How Your Assistant Can Help Protect Your Time

Things are sort of all over the place right now and rightly so. The entire world has had to learn to adapt to a new normal relatively quickly with little time to prepare. At this point, your calendar is probably crowded. You may feel like there isn’t enough time in the day between virtual meetings and phone calls to focus on your business or spend time with your family, both of which should be priorities more so now than ever before.

Don’t fret. We have a solution!

Your assistant is talented. She can manage your email, handle backend data entry, communicate with your clients, and act as a sounding board for you, but did you know that she can also be the guardian of your calendar? The protector of your time? The buffer between you and your connectors, prospects, and clients? With her superpowers, you never have to worry about the hassle of overbooking, double booking, or scheduling again.

But how? Keep reading! 

Create a Plan and Implement It

Schedule a call with your assistant and map out together what your ideal week should look like.  Reserve certain days and times for sessions, meetings, and coffee/lunch meetings. Create buffer days (these are typically Mondays and Fridays) to get caught up on office work. Don’t forget to designate time for Clarity Breaks or time away from all distractions to focus strictly on your business.  

Not sure where to start?  Strategic Coach’s Time Management Guide is a great resource if you’d like ideas on how to structure your week.

Once you’ve decided what you want your week to look like, put your plan into action by placing these blocks of time on your calendar. Physically seeing your time blocks on the calendar will help to hold yourself accountable to your curated guidelines.

These are your boundaries. They’re needed and they’re necessary. Don’t waver from them.

Let Your Assistant Manage Your Calendar

With your calendar guidelines in place, your assistant can effectively and efficiently manage your calendar by taking responsibility for scheduling all sessions, meetings, virtual coffee, and lunch dates. She can even manage your travel logistics, placing flights, hotels, and itineraries on your calendar for easy access.  

Don’t forget to direct all meeting requests that come to you, to your assistant. She can handle it.  In doing this, you forfeit all temptation to schedule a coffee meeting over a Clarity Break™ or a phone call after working hours. Trust us, leaving all scheduling to your assistant removes the hassle of scheduling from you and it eliminates the temptation to make an exception.

Next Steps

Crowning your assistant as the guardian of your calendar should be a practice you put in place during all seasons. So, get that meeting with your assistant on the calendar today! Check out the Strategic Coach Time Management guide mentioned above. Make a plan.  Implement it.  Experience freedom.