From Owner to CEO: The OBM's Delegation Guide

How do you go from being an owner to a CEO in your business? One of the most important steps is to begin strategically delegating responsibilities. 

Let’s make it less scary by talking through what it would look like to have an Online Business Manager (OBM) partner with you to delegate effectively. Your OBM will act as a:

Strategic Delegation Advisor

By working closely with you, your OBM will understand your goals, your vision, and your strengths and weaknesses. They can identify which tasks and responsibilities are suitable for delegation. 

Task Assessment and Prioritization

Your OBM will evaluate your team to learn each member’s skills, roles, and strengths. They can then make sure each team member is matched with tasks that align with their abilities. This ensures that you maintain a team with greater productivity and job satisfaction.

Team Manager 

By monitoring the progress of delegated tasks, your OBM will make sure your team will hit benchmarks and deadlines. They can spot issues early and provide constructive feedback when necessary. This process maintains a high level of customer service standards.

Process Improvement Expert

Your OBM will analyze your existing processes and workflows to identify areas for improvement. They document and organize tasks to create a system of consistency and scalability. 

Tech Integrator

Your OBM will identify and integrate the best tech and tools for your team. This may include project management software, communication tools, or automation systems. Your business will benefit from these integrations with increased operational efficiency.

Sound amazing? Here’s how you and I would implement delegation effectively, step by step:

Identify and Offload the 1st Priority Task

You and I will pinpoint the most critical tasks and responsibilities that need to be offloaded from your to-do list. (Think time-consuming, or requiring specialized skills that you or your team currently lack.)

We’ll create a custom implementation plan for each task. This document will include assigning the right task to the right team member, setting clear expectations, and establishing project timelines. 

I will oversee the initial steps of delegation, ensuring that each team member receives proper training and resources to excel in their new role. 

Offload the 2nd Priority Task

Just as with the first task, we will take a personalized approach. We’ll consider the unique needs and challenges of the task as we create a plan to delegate.

Together, we’ll identify any adjustments needed based on the lessons learned from the first round of delegation. This process will ensure better efficiency.

I’ll provide ongoing support and address any issues so that the implementation progresses smoothly and meets your business goals.

Offload the 3rd Priority Task

Again, we will customize the task. We’ll have the benefit of the two previous tasks to refine the delegation process. 

I’ll provide guidance and feedback as before to both you and your team members. 

The aim is to make these transitions as seamless as possible with minimal disruption to your business operations. 

At the end of this delegation journey, we schedule a call to debrief. This is an opportunity for you to provide feedback on the delegation process.

We’ll review the outcomes, assess the impact on your workload and operations, and identify areas for further improvement.

With the help of your valuable feedback, I will create a plan for implementing additional opportunities for improvement that may have emerged during the delegation process.

After 90 days

It’s important to recognize that delegation is an evolving process that grows along with your business. My role as your OBM will extend beyond the initial 90 days.

I will continue to provide support through Slack for 30 days after implementation so that you and your team have a safety net as you settle into the new workflow. 

Ultimately, the goal of my OBM services is to optimize your business for the long-term, allowing you to focus on your vision, expand your business, and achieve a better work-life balance. 

Next, let’s dive into the benefits of having an OBM as your ongoing strategic partner.

Continuing Support and the OBM Advantage

Like I said, delegation isn’t a one-and-done endeavor; it’s a continuous journey of optimizing your business operations for long-term success.

Many clients choose to extend our collaboration so that I can support their ongoing needs. 

Extending Our Partnership

With an extended partnership, I will continue to manage your teams, projects, and operations. This allows you to maintain the momentum of business growth without getting bogged down by day-to-day management tasks.

Customized Solutions and Upgrades

As your business evolves, so do your needs. I will stay attuned to your business’s changing dynamics and offer customized solutions proactively plus recommendations for future upgrades.

Whether it’s integrating new technology, expanding your team, or optimizing existing processes, I’ll make sure your business is able to adapt to industry trends and opportunities.

Seamless Business Scaling

Scaling your business is a natural progression and I’ll be there to ensure a smooth and controlled expansion. With me optimizing your processes and team management, you’ll be able to take on more clients, explore new opportunities, and reach higher revenue milestones without added stress.

Strategic Planning and Future Growth

Once your day-to-day operations are effectively managed, you’ll have the bandwidth to focus on strategic planning and business development. Together, we’ll set long-term goals, develop growth strategies, and research innovative opportunities that will position your business for sustainable success.

Holistic OBM Services

My role as your OBM provides a holistic approach to business organization and management. Through process improvement, tech integration, team alignment, and strategic guidance, I offer a comprehensive suite of services to optimize every aspect of your business operations.

To summarize, having an OBM as your strategic partner offers ongoing support that extends well beyond the initial delegation phase. It empowers you to:

• Focus on your CEO role

• Achieve a better work-life balance

• Scale your business

• Plan for future growth

Our partnership will adapt to your evolving needs to ensure that your business will thrive in today’s ever-changing landscape. 

If you’re ready to experience the advantages of OBM services, reach out to me and we’ll talk about how I can support your business’s continued growth and success.

The Power of Delegation: Scaling Your Business with an Online Business Manager

You can’t do it alone. And when I say “it,” I mean your business. Whether it’s one task or many, you need to delegate in order to focus on the growth of your business.

To “delegate,” as a business owner, means to give tasks to someone you trust so that you can focus on money generating activities.

If you want to delegate the delegation, hire an Online Business Manager. An OBM will be your strategic partner who guides the delegation process, provides clear communication, and monitors progress.

Why go through this process at all? If you want to grow your wonderful business, your team will need you to be in the CEO role and you can’t be there if you’re still managing everything. 

You will need to be able to trust that your team can handle the tasks you delegate. 

If you have a busy team, you will need someone to help them prioritize and stay on track. An Online Business Manager (OBM) can manage your team and projects, keeping your operations flowing smoothly. 

An OBM can manage your team by:

• Checking in daily to make sure each team member will meet their deadlines or if not, to see what they need to complete their work

• Problem solving so that both you and your team can focus on your work without the interruption that comes from a tech issue, etc. 

• Heading off future issues by creating systems

• Training team members in the skills they need to become more efficient

• Managing projects and making sure your team hits their benchmarks and goals

• Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that a task can be repeated efficiently

The delegation dilemma

It can be difficult for a business owner to delegate. 

They might think, “In the time it takes for me to explain how to do this task, I could have done it already. I’ll train my team another day.” You’re right. It takes time to train someone to the point where they can thoroughly understand how to complete a task.

A business owner might wonder if they can trust a team member to complete a task regularly and without prompting. 

They might feel like the months of answering questions and assisting someone with a shaky knowledge of a task will be too stressful because they’ll be worrying constantly about the accuracy of the task.

All of these things are possibilities. However, spending several months training a member of your team to understand and complete a task with precision will be worth it in the end.

At that point, you will have added time to your schedule that you can use to do the things that only you can do, like write a book, reach out to prospects, create a course, and speak at a conference. These activities will help scale your business in a way that the task you just handed off never could.

I knew a business owner who opted not to delegate. What happened? Well, COVID happened. They got sick and their business shut down for a couple weeks. 

Another business owner hadn’t been on vacation in years. They were afraid of trusting someone with important tasks while they were away so they just stayed put. 

Imagine the pressure these folks were under. There wasn’t anyone they could turn to in an emergency and the health of their business rested on their shoulders. 

Wouldn’t you want to avoid this kind of stress at all cost?

Why delegation matters

Delegation is crucial for online service-based business owners with small teams.  it provides the ability to:

Increase Client Satisfaction

With an online business, everything moves faster, which means you must provide faster service in order to remain competitive. Sure, you’ve automated some tasks, but it’s that human touch that makes your clients feel special. By delegating, you will ensure that your clients receive the highest level of service, which will lead to increased rates of client satisfaction and retention.

