
Diana Haug is a Virtual Assistant and Online Business Manager who came from the corporate world of wine. She was working her butt off 50-60 hours per week and often found herself frustrated with the lack of support and resources. She said, “The more I spoke up, the more I was gaslit, talked down to, and blamed for things out of my control. Self worth came into question, my ability to lead came into question, and my overall state of well being was not in a good place.” So in early March 2020 when the world turned upside down, she realized she was unhappy with her situation so she quit her job, moved to Mexico, then bought an RV to travel the Pacific Northwest while growing her VA business.
In May 2021, she signed her first VA client. Eight months later, she raised her rates. She says, “Today, I am completely booked out and forever grateful for my wonderful clients. I’d say my life is very different now that I’ve started my VA business. The freedom and flexibility is in full force and I no longer cringe every time my phone rings (like I did in the corporate world).”
Here’s a sneak peek at a Day in the Life of Diana Haug:
– I usually wake up at 7am-ISH. I am sadly not a morning person, ha!
– I was a fair weather coffee drinker. However, in recent weeks I’ve become addicted to a latte helado con leche de coco (iced latte with coconut milk) and I must have it every morning… 😂 afterwards, I may head to the pickleball courts for a game or two, mountain bike through the cactus forest, run to the local market (on Thursday mornings) and/or sit down to journal. To be honest, journaling is hard for me. Writing my thoughts down doesn’t come easy, but I always feel better afterwards and more confident throughout my day. It’s the simple things, ya know? If I do skip it, I try my best to sit still for a few minutes and focus on gratitude.
– I usually sit down at my computer around 8:30-9am (sometimes at a local coffee shop) and I’ll work consistently through to about 1:30-2:30pm. The wind usually picks up in the afternoon so I break for kiting or I break for a break. A few hours of relaxation in the afternoon is GOLD. We do want to start a family someday soon, so I understand the luxury of this now.
– Okay, THIS is my favorite time of day. I LOVE food and often think about my next meal while I’m eating my current one. My go-to now is an egg hash with stir fried veggies (whatever is fresh that week) with two sunny side up eggs on top! YUM. It’s quick and easy, healthy and delicious. Maybe I need to do a reel? Yes or no? 😂 I would say cooking and food consumption happens around 11am-ish. I do like to have a piece of fruit in the morning to hold me over. For dinner, if we aren’t cooking in…we’ll grab tacos and a marg! Shockingly, I’ve yet to become tired of eating tacos…breakfast, lunch, or dinner…I’m in. On another note, mescal is a new found interest of mine. lol
– I spend a good chunk of time with our cat, Bean. She is a feisty little thing and likes to sit right on my laptop. The luxury of two screens is long gone for me. Mike also works remotely. We try to plan around our meetings so we can sit down for lunch together. I also love to grab lunch with my mom or brother! I would consider myself a social introvert, so I recharge when I’m alone. I try my best to seek some alone time each day to reset. Thankfully, with my VA business, I am able to do just that.
– I am also a crazy cat mom and make Bean’s food 😂. My recipe consists of boiled chicken, steamed veggies, and chicken broth. I couldn’t find quality cat food in the small town of La Ventana so I started making it last year. Now Bean won’t eat anything else. What have I done to myself?
– In my previous career, I was online at 8am and signing off at 5pm. I took about 30 mins for lunch. so I had no flexibility to do any of the things I mentioned above. Yikes…I could never go back.
– We are about to drive north for the spring and summer months, so my day-to-day will soon change, but I am so excited for the next adventure (with Bean in tow, of course).