If you’re neurodivergent and juggling work, business, and/or life admin, you’ve probably asked yourself: Would hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) make things easier or just create more work?
The answer?
Well, it depends.
While a VA can be a big help, it also depends on how the relationship is set up, your communication styles, what you have on your plate at the moment (that’s work AND life), and how willing you are and how easy it will be to delegate and let go.
From my experience as an AuDHD business owner (and having worked with neurodivergent clients), here are some pros, cons, and things to consider before hiring support.
Pros of Hiring a VA (Especially If You’re Neurodivergent)
Reduces Your Executive Functioning Load
Delegating repetitive or draining tasks (like emails, calendar management, admin follow-ups) or tasks that don’t align with your strengths frees up your time and energy for the work that really matters and aligns with you.
Improves Consistency & Routine
A VA can help you to set up and keep your systems running smoothly (I’m talking about reminders, inbox management, task planning and management – you get the gist), which can be incredibly helpful, especially at times when your executive functioning fluctuates.
Supports Spoon & Time Management
Tasks that might cost you five spoons might only cost your VA one. That means more time and energy in your reserves.
Boosts Capacity Without Burnout
You don’t need to do everything yourself. Hiring a VA can help you grow your business or manage your role and workload without running yourself into the ground. When you’re working in your zone of genius and your VA in theirs, magical things can happen!
Flexible & Customisable Support
Many VAs work on a project or retainer basis, i.e. 5 hours per week.
You can start small and scale up, adjust their hours to align with the ebb and flow of the peaks and troughs in your business, or keep things light-touch and low-pressure.
Potential Challenges
Setup Takes Energy
Don’t underestimate the time you’ll need to get them set up and onboard.
Onboarding, training, and determining what to delegate takes effort upfront. So does the actual handover and initial check-ins.
If you’re in burnout, it might feel too hard initially or cost more spoons than you’ll save in the long run.
Personally, I faced this challenge in 2024 after bringing a virtual assistant (VA) on board. I just didn’t have the spoons to give them, and it wasn’t fair to them – or me.
Letting Go Can Be Hard
Perfectionism, control, or unclear expectations can make delegation tricky. If you haven’t defined your processes yet, it might feel even harder.
Communication Must Work for You
Many neurodivergent folks need clear, direct, and often asynchronous communication. We also have our preferred ways of communicating – whether it’s verbal, written, visual or a mish-mash depending on how we’re feeling and functioning.
Make sure your VA can adapt to that.
Relationship Management Still Takes Energy
Be realistic with yourself and your capacity before bringing anyone on board. Even a great VA needs check-ins, feedback, and direction, and this is a form of emotional labour that requires time.
Timezones & Availability
Offshore VAs can be more affordable but may introduce delays, language or cultural mismatches, or make real-time collaboration harder. (On the flip side, different time zones, affordability and diversity can work well!).
Ethical Offshoring
If your values include fair pay and worker rights, vet your platforms or agencies when looking offshore to ensure ethical conditions are in place.
Not All VAs Understand Neurodivergence
Look for someone who is neurodivergent-informed (or neurodivergent themselves), especially if you need patience, flexibility AND structure, and a specific communication style.
Tips to Set Up a Supportive VA Relationship
- Start small: Choose 1–2 tasks to delegate. Think: inbox zero, appointment scheduling, document formatting, or designing a couple of social media graphics.
- Use Loom: Record a quick screen share rather than writing long briefs. It saves time and gets your tone across. You could also use audio recordings/voice memos.
- Set communication expectations: How often, what platform (email, Trello, WhatsApp, text), and your boundaries around your availability.
- Try a short trial: One month or one project can be a good test of compatibility.
- Ask for ND-aware referrals: If possible, get recommendations from other neurodivergent business owners.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a VA isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing what matters more easily, with more energy left for the things you love.
It won’t fix everything overnight, and it takes some effort to get it right. But with the right fit, it can make your work-life (and brain!) feel just a little bit lighter.
Have you tried working with a VA before? I’d love to hear how it went!
Want support with decision-making, delegation or energy management? Let’s chat.