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Working with an Assistant: A Guide

24 October 2024

Working with your assistant can be a breeze. Just interact, listen to each other, nurture teamwork, give feedback, and make adjustments.

Here are a few tips to make the process even smoother (because nothing pleases me as much as advising you).

1 Setting Rules

Agree on days off and available hours. Discuss payments and when they need to be made. Here are some examples of my arrangements with assistants:

  • The assistant always texts back or uses a ✅ emoji reaction for completed tasks in our chat.
  • If a task is not completed on time and gets sidetracked, my assistant provides me with follow-up information, so I don’t have to chase down updates.
  • The assistant always uses a 👌 emoji reaction to acknowledge my requests, so I know they’ve been read and are being worked on.
  • When I give someone’s contact and ask for an arrangement, my assistant always communicates with the person in a very polite manner.
  • My assistant tries to stay one step ahead in our interactions. For example, if they can’t get through to the airlines, they don’t just text me asking what to do. Instead, they inform me that they’ve left a request on the website and will try calling again in an hour.
  • I prefer one-on-one interaction. A perfect example is when I text my assistant asking for an item, and in a few days, without further questions, the item is waiting for me at home (the assistant has keys to the apartment). The assistant handles all the intermediate steps independently.

2 Setting the Task

Make tasks clear and understandable, so the assistant knows what needs to be done without asking many questions.

3 Task Tracker

My assistant and I used to track the tasks, but we stopped. Telegram communication is sufficient for us.

4 Calendar

Discuss the rules for using a calendar. I have many rules regarding blocks, daily/weekly planning, agenda, etc. Everyone has their own method, so it’s important to talk it through with your assistant.

5 Mutual Benefit

Agree on what is important to each of you and respect those agreements. If the assistant wants to do more intellectual tasks, discuss the possibility of using other services and involving other people for simpler tasks. For example, my assistants are free to use platforms to find and hire specialists like couriers, drivers, translators, and designers.

6 Giving Access

Provide all necessary access to your personal assistant. Of course, everyone is different, but I trust the world and my assistants in particular. They have access to all my documents and passwords. Moreover, they have their own bank cards linked to my bank account. It’s very convenient!

7 Delegation

Delegate as much as possible. Remember why you hired an assistant in the first place. Give them the maximum number of tasks so you can focus on what is most valuable or brings you the most pleasure.

8 Opportunities for Growth

Help your assistant grow. Discuss whether they need mentoring from you and talk through their opportunities. This person helps you grow, so help them in return!

9 Enjoy Your Life

Finally, commit to the important things, live every moment, and enjoy the process!

If this is your first time here

My name is Kirill, I am 31 years old. In almost 10 years of creating digital products, I have managed to work at big banks, fail a couple of my own startups and make a small exit from another one, as well as participate in the launch of a brand new category of service on the Russian market - Car Subscription. During the day I am a corporatist and manage digital channels in a bank, and the rest of the time I ride a motorcycle, play squash and soccer, snowboard and wakesurf, and read books. I write on a variety of topics on this blog. A little more on the main page.

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