Focus on Core Strengths

Your unique skill set brought your business to life and helped it flourish. By delegating tasks that are not within your core strengths, you will have the energy and time for activities that directly contribute to the growth of your business.

Scale

Delegating tasks to a team will allow you to take on more clients while providing the same level of service. You will also ensure that the team workload remains manageable. 

Plan Strategically

Delegation will free up time for strategic planning and business development. You’ll be able to set long-term goals, develop growth strategies, and explore new opportunities.

Enhance Work-Life Balance

Delegating to a team will help you reduce your workload so you can spend more time with your family, pursue a hobby, or simply rest.

The Online Business Manager’s Role in Delegation

You may be wondering, “How does an Online Business Manager fit into all of this?”

Strategic Delegation Advisor

Your OBM will help you figure out which tasks and responsibilities can be effectively delegated. 

Task Assessment and Prioritization

By assessing tasks with your OBM, you will be able to categorize them by priority, complexity, and strategic importance. This way, the most critical tasks will receive attention while non-critical tasks can be sorted for delegation.

Team Alignment

Your OBM will evaluate the alignment of the skills, strengths, and roles of your team members. They will ensure that each individual is assigned tasks that match their abilities, maximizing efficiency, productivity, and job satisfaction. 

Monitoring and Feedback

Since your OBM is constantly monitoring the progress of delegated tasks, they can provide constructive feedback to team members and maintain a high-quality standard. They will track benchmarks and deadlines so that projects are completed on time.

Process Improvement

Your OBM will be proactive in analyzing processes so that delegated tasks are documented and well organized.

Tech Integration

Your OBM will find the best tools to support your team and make the delegation process easier. The implementation of a project management platform, communication platform, and automation tools will improve team efficiency and consistency.

Long-Term Benefits of OBM Services

At this point, you may be thinking, “This is a lot of information, Stef. Just give me the bottom line.”

An OBM will be your strategic partner who guides the delegation process, provides clear communication, and monitors progress. They will contribute to process improvement, tech integration, and empower your team. 

The bottom line: Your OBM will optimize your business and provide you with a better work-life balance.

If you’re interested in learning more about OBM services, email me. I’d love to learn about your business and answer your questions.  

How to Avoid Decision Fatigue

Earlier this summer, I had ankle surgery. After the pain was under control, I returned to my online work. Even though I wasn’t sleeping well and I spent my waking hours with my leg elevated or crutching around the house, my head was clear. 

Completing my work was a breeze! I wondered how this could be.

I added up all the responsibilities I no longer performed.

• I wasn’t cooking dinner, which meant I wasn’t planning dinner (what to buy, when to start prepping, how to make sure all the dishes are ready at the same time, etc.). 

• And laundry! Hahahahaha

• Since it’s my right ankle, I can’t drive so I haven’t been chauffeuring our non-driving child to appointments or social events.

• I’m not planning or coordinating events with other people and everyone is being super nice and patient if something does come up.

• Plus, it’s summer, so we don’t have all the school gatherings and I haven’t had to remind my kids about homework, tests, and projects.

It’s been AMAZING. I’ve been making a quarter of the decisions I usually make. I’ve been able to focus so much more easily.

My husband, on the other hand, has experienced extreme fatigue from long days of making all the decisions for work and home. So much so that he lost his glasses. Completely lost them. We looked everywhere and he checked at work. They’re gone and he’s had to order another pair. He clearly has decision fatigue.

Understandably, he’s rejoicing with each step I make towards recovery. While I’m glad to heal and begin walking, I’m thinking about how to maintain this headspace!

To make things more interesting, school starts next week and we’ll be picking up the pace in the Kalka house. It feels like someone has set a treadmill for a high speed and we’re about to step onto it without realizing. I don’t want to feel like I’m always running anymore. How did we get here?

With our busy-ness, we make an estimated 35,000 decisions a day. (Probably more if you’re a small business owner.)

Insanity! It’s not healthy to keep going like this!

Let’s focus on ways to make fewer decisions in your business. 

notice what’s happening without trying to change anything

In order to go somewhere new, you first have to understand your current state. Notice the number of decisions you make and when you make the most important decisions of your day. 

Try to do this without judgment. No telling yourself, “I should have done this weeks ago,” or “I bet so-and-so can make all these decisions without struggling.”

Give yourself the kindness and self-compassion you deserve.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

Once you know the time of day that requires you to make your most important decisions, you can find ways to conserve energy for that time. 

For example, if you need the most focus for decisions between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, use the time beforehand to build your energy with a mix of activities like simpler tasks, short breaks, exercise, and healthy food. 

Although you may be busy between 1:00pm and 4:00pm, there are simple ways you can continue to take care of yourself, like noticing your breathing. If you’re feeling stressed, it may become more shallow. Fully inhaling and exhaling will release tension and almost certainly lead to better decisions.

Once you’ve completed your high decision-making time, give yourself a reward with a walk, time to listen to your favorite playlist, or reading. Whatever you choose, let it take you away from your desk and screens.

Your brain needs this break as much as the rest of you! The moment you start thinking, “I just need to finish this before I take a break,” is when you most need a break. Let yourself have this time to unwind.

CUT BACK ON THE LEAST IMPORTANT DECISIONS

During the lighter times of the day, look for unnecessary decisions and see if you can get rid of them.

There are many ways to do this, such as making a menu for the week so you don’t have to figure out what to make for every weeknight. I don’t always do this, but life is so much easier when I do! I’m trying to recommit to this tip and I’ll let you know how it goes!

You can always turn to the minimalist movement for help. Having a uniform or a capsule wardrobe with interchangeable pieces will make getting ready in the morning much faster.

You could clutter your home with thousands of decluttering books!

Clearing cloud clutter is a fantastic way to cut down on decisions. I make sure to do this with files and email, too. Regularly updating my clients’ standard operating procedures on a quarterly basis means they will continue to make decisions accurately and quickly. 

If you’re hesitant to delete files, save them to a flash drive or to a cloud storage service like Dropbox.

Spend 15 minutes straightening your desk at the end of the day

When you put things away at the end of the work day, you give your future self a gift. The next time you sit down at your desk, you will think, “Wow, what a nice desk. I feel so relaxed and ready for the day! Thank me!”

Find someone to help you make decisions

If you’re a small business owner who’s feeling overwhelmed, it may be time to get yourself a Virtual Assistant. They can help with tasks: you say, “here’s a task and this is how you do it,” they say, “got it!”

If you already have a Virtual Assistant and a couple other team members, it might be time for an Online Business Manager. You say, “I have a lot of plates spinning and I’m managing every part of my business and I’m missing opportunities,” they say, “I’ll create SOPs, manage your team and your projects so you can have the bandwidth to grow your business.”

If this is something you’d like to learn more about, contact me. I’d love to chat with you.

Take your time with this process. It will be an adjustment, however, I think you’ll feel a whole lot better. I know I do! I hope you’ll join me on my journey to shed decisions. There are so many beautiful things to see and do when you have less to decide.

Email Productivity Hacks

What’s black and white and read all over? Email! 

You can’t run from it. You can’t read all of it. However, you can stem the tide.

Here’s how…

AH, EMAIL

Take a deep breath. We’ll get through this. Let’s take a look. 

Unsubscribe from those lists!

Are you on a lot of lists, like a LISTSERV or company email marketing lists? It’s time to unsubscribe! If you have a Virtual Assistant, this is a fantastic task for them to handle.

Customize for organization at a glance.

If you have a Gmail account, spend some time customizing and organizing your email. You’ll be able to find what you’re looking for more quickly with color coded email and labels.

You could get your team to help with triage. 

My husband’s boss asked the team to create a descriptive subject line and start it with one of three words: ACTION, INFO, or HOT. Doing this helps him prioritize at a glance. 

