Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today we are talking about how to make decisions more easily in your VA business. Notice that I didn’t say make better decisions, but make decisions more easily.
Today’s Quote: You cannot make progress without making decisions. Jim Rohn
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
One of the things that slows Virtual Assistants down in business is the struggle to make decisions.
I know this because you tell me. You all tell me. Every single day.
And some of you don’t tell me.
I like to think that is mainly because you don’t realize that’s the problem.
But when we talk about what you are stuck on in your VA business – whether it is getting clients, networking, making money, your mindset, or your time management … the root of the problem can very often be traced back to not making a decision.
And like I said in today’s intro, I don’t mean making the right decision.
Sometimes we make the wrong decision and we get scared to make another one. That happens. That’s when you should go and get some support to move forward.
But I digress.
What I am talking about is simply not making a choice about something and then expecting to move your business forward. It’s nearly impossible.
So today we will talk about making choices and overcoming the common obstacles that hinder our ability to decide.
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in the paralysis of indecision, afraid to make the wrong choice, you’re in the right place. Let’s go.
Identifying the Challenges
Have you ever wondered why decision making can be so daunting? Whether it’s the fear of making the wrong choice or feeling lost in a sea of too many options, we all face challenges when it comes to decision-making.
Let’s explore some of these challenges and how to tackle them.
One common stopping point is the fear of making the wrong decision.
Many of us have experienced this anxiety, afraid that a choice we make will lead to unfavorable outcomes.
But what if we reframed our perspective on mistakes and embraced the idea that every decision is an opportunity to learn?
You have probably heard that we learn from our mistakes – and that is so true.
If you reframe the idea of what could go wrong into something you can learn from, it makes it somewhat easier to decide.
The problem is that we don’t often know what is right – because we haven’t done the thing we are trying to do before. It’s normal to not want to make the wrong decision, but there are ways to decide. Getting help with a tough decision is a simple way to fix this challenge.
Another challenge is being a perfectionist. Hands up if that’s you! (I have my hand up!)
Striving for perfection can paralyze us, but consider this: you make countless decisions effortlessly every day, from what time to get up to what to wear.
You probably don’t even realize that all of those things are decisions, but they are.
The key is understanding that not every decision needs to be perfect—sometimes, done is better than perfect.
The main objective should be to move forward, and the only way to do that is to choose.
Imagine sitting on the edge of your bed in your pyjamas and missing a whole day of work, simply because you can’t decide which colour socks to wear.
We are keeping ourselves stuck in every way when we do this in business too. Get off the bed, put some socks on, and change them at lunch if they aren’t the right ones.
Understanding Yourself
Now, let’s dive into understanding ourselves better to make informed decisions.
It’s crucial to address issues like low self-esteem, uncertainty about what you want, and the fear of the unknown.
If low self-esteem is holding you back, remember that your brain tends to amplify negative thoughts. In a brain health training I once attended, I learned that it takes the brain 5 positive messages to forget about 1 negative message.
How negatively are you talking every day? To yourself? About yourself? And yes, I also mean talking in your own head. Even if you don’t say things out loud, your brain is hearing them.
And I don’t know about you, but I have millions of thoughts in my head all day long. Many of them are not positive – it’s so important to counteract this.
You are not doing yourself any favours if you aren’t really focusing on positive thoughts and messages.
What about not being clear about what you want?
Sometimes, decisions we have to make are about choosing what’s best for us, not what others think is best.
If you don’t know what you want, others can’t help you.
And so you have to sit down and get really clear on what you want. I have found that the best way to do this is by brainstorming and then categorizing things so you can look at them more clearly.
For instance, if you want more clients, let’s brain dump that a bit. You want a business that is successful. You don’t want to go back to a job. You want to make more money. You want to pay for stuff like your household bills. Or you want to take a vacation. You want to not be stuck in front of your computer all day every day. You want to volunteer at Jimmy’s school.
Write it all down. As much as you can think of. Then start to pull it together. What do you really need here?
You want to be in charge of your own schedule. You want to earn enough money to make a difference to your household. You want to offer services that help you work on your own timetable, that clients pay you well for.
These are simple decisions to help you get clear around what you want.
And when you know what you want, then you can make decisions that support those things.
If a client wants to hire you to do their client care and that means that you have to check their email 10x a day, that might not fit in with your schedule.
But if they want you to manage their monthly social media content, or set up monthly group coaching sessions on Zoom, that fits.
So these are decisions we can make by knowing what we really want.
Take the time to understand your priorities and align your decisions with your values.
What about having too many choices?
Virtual Assistants are famous for going down the research rabbit hole.
More information is not always better. If you have a sea of choices, you have to narrow things down.
