Virtual Joe

I VA where you vacation, on the beautiful island of Jamaica. I have been freelancing for the past 2 years, offering my services to friends and family unofficially.

In March 2020 I decided I wanted to capitalize on the training and skills I’d developed working in various corporate companimes over the past 15 years. I saw the effects of the pandemic as an opportunity to capitalize on the major shift to digital commerce. In July I decided after much research and planning that I wanted to offer my services officially and become a virtual assistant. I started an Instagram business account with little expectations of landing a customer before the first three months.However in less than two weeks in August I got my first client, my 2nd client, my third client and today October 1st I’m starting with my 4th client.

I’m not an expert in the virtual assistant field in fact, I have learnt so much since starting this journey in march and still have much more to learn, that I consider myself a newbie, an underdog. What I expected and the reality of working virtually, on a tropical island would be like are complete opposites. Proper time management and being organized are two key factors that make my day go by smoothly. 

1. Where I opt to work from cannot be as “remote” as I’d like it to be. I definitely expected to be working from the beach or a more relaxed environment more often. However, I have to tether my phone’s data on the beach which is no fun. The kids are at home and make it impossible to function properly when I have virtual meetings. The best wifi connection I have are at home or my favorite co-working spot in Kingston Jamaica. My work location is still hindered by the availability  of certain amenities.

2. I thought I would be able to work quietly from home with kids who are also at home 24/7s due to school closure because of the pandemic. Boy was I wrong, I have to plan content, research and do most of the work for the following day the night before. That way I have time to chase the two year old around the house in the day.

3. I had wished for years I could work in bed, sill in pajamas and with my coffee. Imagine my disappointment when I found it was overrated, i was living my dream or so I thought. The reality is I am most productive and creative out of bed and out of the house. I am inspired by nature, I am excited to leave the house, to visit my co-working hub, to have lunch by the river and to take a walk along the Kingston harbour. Being home in bed is a nice idea but non-productive.

The bottom line is that I love working with clients from different parts of the world, I love working remotely and I love the freedom of being a virtual assistant has. Are you working from home now? Tell me in the comments some of your biggest misconceptions about working remotely.