Many Virtual Assistants make mistaken assumptions about their Capacity. They think there’s no challenge they can overcome if they work longer hours or juggle their tasks better. Here’s the truth: Having a schedule that’s too packed or dealing with too many people eventually leads to burnout.

Entering this state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion will affect your productivity and sap your energy. You’ll begin to lose motivation and interest on the position or role that you’ve taken. The worst case is that you’ll feel increasingly resentful towards your clients for the amount of work they’re giving you. Worse still, this may spill over into other parts of your life, such as your family or home.

Get yourself off the road to burnout by knowing how many clients are too much. Let us help you identify your limits and what you should do about it.

How to Determine Your Capacity

Examine how many weeks in a year you have available to work. Make sure to exclude time for statutory holidays and vacation time. Then, think about the number of hours you’re working or willing to work per week.

Next, take a look at how much time you’re spending on each of your Existing Clients. This will include time for attending meetings and managing their expectations. Some may require more regular communication than others depending on your arrangement, so they may take up more hours.

Set aside time for improving your skills and building your career as well. You might want to take courses on topics like digital marketing and human resources. This is an investment that will potentially land you bigger-paying clients so you won’t have to take on more.

After you’ve considered the factors above, you’ll be able to tell if you can sign on two more clients per week, or if you’re doing too much with eight clients per month.

What to Do When You’re Over-Capacity

Set your office hours

It’s hard to say “no” to a paying client, so virtual assistants typically end up being on call. However, you have to stop this cycle by setting the right tone with new clients from the get-go. For instance, tell them you’re only available to answer emails, calls and messages from 9 am to 5 pm in their time zone. By doing this, you’ll have uninterrupted time to spend with your family or for yourself.

For your existing clients, you can prepare a personal email for each of them. Don’t send them a general message via an email blast; rather, address them by name and by arrangement. Let them know that, in order to serve them better, you’ll be taking time for yourself.

Raise your prices

When more and more people are approaching you, it means that you’ve got your work down pat. Your quality is meeting the standards of the industry and many want to hire you for your services. Why not reward yourself by raising your prices?

Be careful to keep your prices fair though. Look at the rates of other VAs who offer similar services and have the same level of experience to ensure that the gap isn’t too big. That way, you’ll be able to meet your income goals without compromising your quality. Plus, you’ll attract clients who know the true value of your services.

Account for some flexibility

You can’t control when mishaps or revisions occur. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to schedule your tasks in such a way that you can easily rearrange them.

Set deadlines and turnaround times that aren’t too close to each other. In case one item gets delayed, you’ll have some breathing space while waiting for it to be finished. You’ll also give clients a chance to ask for minor edits without affecting the overall flow of the job.

Communicate realistic expectations

Be realistic with the expectations that you set for yourself and for clients. If you need one day to finish a 500-word article because you have many other projects, tell your employer that. Never make promises you can’t keep.

Find a balance between delivering quality work without overextending yourself. Saying that you can finish 10 SEO road maps in an hour for $10 is equivalent to giving it away for cents, for example. Your rate and effort must be equivalent to each other.

What Else Must You Know?

Working as a virtual assistant on your own capacity can tempt you to accept more jobs than you can handle. Signing on for a virtual staffing agency like Remote Workmate will provide you guidance from fellow VAs while ensuring you get connected to clients who are transparent about their needs. This enables you to determine your capacity better and create a schedule that truly works for you.