For example, the subject line could read, “HOT-Next week’s conference venue flooded in storm,” and he’d know that this was the most urgent issue, requiring his attention immediately.

Give email limited access to your time.

It will also help to check your email at specific times during the day, otherwise you risk being derailed every time you see a new message or hear an alert. Being intentional about when you check in will help your brain focus on other tasks.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

If you perform a task in email more than twice, you should consider creating a Standard Operating Procedure, or SOP. By documenting a process, you are ensuring that it will be done the same way every time. 

“But Stef, it will take too long to create an SOP for all these tasks! I’m already short on time.”

I know, but investing 30-60 minutes to create an SOP now will save you countless hours in the future. Remember those times when you thought to yourself, “Here’s another time where I need to send a carefully-worded email. I did the same thing just last week. Who did I send it to? I better search for that old email so I can remember what I wrote.”

You could spend a LOT of time doing that. An SOP will only take more of your time once and then that task will go quickly and with more accuracy. 

AUTOMATIONS

If you have an email that must be sent repeatedly, automate it. For example, if you need to create an email like the one above—making sure to use the right language so it conveys the same message each time—create an email template. This is super easy to do in Gmail.

• Go to Settings and select “See all settings”

• Click on “Advanced”

• Look for “Templates” and click “Enable”

• Click “Save Changes” below

• Go back to your inbox and click Compose on the upper left

• Write your email

• If you have an automatic signature, delete it (otherwise you’ll have two signatures in your template)

• Click on the three dots on the bottom left of the message (“More options”)

• Hover over “Templates”

• Hover over “Save draft as template”

• Click “Save as new template”

• Type the name of the template and “Save” WARNING: Whatever you name the template will appear in the Subject line of your email. Now is not the time for a sense of humor. You don’t want to accidentally send an accounts receivable email with the subject line, Hey dummy, pay me!

DELEGATing

Now that you have automations and SOPs, it’s time to delegate! Automations can make sure tasks are carried out with precision. For example, once you have a series of templates, you can delegate certain emails that will require those templates. 

Your SOPs will allow you to delegate email tasks with multiple steps to other members of your team. They will be able to perform the task the same way every time and you will be free to do something else!  

I’m sure there are more ways to cut back on email time. What are your strategies? Let me know in the comments below.

Does Everything Live in Your Head?

 Does everything live in your head?

I’ve had clients tell me that when it comes to their business, “Everything lives in my head.” 

These business owners were very organized and knew exactly how they wanted their business to be run. However, they were the point person for every single decision. I could see how it drained them.

I suggested we create a business operations manual. Here’s why…

What’s a business operations manual?

When all decisions fall on your shoulders, it sucks away time and leaves you unable to grow your business. 

The trouble with everything living in your head is that in an emergency, no one else will be able to keep your business running smoothly. (This was made obvious during the pandemic.)

Sharing the ins and outs of your business can be a relief

I’m not suggesting you offload all your skills to your team or give someone access to your bank account or do anything that makes you super uncomfortable.

What I do recommend is that you begin by creating an operations manual. This is a file that will contain all the basic information necessary for keeping your business afloat in an emergency. 

A business operations manual gives you peace of mind

You’ll sleep easier knowing that: 

• another team member can step in if and when the need should arise 

Stuff happens—and not just to you. A team member might go on maternity leave, have surgery, or win the lottery and call you from Bali. Knowing who’s Responsible for what and when will let you and your team know where someone left off with their work and the next steps to follow.

• you have a written guide for operational excellence so your team will understand customer needs and expectations

Everyone will be on the same page about providing outstanding service and building client relationships. You will also have a clear policy to point to if a team member needs a reminder.

• you’ll have a resource for training new team members (and shorten training time)

When you’re onboarding a new team member, you will have everything they need to create a successful stress-free experience. You can go beyond a typed file and include video tutorials. This will cater to different learning styles and provide a quick reference once your new hire is getting up to speed.

• you’ll be able to grow your business since you won’t have to answer every question and make every decision 

Once your business operations manual is documented clearly, team members will have another source of information when questions arise. Fewer interruptions mean you will have more time to focus and it will be easier to complete your work and take breaks!

• you’ll have more energy because you’re not doing everything

When you have a set of documented processes, it will be easier to delegate tasks. Once you remove tasks from your plate, you’ll have more breathing room. What could you do with a couple more hours in your day?Grow your business? Go for a walk? Play with your kids? Buy a new toy for your pet? All of the above??

• you’ll know how to plan for the future

Now that you’ve been able to delegate and team members can easily find the answers to many of their questions on their own, you will have the bandwidth to look around and wonder, “What’s next?” You’ll be able to spend time imagining the future of your business, new offerings and products, and how your team might move forward along with you. They may have discovered new talents through your delegation and maybe it’s time you shift their roles so you can all be excited as your business grows!

A business operations manual is an insurance policy for your business

Taking what’s in your head and creating a business operations manual means your team will have access to it. This will cover you in an emergency and allow you to go on vacation with less worry. 

When creating your business operations manual, be sure to add:

• Job descriptions and contact information 

Be sure to add your company’s business address, your website URL,  and contact information for your team members and essential vendors. 

• Operating hours

Your team will appreciate a policy that clearly states when your company does business. Knowing up front will assist them in managing client expectations, too.

• Company policies

Sure, this information is probably in their contracts, but does your team have easy access to company policies? Having accessible policy information could save you heartache later.

• Standard Operating Procedures for all processes

Having all your SOPs in one place will save time in an emergency. Their visibility will also help new hires get acclimated and remind you to update. It will help to have checklists for repeated tasks with many steps. 

• Training examples

Give your new hires a smooth onboarding experience with examples of tasks they will need to complete. Add videos to increase their learning speed. 

• Emergency procedures

Keep these instructions clear and direct. Let your team know what to do if your email, social media, or website get hacked. List who to call and the steps they should take. 

• Passwords 

List the steps for logging into a system, but put your usernames, passwords and codes into a password management platform. This way, your account information is only available to a limited number of people and the passwords are protected.

It takes patience to create your business operations manual 

If you work on your business operations manual for 30 minutes a day, it won’t feel as overwhelming and you’ll have a draft prepared before you know it. Be patient and take the time to cover everything. 

Add images and videos to leave no room for error! Remember: some of this information gathering can be delegated to your team, so make use of them! Or, hire an online business manager to handle this process for you.

Once you complete your operations manual, give your team members the task of checking it quarterly. A lot can change in three months!

By creating and maintaining your operations manual, you and your team will feel confident about what to do on a daily basis and in an emergency. Take this step towards helping your business to run without you and notice if you feel lighter. Be sure to let me know how it goes!

How to Get Started with a Virtual Assistant

You’ve finally hired a Virtual Assistant and it’s going to be great, but how do you get started? Some VAs will give you instructions on how to prepare for your first meeting together, but in case they don’t, I’ve got you covered!

How to Prepare

Providing Access

Decide how you’d like to communicate and make sure your VA has your email address (I can’t imagine they wouldn’t, but…). Give them your Slack, your Voxer, and possibly your cell for emergencies. Let your VA know what hours you will be available.

If you’re planning to have a long-term relationship with your VA, you should consider creating a Gmail account for them. If you both use Google Workspace, you’ll be able to share documents, calendars, and forms. Most importantly, you’ll be able to access your VA’s account, so if your VA is on vacation and you need something, the info will be accessible to you—or if you and your VA part ways, all documents and correspondence will belong to you.

Give your VA access to all the accounts and platforms they’ll need to complete tasks, like Asana, Canva, Hootsuite, Quickbooks, and your social media platforms. Be sure to set the permissions so that your VA has the ability to do things like scheduling social media posts or adding clients to your CRM.

To give your VA access to multiple accounts, it’s best to use a password manager tool like LastPass. Taking this extra safety precausion will protect your passwords, allow you to track logins, and cancel access should the need arise.

