The most efficient commute is no commute at all, but unfortunately that is not the reality for most people.  In fact, a 2012 Ipsos study found that while telecommuting is on the rise, more than 90% of global employees have to physically go into work at least some of the time.

In the U.S., the average commute is 25 minutes one way (2011 Census Report).  That means we have a solid 50 minutes a day worth of time to work with – time I believe is often wasted.

If you commute every day, that’s more than 4 hours a week and more than 2 full work days a month. The best part about it is it’s “free” time – you don’t have to sacrifice any other activities, and a few small habits can yield great results in your overall wellbeing.

Here are three activities you can do to utilize your commute time effectively, whether you’re driving yourself or taking public transportation.

Breathe

You don’t need to go to a yoga studio to do breathing exercises, and proper breathing has been linked to a number of physical and mental benefits.

Breathing deeply increases oxygen intake, which aids your immune system, improves brain function, and may even help burn excess fat.

Deep, slow breaths help expel toxins from your body and release tension.

It can be a meditative exercise as well; to help clear your mind and get you ready to face the day, or relax on the way home.

So what do you do?

• Inhale slowly through your nose. Try and inhale for 5 seconds. Feel your stomach and chest expand.
• Hold for 3 seconds at full capacity.
• Exhale slowly while counting to 5. Feels good, doesn’t it?
• Repeat for 5-10 minutes during both your morning and evening commute.

Work the Core

Just because you’re sitting on a bus or behind the wheel of a car doesn’t mean you can’t exercise.

What you’ll do is squeeze your stomach muscles and obliques and hold them in a contracted position. Hold this “flex” for a predetermined amount of time, say until the clock changes to the next minute, or for the duration of one song on the radio.

Then take the next minute or song off, and repeat.

A strong core is critical to your physical health and general athleticism, and this is a great way to work on your strength without going to the gym. The trick is you have to provide all the resistance in this exercise, so it all depends on how hard you squeeze and how long you hold it.

Bonus points if you can do this on the subway without looking constipated!

Learn

The late great Zig Ziglar called drive time “Automobile University” for a reason. You can choose to fill your ears with dozens of different entertainment options, but no amount of music or talk radio will do much to advance your goals.

Instead, download a podcast from iTunes. There are hundreds of amazing free shows. Just search any topic you’re interested in (productivity, for example) and prepare to have your world rocked.

Or, check out the audio books section at your local library website and download that book you’ve been meaning to read for the last 2 years.

Your commute time is the perfect opportunity to further your informal, pragmatic education.

Bringing It All Together

Let’s end the days of brainless autopilot commutes.

Let’s turn this necessary evil into a conscious time of self-awareness, a time to strengthen our bodies and our minds.

VirtualAssistantAssistant.com has compiled some information on personal outsourcing in 2012 and created a free white paper.

The paper covers:

• Hot trends and topics in the virtual assistant industry.
• Six months of proprietary never-before-released survey data on what customers are looking for in a virtual assistant.
• Venture capitalist activity in the marketplace.
• Geographic analytics data on potential virtual assistant clients.

View your free copy of the report HERE. (no opt-in required)

The State of Personal Outsourcing

There’s no doubt that to “do” social media right, it takes a lot of time and energy.  Because of this, social media management is one service nearly every virtual assistant company offers.

The question is, is social media something you should be outsourcing?

The Case Against

Think of the primary rules of social media engagement — be yourself, listen, be authentic, and most importantly, care.  Will any outsourced social media manager care as much as you?

For personal brands, I think hiring someone to run 100% of your social media presence is risky.  After all, your brand is about YOU, and the various social media platforms give people an honest chance to connect with the real you.  If they find out someone else is calling the shots it could hurt your brand and your reputation, and ultimately your bottom line.

Yes, it can be time-consuming to reply to twitter comments, but it’s not that time-consuming.  Will a virtual assistant be able to portray your brand the way you want it?

The Case For

You can’t do everything yourself.  Well you can, but only up to a certain point.  Once you reach that ceiling you’re going to have to get some help if you want to keep growing.

Companies are still taking care of their customers and maintaining a valuable social media presence, even though the founder isn’t personally posting everyday.

It’s naive to think a virtual assistant couldn’t do as good (or better) a job managing your online profiles.  Especially if they have more experience with the various networks and tools.

I’m confident you can find a VA that will be a great steward for your brand online.  They might charge more than $5 an hour, but that’s the price you pay to stay active and engaged in social media, while protecting and promoting your brand.

