Optimize Your Working Space
As Virtual Assistants, and since we work remotely, our clients don’t see us or our work environment in person. Though that’s the case, we still need to pay attention to the physical aspects of our work if we’re going to be successful. In this episode of The RocketGirl Show, I'll share a few pointers about how to take care of the physical details of your working space that make a difference.
TRANSCRIPT
I'm Belinda Wasser, also known as RocketGirl. Today we're going to talk about how to optimize your workspace.
When you're a virtual assistant, even though your clients don't see where you physically work, it's important that you have a professional setup and that you're comfortable, and that it's a place that makes you happy to be. Let's take a look at a couple of things that can really impact that.
All right. Let's talk about your desk. This is my desk where I'm sitting right now, and you'll notice a couple of things. One is I have three monitors, which makes my work so much easier. It's unbelievable. You don't have to set your monitors up exactly like this. Some people I've seen have a laptop and two monitors, or they have a laptop and one other monitor, so they have two screens. The way that this works is that you can have an application open each window, and your mouse just slides across those monitors as if it's one big one. Efficiency is incredible when you make this investment.
Also notice I have a picture of my family. I don't have a lot of post-it notes and crazy stuff all over my desk. I try to keep it very Zen so that I can concentrate and not be distracted by a lot of things. Really think about your desk and how it's set up. You do need a dedicated workspace. It doesn't need to be a whole room, but it does need to be a space where you can go any time when you need to and when you want to and really focus and concentrate on your work without a lot of distractions.
What else do you need? Okay. High-speed internet, right? I have to say, when I moved to Connecticut from Boston, I didn't have the bandwidth that I had there. I had to upgrade to the next level of bandwidth. The other thing that I do is I have my computer physically plugged into the router. The reason I do that is because we're on Zoom so much these days and videos. I want it to be uninterrupted. That's easy to do as well. You just plug it into your computer, and you can plug it right into the router for even faster, more reliable speed.
You need to have a good phone. It doesn't have to be the latest and the greatest, but it does need to be reliable. You have to have a strong signal. Again, living where I live, I had to get a booster. It's a little box that sits right next to the router. It just boosts the signal a little bit and makes it so that I can have more reliable cell phone service.
Earbuds. You can do a few things here. I typically use the earbuds that I get from ... I'm just looking for them here, from Apple. They're reliable. They're easy. They're easy to store right on my desk in a little basket. Those are great. Other people have the headsets and the mic, and it's really whatever you're comfortable with. But make sure that your clients can reliably hear you.
A desk. Now my desk for years was an Ikea dining room table. The reason that I liked it so much was it was very deep and it was wide. I had plenty of room for my monitors, my papers, everything that I needed. I even have a space for my laptop where I could have it open at all times. Recently I updated my desk. I got it for a Christmas present, an Ikea standing table, which I love, especially because I'm so tall. I can really move the table up and down with whatever task I'm performing. Again, not really expensive. Ikea is very reliable. That's another thing is a great desk.
A then a chair. This chair was very expensive, but I've had it I think now close to 19 years. I'm sitting in it right now. Sitting down all day, it's easy for my back to get stiff and to have back pain. This chair has been really amazing for that. You don't have to get an expensive chair, but you really want it to be comfortable because you're going to be in it for hours and hours and hours. I think of this as my money making cockpit. I have everything at my fingertips that I need. I have scissors. I have speakers for my music. I have a desk light, a notepad. Everything that I need is at my fingertips. I never have to leave in the middle of working and go somewhere else and find something. That makes me very, very efficient.
Getting dressed. Now that's a thing, right? You don't have to get all dressed up. You definitely don't need to do that. Typically what I work in is yoga pants in the winter and running shorts in the summer and a tee shirt. From time to time, you'll have a client meeting on Zoom, and you'll want to kick it up a notch. But actually taking a shower in the morning at some point and getting freshened up and maybe just brushing your hair, putting it in a ponytail, it makes a big difference. For me, I start work before I take a shower and get dressed just to settle into my day. But then when I come back, usually around 9:00 or so, I'll take a shower. I'll come back to my desk, and I feel really refreshed and ready to go in a new way. Make sure you get dressed.
I want to tell you about something before we go. I have a free online classroom. It's called the virtual assistant connection and it lives on Facebook. It's a professional community, committed to educating and connecting virtual assistants all over the world. We're represented by over 50 countries. We have, I think we're up to 6,500 members or something close to that right now. It's fun. It's supportive. It's growing. I would love to have you join us. Just type the virtual assistant connection in the search box at the top of Facebook and click the join button, and we'll welcome you in. All right, everybody have a great rest of your day. I'm Belinda Wasser, RocketGirl signing off until next time. Bye bye.
