Goals for virtual assistants … do you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there?

Don’t you wish high school taught you less about the periodic table and more about goal setting?

I don’t remember anything about chemistry (it’s kinda sad… actually), but goal setting is a critical life skill, and one I had to learn on my own.

Goals are found everywhere we look – they may take the form of a GPA, the number on a scale, or a work project milestone.

For me personally, buying a house was my 2018 goal.

I went LIVE the other day on The Virtual Savvy Facebook Page and wanted to share the replay with you. It’s all about how to set goals (for virtual assistants, specifically).

I made this video for two reasons:
1) You can see the house we just bought (I wanted to show you!), and

2) I wanted to talk to you about the way I set goals that ACTUALLY get achieved.

The concept of “Flip the Switch” goals came to my attention this year.

A “Flip the Switch” goal means you KNOW when it happens – that goal has become a reality. You attained it.

Think about your own goals. Think about why you’re starting your VA business.

“I want to make more money.”
“I want to spend more time with my kids.”
“I want to enjoy life more.”

Instead of “I want more time with my kids,” maybe your goal is “I want to quit my job” OR “I want my spouse to quit their job.”

Flip the switch – you know this goal happened. You can pinpoint the exact second that goal becomes a reality.

Get it?

The day we signed the dotted line for our house – we knew that we did it! It. Happened.

GOAL SETTING

A popular acronym for goals is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. (You may have heard this before!)

S.M.A.R.T. stands for –
* Specific
* Measurable
* Attainable
* Relevant
* Time-Bound

“Flip the Switch” goals are “S.M.A.R.T.” – particularly in terms of being specific and measurable.

For example, the goal “Start A Virtual Assistant Business” is vague (when do you know it actually “happened”?), but the goal “Get Three Clients to Sign Contracts” or “Open a Business Bank Account” is specific and measurable. As soon as your third client signs the contract, or as soon as you get that new debit card –  you have officially achieved your goal. You flipped the switch.

Making a goal to sell out your Virtual Assistant services?
Find out how here.

To get started with goal setting, make your own “Flip the Switch” goal.

Ideally, this should be something that can happen for you within a year.

Here are some examples of awesome Virtual Assistant Goals I have seen:

• Buy a house
• Buy a car
• Quit my 9-5 job
• Have X amount in my savings account
• Take a vacation with money from my Virtual Assistant Business
• Start homeschooling my kids
• Start taking off every Friday
• Move to a different state or country
• Pay off all my credit card debt
• Pay off all my student loans

Example #1: I want to save money.

Action Item #1 : Is it a Flip the Switch Goal? If not, how could I make it one?

“Save money” would NOT be a Flip the Switch goal, but “pay off $12,000 in credit card debt in a year” IS. You KNOW when it happened.

Action Item #2 : Break Down Your Goal from One Year to Four Quarters.

To achieve this “Flip the Switch” goal – to pay off $12,000 in debt within a year – I will need to put aside $3,000 every quarter to pay off that debt.

Action Item #3 : Break Down Your Quarterly Goal into Monthly Goals.

I want to break down the quarterly $3,000 into monthly increments to determine my monthly debt re-payment goal. To achieve my “Flip the Switch” goal, I will need to put aside $1,000 per month.

Action Item #4 : Break Down Your Monthly Goal Into Weeks.

$1,000 per month translates into approximately $250 per week that I will need to set aside to achieve my “Flip the Switch” goal.

Action Item #5 : Break Down Your Weekly Goals into Days.

If I work five days per week, I will need to make an extra $50 per day to achieve my goal of paying off $12,000 in credit card debt over the course of a year.

Flip the Switch. ✅

Example #2: I want to buy a house.

I personally love this one… because it was mine!

Isn’t she a beauty??? 🙂 

Action Item #1 : Is it a Flip the Switch Goal? If not, how can I make it one?

We’re good on this one – the “Flip the Switch” goal is to buy a house.

Action Item #2 : Break Down Your Goal from One Year to Four Quarters.

To achieve this “Flip the Switch” goal – buy a house – within the year, I will need to break down my action steps into quarters, which may look like this:

Quarter One: Make a financial plan to pay for the house, and research cities or areas I would like to live in. Make a list of house features – “must-haves” vs. “nice-to-haves.”

Quarter Two: Save money for down payment and closing costs, and research mortgage financing options.

Quarter Three: Find a realtor and look at house options. Make an offer on a house.

Quarter Four: Closing Date and move into the house.

Action Item #3 : Break Down Your Quarterly Goal into Monthly Goals.

I want to break down the quarter one goals into months. If I’m starting the house-buying process at the beginning of the year, I might spend January looking at our budget and making a financial plan to pay for the house, February researching cities or areas I would like to live in, and March making a list of house features: “must-haves” vs. “nice-to-haves.”

Action Item #4 : Break Down Your Monthly Goal Into Weeks.

Let’s break down March’s monthly goal – make a list of house features – into weeks.

Week One: Research all possible house features on Google or Pinterest.
Week Two: Make a list of house features most likely within my budget.
Week Three: Review the current list and discuss with significant other, family, and trusted friends on what house features I should include on the list and weigh each option carefully.
Week Four: Assemble a final list to present to a realtor when the time comes and get it approved by my spouse/family.

Action Item #5 : Break Down Your Weekly Goals into Days.

If my goal for Week One is to research all possible house features on Google or Pinterest, I might schedule two hours per day for three days in my calendar to block my time for house research.

Flip the Switch. ✅

IS YOUR GOAL TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

Starting a Virtual Assistant business can be a great goal to set for yourself this year, or a great way to achieve a different goal.

If you need some extra money to pay off student loans, pay off credit cards, buy a house, buy a car, or take a family vacation, a Virtual Assistance business can be a great way to help you make that dream a reality.

If you haven’t already – I 100% recommend downloading my Virtual Assistant Checklist and Starter Kit. It’s a step-by-step guide for starting YOUR own at-home business (and, it’s totally FREE!).