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productivity and organization

3 Tips to Keep VAs Focused and Productive

I have seen it happen a million times. You are trucking along, and things are going well. Business is booming and you have a full day of great tasks and the daily grind doesn’t seem like such a grind. But then, somewhere, somehow, things get out of hand. Maybe you have a client doing a product launch, or entering their busiest time of the year. Maybe it’s summertime and your family life is adding pressure with their demands. Maybe you are stepping up your own marketing and trying to fit it in to your daily routine. Whatever the reason, you wake up in the morning tired, you run all day long, and you drop into bed at night knowing that… Read More »3 Tips to Keep VAs Focused and Productive

How Big Is Your To-Do List? Get More Done Today!

Oh, the dreaded task list. How big is yours? Mine can get unruly sometimes. When I have a ton of things that I need to get done, I tend to do a ‘brain dump’ and build a big task list to see all of the things that I need to plan to do. But did you know that doing that can actually make things worse? If you are anxious about having too much on your plate, having it all written down in front of you can actually make you more anxious. Sound like you? If it does, then I have a suggestion for you. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself! Just do one thing. No, I mean it. Right… Read More »How Big Is Your To-Do List? Get More Done Today!

Time Saving Tips for Managing Multiple VA Clients

It amazes me often that people have trouble juggling the work of more than one client. I do this on a regular basis, and I have a system to manage it. But I didn’t realize I had a system until someone actually asked me how I did it. Funny, huh? So I often share my process with my colleagues, and I try not to take it for granted that I just ‘figured this out’. I know I am an organized person, but I didn’t think managing multiple client fit into that. But it does! 1. Schedule blocks of time for each client’s work. When you begin your day, use a task list to help you determine what needs to be done… Read More »Time Saving Tips for Managing Multiple VA Clients

Not Enough Hours in Your Day?

One of the biggest complaints I hear from VAs and clients alike is that there is not enough time to get everything done. They feel like they are working their fingers to the bone … and they don’t have enough clients, or they don’t have enough time to get their marketing done, or they don’t have time to finish their client work. That’s actually not true! There is always enough time. It’s when you don’t manage your time properly that you run out of it. People (husband, friends, family, colleagues) think it’s funny that I schedule so much of my day, and that I get irritated if someone throws me off schedule. It’s fact. I have a lot to get done,… Read More »Not Enough Hours in Your Day?

Amp Up Your Productivity with These 5 Tips

Do you ever just look at yourself in the middle of the day and realize that you are not being productive? Maybe you are busy, doing lots of things, but you still feel like you are kind of going around in a circle, or just running in place? Busy time is not always productive time. I get people asking me all the time how to be better organized and how to get more done. Those two things go hand in hand for sure, but you don’t have to be organized to be more productive every day. (It helps!) Here are few tips that I use regularly to make sure that what I am doing is productive work, and not just… Read More »Amp Up Your Productivity with These 5 Tips

No Problem, I’ve Got It!

Everyone I talk to this summer seems to be running just to keep up. Is that you too? Probably. With the kids out of school and the nice weather beckoning us, anyone who works from home really can struggle with staying interested in work, and getting it all done. I don’t usually have that problem, but for some reason this summer the pool is calling to me, and I’m more interested in what my son & husband are doing outside my office. My clients are also on holidays here and there, and attending a lot of events lately. So our schedule is a little messed up from the steady ‘launch’ phase that preceded the summer months. So here are a… Read More »No Problem, I’ve Got It!

Do Less To Be More Productive in Your Virtual Assistant Business

Sounds kind of funny, doesn’t it – stop doing anything to make yourself more productive? But it really is true. In order to be your best self in your business, you need to shut down the business stuff and take time to recharge. Often. In effect, do less. For many years now, I have operated my business during standard business hours. I am basically in my office from 9 to 4 each day. And I shut it down after that. Occasionally I’ll need to do some catch up, but for the most part I only take on as much work as I can do during my regular business week. It didn’t used to be that way. Like many of you,… Read More »Do Less To Be More Productive in Your Virtual Assistant Business

Taming the Email Monster

Last year I switched my email from Outlook Express (that downloaded onto my computer) to webmail. I had started to travel more and it made sense for me to have access to my stuff anywhere I was. But one problem occurred – I found that I didn’t keep a handle on how much email was actually in my inbox, simply because it wasn’t taking up space on my computer anymore. I used to delete mass amounts of email at the end of every month when I used Outlook Express. Well, occasionally I still do that with my webmail, but not often enough. I find it frustrating to search through my email to find stuff I need when there is just… Read More »Taming the Email Monster