What a virtual executive assistant actually does.
Not a VA with a fancier title. A virtual executive assistant takes ownership of your week, so the work that keeps slipping starts moving without you chasing it.
The short version.
- An executive assistant owns outcomes: your calendar, your follow ups and the projects you hand over.
- Start with the calendar. It is where the time goes, and it teaches them how you work.
- Judge them on what moved, not on what they did.
- One daily note beats a hundred messages.
A week with a virtual executive assistant.
Here is what a typical week looks like for a business owner with an EA in Balanga.
- MonYour week is already planned when you sit down. Client meetings sit on your meeting days, with notes from last time attached.
- TueSupplier quotes chased and compared. Two clients who were overdue a catch up are booked in.
- WedThe board pack is drafted from last month's numbers and waiting for your review.
- ThuMeetings run back to back, and every action from them is captured and assigned by the afternoon.
- FriA note on what moved this week, what is stuck, and the one decision that needs you.
What to hand over, in order.
- Your calendar. Booking, moving and preparing for meetings, and keeping the days you protect free.
- Follow ups. The actions from every meeting, chased until they are done.
- Your inbox. Sorted, answered where they can, and summarised where they cannot.
- Relationships. Who is due a catch up, birthdays and anniversaries, the notes that make a message personal.
- Projects. The things that matter but never get started. Each with what finished looks like and a next step.
Keep your best work for yourself: the sale, the hard conversation, the decision only you can make. The point of an EA is to protect time for those.
Executive assistant or virtual assistant?
| Virtual assistant | Executive assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| Works from | Your task list | Your goals for the week |
| Reports | Tasks done | What moved, what is stuck, what needs you |
| You manage | The work | The priorities |
| Best for | Clear, repeatable admin | Owners whose time is the bottleneck |
If you are comparing options in the Philippines, read what to know before hiring a virtual assistant there.
How to tell if it is working.
Give it six weeks. By then the projects you handed over should be moving without you asking, your calendar should hold what you planned rather than what arrived, and you should be reading one note a day instead of answering questions all day.
That note is the reason we built EA Flow. Every one of our executive assistants writes it at the end of their day, built from the projects they moved. See how EA Flow works.
Why our EAs are in Balanga.
Yoonet has built offshore teams from one office in Balanga City, Bataan, since 2011. Our people live close to the office and stay for years, which matters more for an executive assistant than for almost any other role: the value compounds as they learn your business. See the Filipino executive assistants we have interviewed.
Common questions
What is a virtual executive assistant?
An executive assistant who works remotely and runs the parts of your week that are not your best use of time: calendar, inbox, follow ups, documents, travel and the projects you hand over. They report on progress rather than on tasks.
What should I hand over first?
Start with your calendar and the follow ups that leak from it: booking meetings, preparing for them and chasing the actions afterwards. It is where an EA saves the most time in the first month, and it teaches them how you work.
How do I know if my executive assistant is working out?
Look at your projects, not their activity. After six weeks, the things you handed over should be moving without you chasing, and you should be reading one note a day instead of answering questions all day.
Can a virtual executive assistant work Australian hours?
An assistant in the Philippines works close to Australian hours without a night shift. Philippine time is two hours behind Sydney for most of the year, three during daylight saving.