Note: I’m nearing the end of my virtual assistant experiment, but I’m taking a break from sharing my results this week so I can have more data next week.
We can’t do it alone.
Even if we’re working independently, we need help in some form or another. That help doesn’t necessarily have to come from another person. It can from the system you’ve put in place to help you achieve more. It can come from a service or app that helps you speed the right things up so that you can slow the right things down. It can come in the form of self-reflection, learning from experiences that help shape a better future.
But it can come from another person, and that kind of help is often the best kind.
Another person can help point you in the right direction. They can even push you in the right direction. They can act as another set of eyes, giving you the perspective that you can’t see yourself because you’re so close to the circumstances. They can simply be a person to bounce ideas off of, or be someone to lean on when you need support.
Once you get comfortable with looking and asking for help, you get better at knowing when you need it. I’ve found that has been one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned so far through my virtual assistant experiment. I’ve also learned that by taking the time to set up trusted systems and doing that valuable “front end work” on apps and services like Front and Woven. I’ve even learned to look for help with things in an unconventional manner with apps like Blinkist and Scribd to help me read and absorb more non-fiction books and Focus@Will to help me create an atmosphere conducive to focused work.
Most of all, I’ve learned to embrace help as something I want to offer more of with my body of work here at Productivityist.
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” — Les Brown
Productivityist’s mission is to help people stop doing productive and start being productive. I try to do that through the blog, the books, and my speaking engagements. Over the next few months I’m going to add more to the mix, starting with Productivityist Coaching. This new offering offers help in the form of one-to-one personalized distance productivity coaching, and you can learn more about it here.
The thing about help is that no matter what service or app provides it and regardless of who offers it, it always has the potential to be a win-win for both sides.
I’m in the business of helping people become more effective and efficient. What are you helping yourself with…and what things are helping you? Who is helping you? Better still, what are you helping people with? Let me know in the comments.