If I give you three choices, you could probably choose one. If I gave you 50, you would have a lot more trouble.
It’s one of the reasons that we suggest offering a client the choice of 3 packages to choose from.
Think Goldilocks and the beds. One’s too small, the other’s too big, the third one is just right. We are comparing the three and coming up with the best solution for us. Your clients will do the same with 3 choices.
And so will you. Choose three to compare and then ask yourself which one will get you to where you want to go in the best way possible.
Practical Strategies
Now let’s talk about how to improve your decision making skills.
First, set a time limit on research or the consideration phase. No rabbit holes. Make sure you give yourself all the tools you need to succeed here.
That means setting a realistic deadline and holding to it. At the end of your time limit, identify the top 3 options.
Consider the pros and cons of each of your three options.
How will each of them impact your business – but also your health, business, family, goals, and whatever else you can think of.
When we look at how a decision will impact us (pros and cons) it can often help us to make that decision faster.
Let’s go back to our services – if we look at offering social media services for our clients, that can impact our family life, health and business in a positive way (more time, easy work, good money) but it can also impact it in a negative way if we don’t have any training or experience and we find it hard to get great clients. Which outweighs the other? Pros I’d say.
So then a decision has to be made – how do we get help to get the clients we need We call Tracey 🙂 You get the idea.
And remember that indecision can have consequences. Think about leaving enough time to drive to where you need to go. Not being able to decide when to leave can make you late. If you are going to your mom’s for tea that might not matter as much, but if you are going to a concert, you could miss the act you paid to see.
If you take forever to send a client proposal, you could miss out on the client. Clients often hire one of the first few people they talk to. Be the first, not the last.
Building Confidence
And finally, I want to talk about building confidence in decision making.
Done is better than perfect. I know you perfectionists out there are saying no it’s not. But it is.
I’m a perfectionist. Honestly. I can totally relate.
But I also know that it’s true. I can assure you that our good enough is wayyyy better than someone else’s perfect. We are holding ourselves to such a high standard that we can’t even reach it.
How does that make any sense?
Think about all of those small decisions that you make every single day.
What time to get out of bed, what to have for breakfast, what time to start work, when to check email, when to take a break. What music to listen to. What type of coffee to have. And so on, and so on.
We are making decisions all day long, and they aren’t hard to make because we don’t really think of a lot of them as decisions.
So we have proved that you can make decisions – so let’s empower ourselves to make more significant decisions with confidence.
Start with small decisions. Reflect on why you made that choice and evaluate how easy or challenging it was. This self-awareness builds confidence over time. You have to give yourself confidence – working along all day means you have to work harder at being good and supportive with yourself.
We are our own worst critic. As you reflect on the decisions, think about how you would support a client or a colleague or a friend or family member if they made the very choice you are making now.
I’ll say it again, accept that nothing is perfect. Your “good enough” is often more than sufficient. Embrace the journey of learning from your decisions, and you’ll find that making choices becomes a skill you can hone over time.
It’s better to make a decision and move forward – and then course correct if you need to.
As always, let’s circle back to today’s quote from Jim Rohn – you can not make progress without making decisions.
What do you want? What do you really want? Decide what you need to get it, and get going.
If decision making is something you have a lot of trouble with, get some help with it. I can help.
It’s the only reason I’m here at all, as you know. To help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I have helped hundreds of VAs who are stuck get moving. I’d love to do the same for you.
We can work together privately, or in The Virtual Circle, my monthly mastermind group, or in my Plan to Profit group coaching program, or you can enroll in some of my self study trainings. I have lots of options to move your forward. Check them out in the show notes for this episode. Thanks for tuning in this week! I’ll see you next time!
What You Need to Do Next:
I am here to help. It’s the only reason I’m here at all, as you know. To help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I’ve helped hundreds of VAs through challenges just like yours, and got them on their way to growing their business and the lifestyle that they dream of. That you dream of.
I’d love to do the same for you.
Let’s work together privately to get you to your really big goal. It’s the fastest way to get results and we can start right away. Learn more about private coaching here.
The Virtual Circle (TVC) is a monthly mastermind group for Virtual Assistants just like you. We get together 3 times a month for group Zoom sessions to talk about what you are struggling with, working on, or celebrating. It’s a close knit community of your VA colleagues that provides the best kind of support for your VA business. Learn more about TVC here.
My self study program Getting Started as a VA can help you get your VA business started easily and quickly too. You can sign up right away and be on your way to getting clients by the end of the program, with all the right foundations in place. Check out the program here.
Reach out to me if you need to talk about where you are stuck and what the right option might be to get you moving. It’s literally all I’m here to do is help you get to where you want to go. Book a complimentary Cut to the Chase call with me here.