Do you feel like the to-do's are getting away from you? Are you overwhelmed with an unorganized desk and calendar? Do you need to get that off of your plate? With project management tools, calendars to create monthly social media calendars, and an inbox ready for your task requests, you can get back on track and save time while you're at it.
No, this is not a commercial advertising a virtual design assistant to handle all your daily tasks and create management tools for you to get organized and stay organized. Actually, yes. Yes, it is pretty much exactly that. But I promise there is a person behind this screen!
You will also be dealing with a real person who has a family, has hobbies and loves her job. Ticking off all the to-do's is pretty much what I do, but I do it on a personal level. The level where I get it if you need an extra hand when there are last minute changes. You have to do school pick up, take the dog to the groomer or simply need a last minute trip out of town to let your hair down. Life happens! And with the right virtual design assistant, things should be a little more hassle free.
How, exactly, does this work you may be asking.
In a nutshell:
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL
Get set up with a project management tool, like the ASANA. This is a tool designed for business owners to manage their team's work, projects and tasks online. You can assign tasks to your team, set task deadlines and even create subtasks within those tasks. Very handy when you're working on a large design project that will take months to wrap up from start to completion. You can create a board entirely set up for one project. There is also the option to send messages within the app, cutting out those emails filling up your inbox. You don't have to be spearheading a team for this app to help you, it is a great option for individuals rocking their small business solo. I use it for my own business and enjoy working alongside clients to streamline their work process with this tool.
SOCIAL MEDIA CALENDAR
If you are lost when it comes to social media but understand the importance of it, get started with a social media scheduler that allows you to create a month full of posts in 20 minutes (or so, depending how creative you are feeling). The Later app allows you to schedule your posts to auto post at any time you choose. This is the number one tool I go to when I am called upon to manage social media accounts. One of the most popular ways Later is used in my business is a simple way for designers to review and approve posts that have already been created for them. Yes, that is an available service here!
Another popular tool for social media scheduling is Tailwind. Tailwind is my favorite for Pinterest planning and scheduling. It goes hand in hand with Instagram post planning as well, so if you want a one stop scheduling shop, then Tailwind is a good option.
These are both free for the basic version which will be plenty to get you started with the basics of calendar creating and post scheduling. Once you upgrade, you will have a plethora of helpful options to get the most of both of the app features. Like, optimal posing times, hashtag suggestions and analytics - to name a few.
AN ADAPTABLE AND RELIABLE PERSON
Finally, if you are in over your head with projects and would rather be designing than scheduling social media posts, find a reliable person (virtual design assistant) to tackle and manage all of the above. A virtual design assistant should be ready to help you fill in all the gaps and help make sure your business is running smoothly behind the scenes.
What is your process for daily tasks or major projects? Old school or new school, if it works for you and you just need someone to take it over and do it your way, I can help. My goal as a business owner is to see other designers succeed, whether it be with their current processes or a new structure completely, I want to make sure they succeed their way with my assistance.
Let's Talk about getting you and your business back on track.
