails running rampant, it’s easy to get bogged down with hundreds of meaningless emails each week. But what about the important messages that need your attention—think of a schedule change for your son’s upcoming baseball game or your credit card statement. Having your Personal Assistant triage your inbox means you only see what absolutely needs your attention.
2. Planning and booking travel
From sorting through the endless accommodation options to coordinating air travel and rental cars, it’s easy to feel like planning your vacation is a job in and of itself. But it doesn’t have to be. Imagine receiving an organized itinerary from your assistant—complete with confirmation numbers and a list of attractions—for your upcoming family vacation. That’s luxury before the trip even starts.
3. Scheduling appointments
How long do you have to wait on the phone to schedule this year’s physical? How many opportunities for self-care do you miss when you forget to book that much-needed massage? You want to show up at your daughter’s school for Career Day but know it will fall through the cracks if someone doesn’t schedule it for you. A Personal Assistant can easily help with each of these tasks (and more). You end with more time back in your day, an afternoon of pampering, and one happy little girl.
4. Planning meals
Figuring out what you and your family are going to eat for the week takes a lot of coordination. Determining who will be around for dinner (and when) and digging through recipes to make sure you’re eating a halfway healthy meal somehow feels like a monstrous task. What if your Personal Assistant could do it for you? Delicious recipes at your fingertips every night of the week with no time wasted for you? Yes, please!
5. Planning and scheduling grocery deliveries
While those recipes look mouthwatering there’s one more step in the process. And you certainly don’t want to do it. Grocery shopping takes time. So, why not have your assistant take the reins and do it for you? Get those groceries scheduled to be delivered directly to your doorstep. Ask your assistant to use your Instacart to shop off of the shareable list you add to each week.
6. Managing household help
It might blow your mind to think an online Personal Assistant can manage what’s happening in and around your home virtually, but today’s world makes it completely doable. Need a lawn care service? Ask your assistant to do research, make some calls, schedule the service, and pay for it via your Venmo or PayPal account. All you see is the fresh-cut grass out your window. The same can be done for cleaning services and repairs and maintenance for your home or car.
7. Coordinating events and dates
If you like to entertain (or have children that want birthday celebrations) you can’t escape the planning that goes along with throwing a party. But invitations, a menu, decorations, and even booking a venue can be time-consuming. Plus, coordinating a date that works for your guests while managing RSVPs just adds another layer of stress. Asking your Personal Assistant to plan your events so all you have to do is show up will have you throwing the best parties in town.
8. Managing household calendars
Everyone has a calendar these days—actually multiple calendars. It’s easy to get schedules mixed up and receive a phone call from school asking who is picking up your 10-year-old today. What if there was someone who could take your calendars, along with everyone else in your household, and magically morph them into one. An assistant can take care of that for you, ensuring you don’t miss any important dates—ahem, like your anniversary.
9. Buying gifts
Speaking of anniversaries, it’s nice to have a heads up when it’s fast approaching, but what if you could have a gift in hand a few days early, too? And this can be accomplished without stepping foot in a store. Your online Personal Assistant can find and purchase a gift for your significant other, pick out a sweet card, and have it all shipped directly to you in nicely wrapped paper. Who wouldn’t want that?
10. Research
Think for a moment about how much Googling you do on a daily basis. An assistant can help you with all sorts of non-work-related research such as finding the best pottery lessons out there (since you’ll now have time to take them) or assessing which dealer has the best price on that new car you’ve been eyeing.
Being worn out and overworked with professional AND personal tasks is not a badge of honor you need to be wearing. There’s no benefit to settling for evenings and weekends full of chores, with limited opportunities for relaxation or family time. Instead, make a list of everything you don’t enjoy doing outside of work and start the process of delegating it to a Personal Assistant. It may just be the best money you’ll ever spend.