Considering Tasks

Make a list of the tasks you envision your VA performing. Then, create a spreadsheet, putting the tasks into three categories.

1. Tasks you hate

2. Tasks that must be accurate or are time-sensitive, or both

3. Tasks you love but aren’t skilled at doing

Some tasks might fit into more than one category, but start with tasks that only fit Category 1. Choose tasks that aren’t as affected by the small errors that come with performing a task for the first time.

Create SOPs for each of the tasks. By taking your VA through each step in writing, you’ll make it easier for them to learn—and having a document to refer back to will mean fewer moments of confusion. Plus, if there comes a time when someone else will need to do that task, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Now, this is not to say that your VA won’t need direction. During the meeting, spend some time sharing your screen to let them see how each task is done. Be available to answer questions. You may even want to make a loom video for them to refer back to.

Once your VA is up to speed, give them a task from Category 2. When they’ve mastered that, add another task. This is how you avoid overwhelming them and ensure that tasks don’t bounce back to you.

Check your VA’s work—at least the first few times they complete tasks—to make sure they understand and are completing the work acurately. Kindly let the VA know what they need to pay extra attention to. Also let them know when they’re doing a great job!

Since your VA is learning something new (not just the task, but your preferred way of completing it and documenting it), it will probably take more time from start to finish. They will be slower than you and that’s to be expected. You’re experienced and have done that task repeatedly. Please be patient and give your VA a chance to grow comfortable. In about a month, you’ll be so happy. It’s worth it, I promise!

Set up a weekly check-in time. One 15-minute call a week is sometimes all it takes to clarify priorities. Let your VA know you’re available to them, expecially in these early stages. It’s normal to have a few kinks to work out, but if you take the time to be supportive, you and your VA will grow into an efficient team.

If this all feels overwhelming, you might consider outsourcing the VA onboarding process. If you’d like to learn more about this process, contact me and we’ll talk it over.

Best wishes as you take a huge step towards the work/life balance you deserve!

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant

You’re a small business owner who’s been working on your own. You’re starting to see results from your efforts and that’s encouraging, but you’re also feeling overwhelmed. You’re drowning as you try to complete all the things and it’s becoming visible to your clients.

You’re not responding to requests for support, you’re forgetting things, and although you need to accomplish more, your productivity has decreased.

It’s clear that something has to change. This is your dream job but the only way for it to stop feeling like a nightmare is to get some support. You need a virtual assistant.

Let me tell you how to hire one…

Figure out your budget

It’s important to be clear about what you can afford. You can find virtual assistants for $3/hour up to $100/hour. The reason for this broad range has to do with experience, skills, and the size of the pool of freelancers. For example, if you’re looking for a virtual assistant on Upwork, there are many, MANY to choose from. To be competitive, some VAs will lower their rates.

There are people that say, “Those are VAs from countries like the Philippines. The cost of living is much lower there, so $3 an hour is a great rate for them!”

This is not true. I am in social media groups with many VAs from the Philippines and they all say that $3 and hour is not a living wage. These are highly skilled individuals who deserve to be paid fairly and if you hire someone for $3/hour, chances are they will leave you as soon as they find someone who will pay them $5/hour, which is understandable. It’s my opinion that this is not a risk worth taking, not to mention the bad juju.

Virtual assistants who charge higher rates are specialized. If you would like someone to focus on social media, content creation, or web development, you can expect to pay more.

Decide on a freelancer platform, an agency, or a freelance virtual assistant

There are many ways to find your VA. Let’s look at three.

Freelancer Platform

A freelancer platform like Upwork or Fiverr allows you to search with filters like location, experience, price range, specialty, rating, and delivery time. You will quickly have a list of qualified VAs who can take on your time-sensitive project.

You will communicate with your VA through the platform and both of you will sign a contract. Payment is also through the platform. Your relationship can be short-term or extend into other projects.

Agency

With an agency, you work through the agency’s human resources managers or owners to pin down what you need and the agency managers/owners match you with a virtual assistant. This works well if you’re a busy entrepreneur who doesn’t have the time to vet someone. Another bonus is that if your VA becomes unavailable for some reason (either short-term for something like a surgery or permanently because they’ve left the agency), the agency will find you a replacement. This way, you will have a very little time without assistance.

Freelance Virtual Assistant

If you will only feel comfortable working with someone you’ve personally vetted and you’re looking for someone who will stay with you for a long time, you should look for a freelance virtual assistant on your own. One way to find someone is to post a job on VA Facebook or LinkedIn groups (following their best practices, of course). The fastest way might be to post on social media and let people know you’re looking. (This is how I was put in contact with one of my clients.) This is the most time-consuming approach, but because you’re involved in the entire process, it will most likely lead you to someone you will form a bond with and trust.

Ask the right questions during your discovery call

A discovery call is the first conversation you have with a virtual assistant. It’s often on Zoom or FaceTime and it’s your chance to get to know each other. You will find out if you and the VA will get along well together and have the same working style.

Remember that this isn’t usually a corporate 9 to 5 situation. When the VA completes their work doesn’t matter if it’s done on time, however, if you need someone who will be available nights, say so. If you need someone to make phone calls between 1:00pm and 5:00pm ET, be sure to mention that. Also be sure to tell them your preferred method of communication and when you are available to answer questions.

Ask how they will communicate their progress to you. For example, I send my clients a weekly email that lists the projects I worked on with the time spent on each. I let them know the time they have remaining for the month and make sure my work priorities are aligned with theirs.

See if your personalities are compatible. If you like to joke around but the VA is serious, it might not be a great fit. If you have a relaxed work style but the VA prefers deadlines with precise instructions, you should probably keep looking for someone who “gets” you. And it might be that you like the VA but they decide that you’re not a good fit for them. That’s okay. It’s good that they told you before you were invested in the relationship and it allows you to move on quickly.

Before hiring on a virtual assistant, check references

If you’re going the freelancer route, check the freelancer’s references. I have done this for clients and believe me, you can learn a lot from a 15-minute conversation with someone. Don’t skip this step!

Sign your contract

Once you and your virtual assistant agree to work together, they will send you a contract. You will usually be expected to pay them before work begins.

This is an exciting time for you! You’re taking the first step towards having less on your plate! If you have any questions, feel free to post them below or if you’d like me to help you build your team, drop me a line. Check back next week for my blog post on getting started with your VA.

How to Create a Volunteer Recruitment Email

Recruiting volunteers can be an intimidating task, but I’m here to help you streamline this process. Keep reading to learn how…

For 5 years, I had a job where I managed up to 54 volunteers at a time. I learned the best strategies for volunteer engagement and community building so I would get the support I needed. Now I’m part of an organization that regularly needs assistance: Scouts. The other members of our committee were surprised when I recently filled all the volunteer slots for an event in under 48 hours. Here’s how I did it:

Figure out what you need first

A month or two in advance of the event, gather all the information necessary to clearly communicate your needs to the group. For example, If you need volunteers for a fundraising event, make sure you have all Five Ws: Who, What, Where, When, Why, + How. Not having all the information is a surefire way to get 0 responses because no one wants to be the only one there or find themselves wandering through an empty parking lot at 11:00pm to put trash in the dumpster. Being clear about what you need will make it easier for people to say “yes” to your request and more likely that they’ll assist you in the future.

Here’s an example of a volunteer recruitment email:

Good evening, scouting families.

Next Tuesday is our Court of Honor, which will take place at the park pavilion at 7:00pm. We will serve ice cream from the local dairy afterwards!

We need some volunteers!

• Several people to assist with set-up at 6:30pm (arranging tables and food, unloading troop supplies)

• Several volunteers to assist with clean-up until 9:00pm (packing up troop supplies, cleaning tables, moving tables back where we found them, disposal of trash)

• 2 volunteers to scoop ice cream

• 2 packages of cookies (family packs)

• 2 packages of cupcakes (12-packs)

• 2 packages of Italian ice (12-packs in an ice chest)

• 3 families to bring water bottles (24-packs in an ice chest)

  Please contact me as soon as you’re able to let me know that you’re able to contribute. We need your help to make it a great night.

