Transitioning from doing everything yourself to working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) is a huge milestone, but it’s also a big shift in mindset. It’s not just about offloading work; it’s about building a partnership that gives you your life back.
I made the transition, and encourage you to do the same. It is frustrating to see church leaders, denominational executives, and missionaries exhausted because they are attempting to do everything themselves. In the long run, you will do only what you can and enjoy your ministry more and more.
Here is a deeper look at how to navigate that journey with a relational, collaborative approach.
1. Brainstorm Everything You Can Delegate
Start by looking at your day through a “relational” lens—what tasks are draining your energy and keeping you from being present with your clients or your family? Grab a notebook and do a total brain dump. Don’t worry about whether a VA can do it yet; just focus on what takes you away from your “Zone of Genius.”
- Admin: Inbox management, scheduling meetings, and data entry.
- Personal: Booking travel, researching for a gift, or organizing your personal calendar.
- Marketing: Posting to social media, formatting newsletters, or basic graphic design.
- The “Paper Trail”: Invoicing, following up on late payments, or organizing digital files.
2. Prioritize the List
Now that you have your list, look at it with a focus on immediate relief. You don’t want to overwhelm your new partner on day one. Pick the “Low-Hanging Fruit”—tasks that are repetitive, easy to explain, and take up a lot of your time.
By prioritizing tasks that give you back 2–3 hours a week immediately, you’ll feel the value of the relationship right away. This builds the confidence you need to eventually hand over the bigger, more complex projects.
3. Work Through the List and Train as Needed
This is where the relationship is truly built. Think of training not as a chore, but as an investment in your VA’s success. If they thrive, you thrive.
- Record yourself: Use a tool like Loom to record your screen while you do the task. Explain why you do it a certain way, not just the how.
- Create a Playbook: Encourage your VA to document these processes into Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Be Patient: Expect a learning curve. Your VA wants to do a great job for you, so give them the grace and the clear instructions they need to get there.
4. Introduce Essential Tools
To work effectively as a team, you need a “shared brain.” Using the right tools keeps everyone on the same page without you having to micromanage.
- For Relationship Management: A tool like Less Annoying CRM is perfect for this. It’s simple and collaborative, allowing your VA to update contact notes, track leads, and set follow-up reminders so no one falls through the cracks.
- For Daily Action: Use Todoist to track progress. You can assign tasks to your VA, set due dates, and see when things are completed in real-time. It eliminates the “Did you get to that yet?” emails and keeps the energy focused on moving forward.
5. Communicate Regularly and Celebrate Often
The secret sauce to a long-term VA relationship is high-touch communication. Since you aren’t in the same office, you have to intentionally create “water cooler” moments.
- The Weekly Sync: Spend 15–30 minutes on a video call once a week. Talk about what’s working, what’s confusing, and what’s coming up on the horizon.
- Celebrate the Wins: When they catch a mistake you made or finish a project ahead of schedule, tell them! A simple “I couldn’t have done this launch without you” goes a long way.
- Make it Personal: Ask about their life. When you treat your VA as a valued team member rather than just a “service,” they become personally invested in your business success.
Ready to stop “managing” and start leading?
Reading about delegation is the easy part; actually letting go is where the magic (and the growth) happens. To help you move from theory to action, I’ve put together a quick “Pulse Check.” Use these seven questions to audit your current workload and identify exactly where your Virtual Assistant can step in to buy back your time. Grab a coffee, be honest with yourself, and let’s find your missing five hours this week.
The Delegation Discovery: 7 Questions for a Better Partnership
- The Energy Audit: Which recurring task on my plate consistently drains my creative energy or makes me procrastinate?
- The Value Exchange: If I handed off five hours of administrative work this week, what high-level project or personal priority would I dedicate that time to?
- The Bottleneck Check: Am I holding onto a task because I’m the only one who can do it, or simply because I haven’t taken the time to teach someone else how?
- The Trust Factor: What is one small, low-risk task I can hand over today to begin building a “trust muscle” with my VA?
- The Clarity Test: If I were to record a 2-minute video of this task, could a stranger complete it successfully, or is the process still living mostly in my head?
- The Communication Gap: When was the last time I gave my VA specific feedback—not just on a mistake, but on something they are doing exceptionally well?
- The Big Picture: One year from now, what does my ideal workday look like, and which responsibilities need to be fully offloaded to make that a reality?
Take 10 minutes this Friday to answer these. If you find yourself stuck on #5, it’s time to hit ‘Record’ on your next task! If you would like a worksheet with these questions – CLICK HERE:
