You left teaching, so what do you DO?

Ever since I left my teaching job, I get lots of incredulous “So, what do you DO now?” questions. The short answer is that I work as a virtual assistant for a top fitness coach. For some people, that’s enough, but for others this still seems made up. So, I thought I would walk you through what has sort of been my typical day (though, I may mix it up this year).

My Morning

6:00 Workout

6:45 Drink water and begin my virtual assistant work.  I start with daily tasks like checking orders that came in and creating my to do list for the day.

8:00 Break to shower and make breakfast

8:30 Back at it! This is when I start any bigger projects for the day. Sometimes, I’m following up with people who have asked for more information about a bootcamp. Other times I’m creating graphics to recognize the hard work people on the team have put in!

10:00 Meet with my boss. She lives in Florida, so we meet on Zoom (which is basically skype).

10:15 Break! I’ve worked for about 3 hours at this point, so I take a break to focus on something else. This might be my devotion time, time to update the blog, or a chance to get some household chores done. I usually grab lunch before diving back into work as well.

11:30 By this point, I am usually back at it! During my meeting, I will usually get assigned another project such as ordering prizes for people who accomplished some awesome goals, or proofreading and scheduling content to be shared in team pages or bootcamps.

My afternoon

I usually alternate working for 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute break.  During these little breaks, I make a point to get up and stretch. I also read, catch up on my own personal emails, or whatever else! During my work times, I make sure everything is caught up including emails and messages and usually check in with my boss at least once to see if there is anything else she needs my help with for the day.  

2:30-3:30 I have worked my 5-6 hours for the day, and I wrap up!  

My time after work is spent finishing housework, reading, writing, catching up on my favorite shows, and maybe even taking a nap! Sometimes, it feels weird to take this time, but I’m enjoying it while I have the opportunity!

I am so thankful for this job. I love having the flexibility to set my hours.  As long as my work gets done, I can really work when I want. Being able to sub occasionally or volunteer at church during the day fills my bucket.  

But don’t you miss teaching?

I miss my coworkers and my amazing students almost every day. Teaching is a gift of mine, but as an introvert, it was so incredibly draining.  I had nothing left to give Cody or my friends at the end of the school day. Now that I’m a virtual assistant, I’m able to have energy to be a good wife and friend more than on summer vacation! I still teach when I sub, at Financial Peace University, and on the weekends at church!

What is your actual job title?

Amber’s assistant.  Other relevant titles include virtual assistant, executive assistant, online secretary, social media manager, and so forth. I really tried to get Chaos Coordinator as an official title, but it never really took off!

Are you also coaching?

Yes and no. Cody and I addressed that here.  We are not actively pursuing coaching as a stream of income, but we do lead coaching groups because it was so hard for me to have the motivation and accountability in the same groups that were my job all day long. If you are interested in joining a group for fitness and/or nutrition, feel free to comment below! We’d love to walk through this together!

Your boss lives in Florida now! Isn’t that hard?

It’s hard because she gets to see the sun year round and I’m jealous….It’s also hard because their family has become family to us and we miss the crap out of them.  As far as work goes, it’s not too bad. We text, email, and talk “face to face” every day. 90% of what I had been doing when she lived here was online, so I can continue doing that. The other 10%, she and her husband have had to take over, but it works just fine!

Are you moving to Florida too?

Not right now. We went to Florida to visit them, half-expecting God to give us a little nudge that Florida would be a good move for us too. I have a list of reasons I would LOVE to live in Florida, but God has made it pretty clear that Florida isn’t the place for us right now.

All that to say, YES I enjoy my job. YES, it is possible to work from home, and YES, I am eternally grateful to my dear friends who took a chance on me and have allowed me to work for them for the last year.

• Category: Life