Thanks and have a nice weekend,

Stephanie Kalka, Troop Secretary/Recruiting Coordinator

Send a clear email to the right people

In this email, I answered any question someone might have that would stand in the way of them volunteering. Everything is clearly laid out for the recipient’s reference. And at the end of the email, I am already assuming they’re going to volunteer their time and I’m thanking them because it’s SO important to thank your volunteers—even before they’ve volunteered.

Before you send the email to everyone one your list, check the list in and remove people who have already mentioned that they won’t be available for the event. This way, you won’t receive emails that say, “I already told you I won’t be around that weekend,” etc. Annoy them this time and they might avoid you next time.

After you send your email, you will hear from those friends and colleagues who understand the work that goes into planning for this sort of event. These people are my favorites. Even if they respond to say they aren’t available, at least they let you know.

Send a second email

Give the initial email 48 to 72 hours to work its magic. You will have a handful of people to fill up volunteer slots. Before sending the email again, remove the people on the list who have signed up. If you send an email to someone who’s already volunteered, they will be might be confused. Then they’ll probably send you an email asking if you put them on the schedule, which will create unnecessary back-and-forth. Clean up your list and update the email to say something like, “We heard from a few people and are grateful to them for stepping up. We still need XX people for these time slots on these days.” Once your email has been proofread, send it out.

Send “special invitation” emails

You will hear from several people, usually with an apology, “Sorry I didn’t let you know sooner, but yes, I can volunteer at this time on this day.” Some will decline, and that’s all right. Now you will be left with the people who haven’t responded at all. I think of these people as the “special invitation” group. Sometimes they’re overwhelmed, sometimes they just want to hide in the herd and let the overachievers do the heavy lifting. Whatever their reason, you will need to reach out to each of them personally.

Create a personalized email for each of these people. Something like this:

Hi L,

How was your son’s soccer tournament? The last time I saw Fred, I couldn’t believe how tall he’s gotten!

I know you’re busy, but is there any way you two could assist with the Court of Honor set-up? We could really use the help of an experienced family that night, since the other volunteers are new this year. You have such a nice way of making people feel welcome and I think the Smith family would increase their participation if they spent some time getting to know you guys. Would you please think about participating? Will you let me know tonight?

Thanks for considering,

Stephanie

Like I did in this sample email, find a way to relate to the person. What did they mention when you saw them last? Do they have pets? Have they recently moved or gotten a new car? Find something personal to ask them about. If you begin with, “We really need you to volunteer…” they’ll tune you out. Talk about them and ask them questions about their file and they’ll be more likely to listen.

Try to make one request. Ask them for this one thing and be very clear about it. Tell them why you think they are the person best equipped for this one job. Pay them a compliment. I know it sounds like I’m buttering them up—and I am—but the compliment is sincere. I really mean what I say and I’m hoping that the positive traits I noticed in L will encourage her to participate in the fundraiser because her specific skills are needed. You may be thinking, “I don’t have time for this. These folks should just volunteer because we all know everyone has to participate for the event to be successful.”

This is true, but not everyone will do the right thing just because it’s expected of them. Some people will not help unless you take the time to make it look more attractive to them in a Tom-Sawyer-painting-the-fence kind of way.

Is this exasperating? You bet! Can I take the time to gently recruit volunteers if it means I will cultivate better relationships and make the event a success? YES, I CAN!

Remind your volunteers

Once you have all the volunteers you need, be sure to send out reminder emails and provide them with your contact information in case of emergency. Send a reminder out several days before and the night before so they remember that you’re counting on them. Thank them for being part of the team.

Thank your volunteers

Thank your volunteers in person at the event and then thank them by email after the event. Point out something specific they did at the event if you can think of something. Take the time to do this and your team will be much more likely to help you in the future. You will be known as an excellent leader who cares about the individual people within their community.

I wish you luck with your email requests. If you would like to have a consultation with me about this or any other business process topic, please reach out!

How to Write Standard Operating Procedures

I know what you’re thinking: “In the time it will take for me to document every step of this business process, I could just do it myself.”

You could. And things might work well that way for a long time. But something could happen that’s beyond your control that will keep you from performing tasks as you usually do (like COVID, or an injury, or a family member who needs your support). There may come a time when you will be forced to step away from your business. Your business could grow to the point where you don’t have the time to personally train every new hire.

If you track your processes now and create standard operating procedures, it’s like creating a blueprint for your business. No matter what happens, someone can complete those tasks. You could even go on vacation knowing that everything will keep chugging along as if you were still there. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Here’s what you have to do to get there

Start with the most urgent tasks first. The ones that would cause a calamity if they weren’t completed. Make a list and then pick one.

Document the purpose of the procedure. Explain in a few sentences why this task is important. Lay it out so someone who is new to your business can understand.

Document the schedule for the task. Is this task completed daily? A certain time of the day? Is the task dependent on receiving other information first? Remember, you’re writing this procedure for someone who is unfamiliar with it so be clear.

List the responsible parties. You, obviously, but anyone else? If you have dependencies, or are a dependency for someone else, identify them, including contact information.

Document the procedure step by step. It helps to document while performing the task. Are there ongoing sub-tasks that fulfill the main task? Will approval be needed for different steps? Who will approve those steps if you’re not there? Think through everything as if you’re doing it for the first time. Drawing the workflow (on paper, or an online tool like Miro) will help you clarify the order of operations and communicate it to others.

Test your SOP. Follow your steps and see if you can complete the task in the steps you’ve laid out. Better yet, have someone else follow the steps. Adjust your SOP to meet the needs of the person who will follow it. For example, acronyms might make sens to you but might confuse someone else. Write every word out so that someone else can understand.

Review and edit periodically. Check up on your SOP every six to twelve months to see if any of the steps need updating. Technology and processes change, so scheduling a time to make revisions is key.

Keep documenting!

Once you’ve completed one SOP, move on to the next most urgent process, and then the next. Put your SOP files into a folder and make sure all the members of your team have access to the folder. Once you have a SOP folder, let me know if you feel a bit more relaxed knowing that you have a process in place for those times when you need to step away. Time to plan a vacation!

What does a virtual assistant do?

A lot has changed since I last posted. COVID-19. The shutdown. You may have noticed I shifted my focus here? It doesn’t make sense concentrate on the part of my life that requires touching other people when we’re all social-distancing. I will always be grateful to the Alexander Technique for improving my life and allowing me to help others and one day, I hope to teach again. 

In the meantime, let me tell you about something else I love: being a virtual assistant. It combines some of my favorite activities like writing, researching, and organizing information. When I’m with my family, they get annoyed when I try to organize their stuff, but other people will pay me to organize their information! Now I bother my family less because I’m getting my jollies elsewhere and bonus--my efforts are appreciated!

 People sometimes ask: What does a virtual assistant do? Well, all kinds of things! Some focus on administrative work while others prefer to specialize in skills like social media content or management, bookkeeping, or audio and video editing. If there is a task that is holding you back from growing your business, there’s probably a virtual assistant who would love to do it for you. At some point, you or someone you know has joked about “needing a secretary.” Have you considered that maybe you really do? And that it’s possible?

Where can you find a virtual assistant? They are everywhere. Believe me, if you place an ad in LinkedIn or Indeed.com for someone to work remotely, you will quickly get a response. If you want to find a virtual assistant even faster, try Upwork.com, a freelancer platform. Another interesting way to find a virtual assistant would be to ask people you know. At least one of them knows someone who freelances and can probably vet the person for you. 