And by outsourcing social media, it will force you into a more managerial role of working on your business instead of in it.

This Year, Give the Gift of Time

Are you struggling to find the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list? What do you get for people who already have everything they want?

Well there’s one thing everyone wants more of: time.

It’s our most precious asset, yet it’s so often squandered.  Up until a few years ago, the idea of giving someone time would have seemed pretty silly, if not downright impossible. But today, several virtual assistant companies allow you to do just that.

A gift membership to a virtual assistant service is a really unique way to show how much you care. The recipient will be able to use their VA to do all their virtual chores, like scheduling meetings, researching things online, and arranging travel. It’s like having your own personal assistant!

1. For just $69 a month, TimeSvr.com offers a gift membership with unlimited basic tasks. I’ve had a positive experience with TimeSvr and found their aides to be intelligent and hard-working. And for this price, it really makes a fun gift.

2. Red Butler is a really cool personal concierge service that also has a gift membership. Their “Basic” plan is just $110 for 3-months of use. Plus, at the time of this writing, Red Butler was offering a 25% promo for all gift membership purchases that use the promo code “happy” at checkout! The membership includes 15 tasks per month and access to nearly 1500 Red Butler “privileges” nationwide – great stuff like hotel, spa and restaurant discounts.

3. Ask Sunday is another VA service that offers a gift membership. Their gifts start at $119 for 10 hours of virtual assistant time. Ask Sunday has received some poor reviews lately, so they wouldn’t be my first choice, but you’re welcome to check them out.  Also their starting price seems pretty high for what you get.

So there you have it: turns out the gift of time is remarkably affordable.  The only downside is your recipient might get hooked and want to renew the service after their gift expires!

The holidays are a busy time for everyone, and we could all use an extra set of hands. Thankfully, if you have a virtual assistant, you do! Here are five things your VA can help take care for you during the holiday season.

1. Brainstorm Gift Ideas and Find the Best Prices

For me, gift-giving is the most stressful part of the holidays. I like to give presents but I hate shopping and I never know what to get for people.

Thankfully there are dozens of online resources for finding the perfect gift. Give your VA a list of people you’re shopping for and a little about each person and let them find a thoughtful present for everyone on your list.

After picking out each item, have them comparison shop the results to find the best deals.

2. Arrange Travel Plans

If you’re traveling over the holidays, why not let your virtual assistant handle the flight and hotel reservations? And if you’re staying with relatives, maybe they can book you a relaxing getaway for when you get home!

3. Research Year-End Tax-Saving Tips

Each year there are certain tax strategies to take advantage of. Even if your VA isn’t a financial professional, they can research various tax sites for the best year-end tax breaks to be aware of.

This small investment could end up saving you big come April 15th.

4. Order and Mail Holiday Cards

Christmas cards are a fun tradition, but can be time-consuming to create and and send on your own. Instead, send your VA some pictures and have them create a few designs using the built-in software at Shutterfly or TinyPrints.

Once you pick out the winner, your VA can order them for you. If your VA is in the same country as you, they can even address, stamp, and mail the cards too!

5. Take Care of Business While You’re Away

It’s always a good idea to take some time off over the holidays to spend time with family and friends, reflect on the year, and mentally recharge for upcoming challenges.

But for many of us, it’s hard to leave work behind. Your virtual assistant can be a good crutch to really let that Out of Office Reply fly – arrange for them to cover for you while you’re gone.

If your virtual assistant has been helping you for most of the year or has added significant value to your life, consider paying them a year-end bonus or giving them extra time off for the holidays. After all, they have a family too. These small gestures can pay big dividends when it comes to long-term success and loyalty.

Since launching this site, I’ve received several requests for a “how-to” guide on hiring a virtual assistant.  In response, I created a short but detailed 8-step guide built from my own personal experience.  It’s perfect for first-timers and other outsourcing rookies.

The 8 steps are:

1. Know Thyself
2. Know Your Requirements
3. How to Write the Perfect Virtual Assistant Job Description (to attract the best candidates)
4. How to Post Your Job (to get the most qualified applicants)
5. How to Thin Out the Herd
6. How to Ask for Trial Tasks (like taking a test drive)
7. How to Interview a Virtual Assistant
8. You’re Hired!

Enter your email below and you’ll get instructions to download your FREE copy in no time!