In a day and age in where almost everything is automated, digitized, and computerized, we sometimes forget that real people are greater than machines or computers.  Real live personal assistants are the backbones of successful CEOs and other executives.

While some people turn personal digital assistants (PDAs) like Siri or Cortana, there is much to be gained by hiring an assistant that has a pulse.

While using a PDA in some instances can be helpful, there may be some drawbacks:

1. Your request may get lost in PDA translation;
2. You can break digital assistants;
3. PDA’s make your computer vulnerable to viruses and cyber-attacks;
4. PDA’s can be difficult for those that are not technically savvy;
5. PDA’s are limited with small annoying screens, data entry can be slow;
6. PDA’s have limited memory space;
7. You need to keep on top of the ever changing upgrades;
8. Less functional than computers;
9. Can make you stop brain storming with actual humans;
10. Does not necessarily give you more productivity time.

WHO NEEDS A PERSONAL ASSISTANT?

This is especially true for entrepreneurs, for whom work and life often blend.

BENEFITS:

There are several benefits. Having a PA or a VA doing the easier tasks leaves your time/mind free to do the challenging ones. Those who use a PA or a VA often say “It makes me get a move on projects that I’m procrastinating on and makes me think beyond ‘what needs to be done today’ to ‘what needs to be done.”

Either way, a personal assistant can help ease a time crunch. “There’s just so much that somebody who is a second brain for you can handle,” says Gwyn Waters, founder of the Personal Assistant Network in the Bay Area.

“The capacity that you gain isn’t necessarily productivity related or measurable, but I think it’s almost like an increased intellectual capacity,” she says. “You have time to think about the big stuff for once, and “that’s a very huge stress reliever.”