Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant? If you're nervously thinking of handing your tasks (and inbox!) over to a complete stranger, don't worry - we did the research for you.

It was 6 a.m., and Ari Meisel was half awake at an airport gate, about to board a flight to Toronto. Then his virtual assistant sent him a message: "Flight canceled!" it said. "We rebooked you on a different one, so head over to gate G7."

Meisel runs a business coaching service and productivity method called Less Doing, and this is exactly why he loves having a virtual assistant (or VA). Someone fixed his problem before he was even aware it. "I believe VAs should be utilized for personal tasks as much as business tasks because they both take weight off the entrepreneur's mind," he says. "I have four small children, and I've had VAs do all their school forms, health forms, insurance, camp registrations, etc., literally saving me hours and hours."

Related: Is a Virtual Assistant the Secret to Keeping Your Small Business Afloat?