08/02/2026
It wasn’t ideal, but I made it work.
Last Friday, my sister was hospitalized here in the city where I’m currently staying. I needed to be there with our mom to support her. I didn’t bring anything with me except my phone, thinking I would go home right after.
It was almost 11 PM, and I was still at the hospital waiting for her operation to be done. By the time the surgery was finished and my sister was finally transferred to her room, it was already past 12 AM. Then suddenly, one of my clients messaged me saying that we would be having a meeting with a vendor in 15 minutes.
I had no time to travel back to my apartment to get my laptop since it’s quite far, and there were no tricycles available at that hour. I didn’t panic. Instead, I went outside, found a monoblock chair, placed it near the room, borrowed my mom’s charger to charge my phone, which was already down to 10%, sat beside an outlet, and joined the Google Meet five minutes early while wearing my mask.
The meeting lasted for an hour. After that, my client called me on WhatsApp and asked where I was because she could hear a baby in the background (my sister’s baby). I told her I was at the hospital and explained the situation. She was worried about me and told me I could take the day off if I wanted, but I told her I was okay and that I could still work.
After that, I listed everything I needed to do for the day in my notes. It took a while because of the constant back-and-forth between apps and files, but I eventually finished my admin tasks. I sent agreements and invoices to vendors, followed up with them, and updated the tracker sheets. For another client, I downloaded the Canva app on my phone and created graphics there. I also downloaded Google Sheets, updated the social media calendar, and sent updates to my client for review. For my third client, I created social media content, updated the CRM, wrote captions, and scheduled some of the posts. For my fourth client, I downloaded the CapCut app and edited short reels, which I then uploaded to their social media account.
Everyone in the room was asleep except me. When I finally finished all my tasks, I didn’t realize it was already 6 AM. Right after I was done working, everyone started waking up.
I had nothing with me except my phone, and that was the very first time I completed all my tasks using only my phone. Please believe me when I say it wasn’t easy. I’m not saying that you only need a phone to be a VA, but you do need to be resourceful when resources are not available at the moment.
In situations like this, you have to think outside the box and deliver as much as you can if there is any way possible. This isn’t something that happens all the time. What happened to me was unexpected, and I had to make decisions in the moment and think of the options I could resort to.
I’m just really glad that I already had things prepared, like my Google Drive, emails, links, and communication apps.
This experience reminded me that being a VA is not just about the tools you have, but about how you show up, adapt, and keep going when things don’t go as planned. It’s not about working nonstop or pushing yourself beyond your limits, but about doing your best with what you have in the moment and trusting yourself to figure things out. Some days will truly test your patience, energy, and limits, and this was one of those days that reminded me how important it is to stay prepared, flexible, and present.
