What happens after you send a request

What the early days involve

Expect to put some time in at the start, and fewer questions come up later.

1. After the partner quotes and you accept, book a short kickoff call or video meeting.
2. Walk through each task, ideally with a screen recording the assistant can rewatch.
3. Turn on access for only the tools needed for the first tasks.
4. Check the first week's work closely and write down any corrections as rules.

Getting your materials ready

None of this needs to be polished. Rough notes beat nothing.

• A plain list of tasks and how long each takes you now
• Procedures in a shared document or folder
• Saved replies, email templates and naming conventions
• Access to the tools in scope, set up with only the permissions needed
• A password manager vault for shared credentials
• Notes on which customers, vendors or topics need special care
• What the assistant may approve alone and what must come to you

Keeping access secure

An assistant needs access to your systems, but that does not mean handing over your own password. Safer habits are easy to set up:

• Use delegation where it exists, such as mailbox and calendar delegation in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
• Give the assistant their own login in tools that support extra users, so actions are traceable.
• Share anything else through a password manager rather than email or chat.
• Turn on two-factor authentication and plan how the assistant will pass it.
• Grant the least privilege each task needs.
• Have an offboarding list ready to remove access when the arrangement ends.

Running the arrangement week to week

• Summaries. Ask for a daily or weekly note listing finished tasks, open items and questions.
• Check-ins. A short meeting every week or two to go over corrections and new work.
• Adjusting hours. As tasks settle, you may need more hours or fewer. Raise it with the partner.
• Updating procedures. When you correct something, add it to the written instructions so it stays fixed.
• Ending. Follow the notice terms in your agreement and remove access as soon as work stops.