Think about it, you might be struggling today to keep all the plates spinning, but within a week, you could have someone supporting you. You could have an extra hour or two a day. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? How would you spend an extra couple hours a day? Reading? Spending time with your children? Napping? Growing your business? 

Maybe you’ve considered hiring a virtual assistant, but you were concerned about the expense. Paying for peace of mind might be less pricey than you think. If you own a small business, money is probably tight--especially these days, but paying a virtual assistant is less expensive than hiring an employee and providing benefits. “But Stef, I would just pay hourly,” you say. Well, you still may not come out ahead. Let’s say you hired an hourly employee. It’s true that you’re not paying for vacation, or sick leave, but you’re paying for down time. When I say this, I mean no disrespect to hourly wage-earners. However, as a small business owner, you likely cannot afford this. You are paying your employee when the network goes down, on slow work days, and any other time they are at your physical business but work isn’t being done. When you pay a virtual assistant, you are only paying for the time it takes the VA to complete a specific task. You can’t get more efficient than that.

So take some time to consider what tasks you’ve been doing regularly that are draining your energy. Could you show someone else how to do them? Would you be comfortable letting another person take them on? If so, give yourself the gift of time and hire a virtual assistant. In a couple weeks, swing back here and tell me how you’re doing! 

Can I stop thinking now?

I recently taught a workshop to a group of teachers. Several wanted to know what they could say or do to immediately improve the functioning of the students they taught. I gave them some ideas, but it wasn’t until I left that I realized they were looking for an action to take that would solve the problem they were experiencing so they could move on.

I wish it could be this simple. Unfortunately, in most cases, it takes time to change a habit. First, it can be difficult to call attention to a person’s habit without them feeling self conscious. Most people are sensitive to a direct observation of their use. Some might even feel mortified. Also, a habit can stem from a wish to physically cope with an emotion. That habit could be tied to fear or anger or sadness. Letting go of a habitual pattern of tension could make a person feel vulnerable.

So what can be done? Go slowly. Pause and then come back to FM Alexander’s directions again and again. Allow your neck to ease, lengthen and widen your back, allow your legs to release, notice your breathing.

When I first began studying the Alexander Technique in an effort to be able to return to the flute (I had injurred my jaw), I found I couldn’t even look at the flute without tensing. I had to retrain my thinking—which took time. I quickly realized that I wasn’t just tense when I played the flute but all the time. I began to see that I could be doing less with almost every activity in my day. I was hyper-vigilant and being so had always served me—until I couldn’t play my instrument. I learned to slow down, pause, begin again, and breathe. For someone as tense as I was, it took a very long time to trust my body to function with half of the force I was using. It took time to learn to be gentle with myself. Applying the Alexander Technique certainly isn’t this hard for everyone and I should note that I did find some immediate relief when I first began taking lessons. However, for a long time, I needed an Alexander teacher to guide me back to that state of ease… repeatedly.

After a year of private lessons and the three-year, 1600-hour Alexander Technique teacher training program, I was able to experience life differently. I could move throughout my day with more freedom. I could remember to use my thinking to affect change. Even after all that work, it didn’t become automatic. And 16 years since I graduated, it still isn’t. I cannot eradicate my habits. I will always have to use my Alexander thinking to let go of them. And that’s okay. I have tools that I can use no matter what stressful situation may come my way.

So, can I show you something right now that will stop a habit immediately? No. I’m sorry. I can, however, show you the simple steps that—if applied—will gradually improve the overall quality of a life.

Where is your pain, really?

I haven’t been around in a while. I’m sorry. Please visit because I promise to have more content! After a few rough months, I am here and I am teaching more and running into more people who are interested in the Alexander Technique. It doesn’t matter where I go, there’s someone in pain or perhaps just uncomfortable. Yesterday, I spoke with someone who is regularly experiencing lower back pain. The day before, I talked about how the Alexander Technique might help someone with Parkinson’s. No matter a person’s age or size, the Alexander Technique can help without harming. This is because the Technique uses a person’s thinking to release unnecessary tension. Therefore, it will not hurt or make a situation worse. I don’t mean to imply that it is a cure all. Some people out there might not find it helpful—although I’ve never met a person who didn’t benefit from at least one Alexander tool.

What I would like to share with you today is some Alexander Technique advice about pain. While you may feel pain in one part of your body, don’t assume that the part that hurts is the source of the discomfort. For example, you may wake up with a headache, but the source of the problem is that you were clenching your jaw as you slept.

If you are sensing pain at this moment, pause. If you are seated, make sure that your feet are on the floor. Move closer to the edge of your chair so that you are sitting on your sitbones, or the rockers at the bottom of your pelvis. Need help finding them? Sit gently on your hands and rock slightly until you feel the bones most prominently. Gently wiggle your hands out.

Now that you are supported by your sit bones and your feet, rest your hands on your thighs, palm up. Let your gaze soften; let your jaw soften. Is there anything you notice as you are sitting? Is your attention drawn to a certain painful part of your body?

Let your attention return to your breath. Allow your neck to soften. Notice if your pain is traveling anywhere else along the highways of your body. Can you think of anything you did during the day that might have contributed to the pain you’re feeling now? This is not a judgement! Backtracking through your day is an opportunity to find ways to alleviate your pain. This may seem silly, but how often do you take the time to retrace your steps? It’s possible you might have a revelation by pausing and really being aware of how your body has moved throughout the day.

Long before I began to study the Alexander Technique, I had tremendous jaw pain. If I had taken the time to retrace my steps, I would have understood that clenching my jaw to cope with stress was a contributing factor to my pain. At the time, I thought my pain was caused only by playing the flute, but it was also caused by clenching my jaw off and on throughout the day and while asleep.

While you may not be able to solve the mystery of your pain, you can become aware using this exercise. And once you know, you can make new decisions. Maybe you need to adjust the seat in your car, maybe you need to ask a friend to let you know if they see you doing the thing that will cause more pain later? Or like me, I set the hourly chime on my watch to remind me to soften my jaw. At least there would be 12 times a day when I could do less, I figured. It worked!

Let me know what happens.

The Uncomfortable Party

You’ve arrived at a party. It could be a cocktail party hosted by a friend or the office holiday party. Wherever you are, you don’t see anyone you know. The event is crowded and slightly warm. People are smiling at you and you’re smiling back. You’d prefer to leave, but you must stay for the sake of your friend/department/job. What should you do?

Alexander Technique to the rescue!

First, notice if your neck could release any tension. Once your neck is no longer so tight, you might notice a change in your breathing. This is a good sign! It means that something in your body has let go and created space where before there was compression. Next, let your head nod gently at the tip of your spine. Think of your spine lengthening like a string of pearls. Allow your knees to unlock and your feet to feel the support of the floor beneath them. Notice that you can even breathe into your back. The room is full of motion and sound but you are centered. Your inner poise presents as confidence. If you feel discomfort creeping in later, all you have to do is take a moment to return to these directions. Now you are ready to introduce yourself to the nearest group and enjoy a beverage and an appetizer.

Have a wonderful time!

Photo by Alasdair Elmes on Unsplash

The Position of Mechanical Advantage

The Position of Mechanical Advantage is a term F.M. Alexander used to describe a way of organizing your body so that you are ready and able to change direction at a moment’s notice. It is actually not a static position, but a way to be relaxed and poised as you respond to a stimulus.

For example, you can use the Position of Mechanical Advantage when you are moving in and out of a chair. Imagine you are halfway towards sitting and your phone rings. It’s across the room and now you have the option to pause and then return to standing in order to move toward your phone. You were able to do this because you were balanced. Without the POMA, you might have plopped into the chair and then used smaller muscles (like your neck) to quickly pull yourself back up to standing. There isn’t anything wrong with this, yet, life might be a whole lot more comfortable if you don’t use more force than is required. The POMA helps you do that.

By letting your legs bear the weight of your body, your upper body lightens. When your feet are slightly wider apart, making full contact with the floor, you will be in balance. The POMA gives you the gift of being able to change your mind.

