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ISSN 1939-2834
Vol. 2, No. 16 | April 21, 2008
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In This Issue:
From the Editor
Have you been playing fast and loose with your business time? One of
the keys to being super-productive is to be very intentional and conscious
about what's on your plate. Keep reading for a very simple, practical
system for regaining control of your time (and the confidence of those
you work with).
To your success!
Danielle Keister
Founder & CVO
Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
How to Reclaim Your
Time (and the Confidence of Your Clients and Customers)
 Flying
by the seat of your pants is no way to run a business. Playing fast and
loose robs you of flexibility. It creates havoc, and instills disorganization
and unprofitability in your business. You might kid yourself into thinking
your lack of structure is not evident from the outside, but I guarantee
you, clients, colleagues and others you work with recognize it loud and
clear via untimely follow-up, missed deadlines and poor communication.
The more intentioned and methodic you are with your processes,
the more freedom, flexibility and organization you give yourself and your
business. One of the very best ways to reclaim ownership of your time
also uses one of the simplest tools available—your calendar! Following
the steps below will help put you on the path to gaining control over
your time and workload, and maintaining the confidence of those who choose
to work with you.
- Holidays, Vacations and Other Days Off.
First, enter all holidays, known vacations and any other days you intend
to be closed. If you take two or more days off for certain major holidays,
be sure and mark those “closed” on your calendar as well.
At the beginning of each month, schedule a reminder to give clients
and others a courtesy notice of your planned days of unavailability.
- Dedicated Days. Do you have a dedicated
day of the week for something in particular? For example, Mondays are
my administration days. I don’t conduct any client business and
am “closed” to them on that day each week. Some people like
to take Fridays off in their business to attend networking or training
functions or just have a plain old “mental space” day to
keep their creative juices flowing. Whatever the case, be sure and enter
those dedicated days on your calendar.
- Regular Meetings & Tasks. Do
you have regularly scheduled meetings or tasks you perform each week
or month? Get those on the calendar. (TIP:
Uninterrupted work time is necessary for critical thought and concentration;
avoid taking calls or scheduling meetings during your main project schedule.
You might consider devoting one day of the week or only certain hours
of the day for meetings and phone calls).
- Routines. What are your routines?
Do you tend to use the first part of the morning for getting in gear,
taking care of loose ends and checking emails? Then schedule it! For
example, I block out every morning until 11am for just such purposes
and never schedule meetings before then.
- To Dos and Deadlines. Setting aside
time on your calendar for errands and other to-dos will help get them
accomplished. Likewise, if you have important deadlines you mustn't
forget, enter those dates as notes. (TIP: Add the actual deadline date
on your calendar, and set the auto-reminder to alert you several days
or a week in advance to give yourself plenty of breathing room.)
- Break and Lunches. Taking breaks
and lunches is good for you and your business (no one is served by you
being tired, hungry or stressed out). If you’re one of those folks
who has to be reminded to tear yourself away from your work to take
care of yourself, add these to your calendar as well.
The time you are left with is your available project/work schedule. You
can be as meticulous or free-flowing with this time as best fits your
work style. If you have a mix of clients and odds and ends work of varying
degrees of complexity, you might not feel the need to schedule every little
thing, and instead prefer to just get things done one after the other
during those open blocks of work time.
If you have a few larger projects that require a bit more planning and
coordination, you might see fit to schedule dedicated hours for each project
to better manage them. Either way, the system above will give you the
structure and foundation in order to better manage your business and workload.
You’ll get more done, be more organized, and those who work with
you will recognize (and appreciate) the huge difference it makes.
RESOURCE: For more business organization
tips, Stephanie Winston has written several popular books, one of which
is "Organized
for Succcess." Among the strategies Winston uncovered among the
over two dozen senior executives and CEOs she interviewed: Supersuccessful
businesspeople do not multitask; they focus their complete attention on
each task at hand until it is done, and then move on to the next thing.
And they employ powerful delegation strategies to enhance their own productivity
and that of their team.
 About
the Author: As principal of The
Relief Virtual Assistance, Danielle Keister has been providing
expert administrative support to the professional community since 1997.
Working with solo professionals in the legal, consulting and public relations
fields, she helps clients gain time, increase efficiency and make more
money by taking on their administrative burdens and helping instill strong
administrative foundations in their businesses. Visit her website at http://www.TheRelief.com
to sign up for her complimentary 10-week e-course, "Ramp Up Your
Billable Hours: 10 Easy Fixes You Can Make Right Now!"
Next
FREE Teleseminar on May 15, 2008: Niche Clarity — How to Choose
a Niche That Fits YOU Like a Glove
 Have
you been resisting the idea of choosing a niche (target market) to focus
on in your business? Are you tired of feeling like a wallflower in your
area of expertise? Would you like to attract new clients and make more
money? Then join us on Thursday, May 15,
when Life on Track mentor Cari Vollmer
demystifies the niche-choosing process in this high-content, high-value
teleclass.
RESERVE
YOUR SPOT TODAY >>
- A D V E R T I S E M E N T -
 Find
Your Niche Helping Authors Tame the Publishing Process. Many of
the skills you have as a Virtual Assistant are directly transferable to
the specific tasks needed by authors as they work through the publishing
process. Consider working with authors as a niche! Click
to learn about training and watch a video...
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Find a Qualified Virtual Assistant Today!
 You
don't have to live in overwhelm. You CAN get just the help you
need without having to hire in-house staff. Find yourself a great Virtual
Assistant today, and go from struggling by yourself to getting things
done and thriving on the road to success.
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Gritty Business Buzz is a weekly newsletter of
the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce published each Monday.
It is produced by Virtual Assistants especially for the gritty,
resourceful, fiercely determined small business owners and independent
professionals they serve--YOU!
EDITOR: Danielle
Keister, The
Relief Virtual Assistance
MANAGING EDITOR, BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT: Karen Del'Marmol, Karen
Del'Marmol
MANAGING EDITOR, MARKETING
& NETWORKING: Laura Lee Sparks, The
Simple Solution
MANAGING EDITOR, VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE
OUTSOURCING: Joy Slaughter, A
Capital Solution
MANAGING EDITOR, STRESS BUSTERS:
LaTanya Robinson, LaRobe
Business Solutions
MANAGING EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY:
Christine Wade, ChrisTech
Industries
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