Athletes of every sport use it and most of them have probably never heard of the Alexander Technique. How is this possible?

F. M. Alexander didn’t create the POMA, he just gave it a name. The POMA comes naturally to us all. It’s how we first began to stand and learn to be upright. It helped us prepare to walk. What was an ideal way for us to move then is still good for us today!

Here’s how to use the POMA:

1. Notice your breathing and let your feet sense the floor.

2. Pause and do nothing but notice where you are in space and the tension you are currently using to remain standing. Can you do less?

3. When you are ready, move your feet so they are slightly wider than hip-width apart.

4. Pause and notice what’s changed--if anything.

5. Allow your knees to bend slightly as your tailbone points behind you and your nose drops slightly.

6. Breathe into your back and try moving forward, backward, and side to side. Try bending your knees more and then less. Do you find that it’s easier to move this way?

It may feel strange if this is not how you usually move. It may help to look in a mirror since sometimes we are not moving the way we think we are. It’s most useful to learn this from an Alexander teacher. The POMA can improve your life.

Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 6

VII.         Breathing

A major aspect of the Alexander Technique is the study of breathing. As flutists, it is especially important to practice good use while breathing. When teaching a newer student, allow her vibrato to develop on its own. Teaching vibrato will create unnecessary tension in the throat. Extra tension in the throat will translate into more stress throughout the body. To further explore playing with less tension, have students play orchestral pieces while sitting and solo music while standing. This way, the students will have a realistic idea of how it will physically feel to breathe while playing the piece. Here is an Alexander procedure called the “Whispered Ah.” It is helpful to practice it before and after playing and at any point when you feel an increase in tension. Try standing/seated Whispered ‘Ahs’ as part of the study, notice the difference and discuss it with your students. See how little they can interfere with their breathing in either case.

The Whispered Ah

1. Spend a few minutes having an awareness of your breathing.

2. Allow your mouth to drop open so that you exhale through your mouth and let your lips come together so that you inhale through your nose.

3. Let your tongue lie easily in the bottom of your jaw with its tip against the back of your lower teeth.

4. Make a whispered “Ah” sound as you exhale.

5. See if you can interfere with your breathing as little as possible.

1. At the end of your exhalation, pause and wait for your body to tell you when it is ready to inhale.

6. Think of something humorous or pleasant to allow a smile to come behind your eyes. This will release tension and allow you to breathe fully

How to apply these procedures during lessons

1. Teach the Whispered ‘Ah’

2. Bring the flute to the mouth

Instead of playing, use the Whispered Ah. In this way, you inhibit the idea that the only response to a flute at the lips is to play. Once you have inhibited your habitual response, you can release old habits and when you do play, you will experience a new freedom.

3. Bring the flute to the mouth and use the ‘La’ articulation to begin a long tone (a tone that begins softly, increases in volume and then tapers into silence)

VIII.    Continuing Your Study/Good Use

It is helpful if children are surrounded by parents and teachers with good use, thus leading by example. If you, as a teacher, practice good use, it will surely influence your students (children and adults). Therefore, take some Alexander lessons and/or have an Alexander teacher work with a group of your students. Be sure to invite more ease into your life by practicing Constructive Rest. See how often you can come back to your sense of awareness and give yourself the gift of effortlessness. Let that feeling of lightness encompass your entire breathing, sensing being.  Your body will reward you in so many ways. Who knows? You may one day wish to become an Alexander Teacher.

Sitting in School

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

When my daughter was in first grade, her teacher told me she wasn’t paying attention. My sweet girl who had gotten in trouble once during Kindergarten was now regularly getting in trouble for being inattentive. She had a wonderful teacher who liked her very much but she still struggled. There were many probable causes for her distraction:

• First Grade was more serious than Kindergarten and class sizes had increased

• There was less free time and more time spent sitting in chairs and on the floor learning lessons

• Recess was 15 minutes

• My daughter was small for her age and therefore her feet didn’t touch the floor when she sat in her chair

I could not do much about most of the things on that list, but I could help with the chair! I sent her to school with a yoga block and a sitting disk.

My daughter sat on the disk and put her feet on the yoga block. Within a day her teacher noticed a difference. Was she attentive all the time? Of course not, but there was an improvement. My daughter appreciated the change, too.

What happened?

Since her feet couldn’t reach the floor when she sat in her chair, she felt ungrounded. She did not have stability and she was constantly fighting the sensation sliding down in her seat. That alone would make it difficult to concentrate!

The sitting disk is an air-filled cushion that allows for mobility while sitting on a flat surface or chair. The disk helped my daughter get vestibular input by balancing and rebalancing in her seat. Even though she needed to remain seated for long stretches of time, she could still have a small amount of movement on the disk. The ability to move was subtle enough to not be a distraction to her teacher or her peers. We talk about this in the Alexander Technique: Having openness and freedom in your joints so that you move slightly even in stillness. We call it the “standing dance.” In this case it was a sitting dance.

The nice thing about the sitting disk was that my daughter could take it to the floor with her when the teacher was reading or teaching a lesson while the class sat on the rug. This is something Alexander teachers fret over--children sitting on the floor while the teacher sits in a chair or stands to use the board. This is because it can be difficult to have poise while sitting on the floor. Children will  kneel to combat slouching but the teacher will ask them to sit “criss-cross-applesauce” so that the students behind them can see. So the students’ backs grow more rounded the longer they sit and their necks shorten as they look up from their hunched positions. A sitting disk raises their hips and gives them the support they need to have a lengthened posture for the duration of their time on the floor. Enabling them to maintain the length of their spines will allow them to breathe and move and be more open to learning.

It would be better if children were allowed to move more in school. Until that happens, they can use a sitting disk and study the Alexander Technique.

Is your child having difficulty sitting in school? Is desk too big or too small? Does the chair slant back? Is the seat curved and slippery? Is the chair connected to the desk? Is your left-handed child sitting in a right-handed desk? Is your child straining to see the board? There might be a simple solution. An Alexander lesson can be a helpful and quick way to solve your child’s discomfort.

Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 4

It is a very common habit to bring one’s head to the flute by distorting the neck. Sometimes the flutist is thinking (in tunnel vision) only about the music and playing at the appropriate time. It is easy to become anxious to play. Other times a flutist distorts his neck not in an effort to reach the flute, but because he is straining to see the music. The visual cortex is in the back of the skull. Invite the student to see the music from this point—see from the back of his head. In this way, the student inhibits his habit by thinking of something new. Ask that he let the music come to his eyes and not his head to the music.

        Standing while playing can pose several obstacles. In order to have the finest projection, the flute must face your audience. Aiming your instrument in such a way means that your head will also be poised with your face towards the audience. Your neck will be poised in a neutral, natural way. There should be a slight spiral, or rotation beginning with your shoulder girdle. This rotation accommodates expansion through the shoulder girdle. Without the spiral, the right shoulder blade will push into the ribcage. The flutist that does not allow the shoulder girdle to have its natural rotation must fight against it by tightening and holding the shoulder girdle still. This will interfere with breathing and may cause her neck, shoulders, and upper back to become sore.   

        Once the shoulder girdle is released into its own natural pattern of movement, the spine can accommodate the spiral by lengthening into a slight spiral, too. The pelvis will also turn and so your legs may need to change to a new stance. Your right leg and foot may follow the spiral to the right with the right foot slightly behind the left foot. Do not swivel your torso so far to the right that you feel your left knee twist. This is a gentle rotation that should feel easeful.

        Since your head and neck face the audience, your left leg and foot should face it as well. If your shoulder girdle, torso, and both legs were to face slightly to the right, it would be very difficult for your head and neck to face a different direction and it would require force, which is unnecessary in this case. By allowing your left leg and foot to face the audience, you establish a lengthening base of support for your head and neck to face the audience. With your right leg and foot facing slightly to the right (following the slight rotation of your shoulder girdle and torso), and your head, neck, left leg, and foot facing the audience, you will feel more easeful and open as you play.

        This spiraling technique can also be applied to sitting and playing. It may help to turn your chair a bit to the right. You may find it more comfortable to let your right heel come off the floor.

VI. Lesson Structure

A way to cut down on the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries is to incorporate breaks into lesson time. Spend the break stretching or take a walk around the room. By including a pause into the lesson, the teacher and the student can become aware of their desire to fixate on the music and inhibit that habit in order to return to a state in which they are aware of their entire surroundings. The longer we perform a single task, the easier it is to lose our sense of awareness, and the more likely we are to rely on our habits. Hence, in addition to finding an expanded form of awareness, the teacher and student may prevent themselves from falling back into habits. By pausing, they will both feel refreshed and easeful. With their whole selves energized, they can use their directions to continue the lesson.

Halting the lesson can at times be disadvantageous. If, for instance, a teacher stops a student frequently, it may trigger the startle response, or the pattern of tension that precedes the “fight or flight” response. It can increase the student’s level of tension overall and it may increase the desire to be right (or, the fear of being wrong and therefore, the fear of playing). If you wait until the end of a piece to critique the student, the student will grow accustomed to playing straight through (which will be helpful during performances) and build confidence. This of course, will mean more work for you, the teacher. It will be a wonderful lesson in inhibition. You will need to develop your memory, have a score, or have a pen and paper nearby to mark mistakes, but in return you will have stronger players in your studio.

Obviously, each student is unique. The style of teaching you use for one student will not necessarily be appropriate for another. Just as there are benefits to pausing the student, there are advantages to allowing the student to play uninterrupted. So long as the Alexander principles are present, both you and your student will improve.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder and the Alexander Technique

Photo by Kaylah Otto on Unsplash

While the Alexander Technique is known by performing artists to relieve performance anxiety, it is also helpful in coping with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

It is because the Alexander Technique addresses stress in the mind and body that it is beneficial. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by excessive worry--to the point where a person finds it difficult to control their fears and they struggle to function. Physical symptoms like excess muscular tension accompany the mental stress.

The Alexander Technique can help distract someone with GAD with alternative thoughts to the worry spiral. Thought patterns that focus on undoing excess tension and breathing work can interrupt the cycle of worry. Gradually, the individual will be empowered to use their Alexander Technique thinking to create a sense of calm at will.

The ability to learn and implement the tools of the Alexander Technique doesn’t take long. One lesson will set the student on their way to a new way of being in the world.

A former teacher of mine and the Director of the American Center for the Alexander Technique, Brooke Lieb, wrote an incredible article about using the Alexander Technique to stop anxiety. Here is an exercise from her article:

How to Release Muscle Tension with Direct Intention

1. Notice a topic you may be concerned about, or worrying over. (There are plenty of issues facing us, such as the state of today's economy.)

2. Write down the thoughts of concern or worry you are experiencing.

3. Which ones are based on current facts/circumstances? Which ones are based on what might or might not happen?

4. Now, take a moment to think of allowing your shoulders and jaw to release some tension. Notice what that is like.

5. Now, think about something you are concerned or worried about.

6. Return to releasing your jaw and shoulders. You may have noticed that they tensed again when you put your attention on your concerns.

7. Continue to move back and forth between actively releasing tension in shoulder and jaw, and thinking about things that worry you.

I would be interested to know if you found this activity to be helpful. Please feel free to share other ways in which you manage stress.

Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 3

V. Finding Freedom & Direction in Your Students

It is very useful to have mirrors in your studio. Doing so will allow you to observe your student from all angles. Rather than asking about pain or tiredness, ask the student what she noticed or felt while playing. Remain as objective as possible to allow the student to be nonjudgmental, too. Have the student put her instrument down and begin anew. Look for ways to hold the flute using the natural hand patterns of the student.       

Be sure that the student isn’t using unnecessary tension. Here are some examples of common tension patterns in flutists:

                    -jamming the flute against chin

                    -not using all of the joints in the fingers

                    -bending the right hand thumb in and laying it lengthwise against the flute

                    -shortening the spine (or lifting the sternum and arching the lower back)

                    -locking the knees

                    -hanging on the instrument

                    -holding the left arm (or the right arm) against the ribcage

                    -hanging on a hip joint (weight set on one leg, with the weight-bearing hip

jutting out)

                    -gripping in the feet and ankles so that the feet aren’t grounded

If you observe one of these habits in a student, notice how these tension patterns affect the body as a whole. For instance, locking the knees will also cause the ankles and hips to tighten and the spine to shorten. It is not necessary to correct these issues. You need not discuss it in depth with the student. As long as you are aware and can lead the student through the process of inhibition: pause and do something else instead of playing.

For example, you notice when you ask your student to sight-read that he hunches over the stand to look at the music more closely. As you become aware of your student’s habit, your own head/neck/back relationship has become compressed. You could allow the situation to continue and risk straining yourselves, or you could take a five minute break and think of the Alexander directions. Upon returning to the sight-reading task, you notice that you are both breathing freely and your bodies are whole, enlivened systems.

Field Example:

                    -During a lesson with a student (age seven), I spent much of the time bringing the flute headjoint towards her and then taking it away. I did this to make her conscious of her habit to bring her head and neck toward the flute. While she was not doing anything wrong, it was unnecessary and took extra energy. I have this habit, too, so I brought humor into the situation. I said that neither of us want to look like ET when we play and that we should remind each other when we see this pattern. We would use the code word “oooouch” (said in my best ET voice).

It later became clear that the student could not comfortably hold the assembled flute. It may be a year or two before she will grow into it, so I lent her my fife. Now she can hold her instrument easily, she doesn’t have to put it together, and it can take a beating and still function. It is important to know when the Alexander work is not enough. It is possible to simply have an unworkable situation. However, it is through the Technique that you can become aware of the difference between a difficult situation and an unworkable one. With the Alexander Technique, you can have options for managing an array of situations.

Returning to an Instrument After an Injury

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I've been on vacation and it was wonderful. Let me know if you have had any questions since my last post. 

While I was working on my Master’s degree in Flute Performance, I had to file for disability. The Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) I had developed made it impossible for me to maintain my rigorous playing schedule. The university allowed me to cut my recital time down to 30 minutes instead of a full hour. After my recital, I put my flute in its case and didn’t take it out for three years.

During that time, I took Alexander Technique lessons and gradually began to feel some relief from TMD. Once I started training to be an Alexander teacher, my body reorganized itself and I could consider playing the flute.

But I couldn’t “go back” to playing the flute. I had to find a new way to play that would not cause pain. When I started, I could only pull out the case, open it, close it, and put it away. Excess tension crept in as I anticipated playing, so I needed to retrain my brain and body to release tension with each action. I did this a few times until I could do so with freedom. Then I added assembling my instrument, and finally playing.

I learned a bit from Alexander Murray (a flutist and Alexander teacher from Chicago) but also from the wonderful teachers at the American Center for the Alexander Technique (ACAT). Eventually, I could play slow passages, but struggled to play fast technical in music. I found that two other ACAT trainees who were musicians experienced the same difficulty. What we found was that our fingers needed to be retrained.

When you apply your Alexander thinking, you move slowly because it’s a new experience. Increasing your tempo without clenching muscles won’t happen on its own. Each finger needs to be retrained by using short, quick movements. One note at a time, one finger at a time.

One note at a time, one finger at a time.

I know you’re thinking this sounds too pedantic to be something you’d want to try. Maybe it isn’t something you need, but for the musician who is returning to an instrument after an injury it might be necessary in order to prevent re-injury. No matter what state your body is in, training yourself to use the right amount of tension will benefit your body, your musicianship, and your career.

If you get stuck, contact me!