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JUNE 29, 2009
ISSN 1947-105X | Vol. 3, No. 26
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OFFICE ORGANIZATION ISSUE
In This Issue:
A Note from Danielle...
If you're like me, you didn't go into business to be shackled to your
computer night and day. You love your work, but that doesn't mean you
want to do it around the clock 24/7. You actually want a life where you
can get away and enjoy the fruits of your labors. One of the ways to get
to that point is by automating some of your administration.
Yours in goodness and success!
Danielle Keister
Founder, Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
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FEATURE ARTICLE -
Put It on Auto-Pilot
 So
much to do, so little time to do it. That's business, right? We could
work 24 hours a day if we let ourselves. There's always something else
to do. But what if you're looking to see more of life beyond your computer
screen? Then it's time to automate and streamline a few things...
- Use your calendar. Schedule all that can be scheduled.
Don't take meetings on the fly. Follow a basic routine and honor the
boundaries you've set for your time such as stepping away from the business
and into family time at a certain point in the day. It's much easier
to prioritize your work (and your life) when you've got control over
what's on your plate.
- Organize incoming emails. Utilize whatever tools
are provided by your email client to the fullest. If you use Outlook,
make use of flags and rules. You (or your Virtual Assistant) can set
things up so that emails go straight into particular folders. It's much
easier (and less overwhelming) to sort through and prioritize messages
when they're already organized for you.
- Automate your bills. If you have recurring bills
each month, set them up to be auto-withdrawn from your account. Whenever
possible, pay annually—you might even save a chunk of change.
For other bills, take advantage of the ease and convenience of online
Bill Pay—it comes with most checking accounts these days. It will
save you the steps and cost of writing checks, addressing envelopes
and paying for stamps.
- Use a blog reader. Blog-reading can be a great way
to learn new things, not to mention a nice distraction when you need
a mental break now and then. But it can also easily turn into a full-time
job trying to keep up with all of them. Instead, use an RSS reader to
organize all of your blog reading. You can create categories or sort
blogs by importance. Another suggestion: schedule your blog reading
for once a week so that you don't miss a thing, but aren't being wasteful
with your time and energy reserves.
- Set up your listserv reading for digest mode. Instead
of a constant incoming stream of (often irrelevant) messages that you
have to spend time deleting, elect digest mode instead. That way, not
only do you save yourself time, but the threads will come to you already
organized.
- Use a tickler file. This is a system where you have
31 folders representing all the possible days in a month. This is a
great way to organize to-do's and clear paper clutter from your desk.
You can free your mind from worrying about anything that isn't in that
particular day's folder. Weren't able to take care of something that
day? No problem--just move it forward to the next appropriate day's
folder.
RESOURCE: Omea
Reader is a free all-in-one RSS reader that you donwload to
your computer. You can even manage your podcast listening! For an online
alternative, you can't beat Bloglines.
 About
the Author: Danielle Keister is a business advisor and innovator
in the Virtual Assistance profession. An administrative professional of
20+ years and veteran Virtual Assistant of 12+ years, her logical, no-nonsense
approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of
the leaders in the field. She loves what she does and is passionate about
sharing her knowledge and know-how with the world. She’s all about
inspiring others to reach for their highest excellence. When not taking
care of clients in her own Virtual Assistant practice, she is busy leading
the Virtual
Assistance Chamber of Commerce and helping Virtual Assistants create
six figure businesses.
© Copyright 2009, The
Portable Business™. All U.S. and International rights
reserved. You may print this article for personal use or republish it
online only if it is left unaltered and used in its entirety, including
bylines, links, copyright notice, resource and author information. Contact
the author for any other permission.
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VACOC NEWS -
New Service for Clients: Quickie Gigs™
 The
VACOC has a new service for clients we call Quickie Gigs™.
Here's the idea:
The core business of a Virtual Assistant is providing one-on-one, ongoing
administrative support to clients they work with in long-term, continuous
relationship. We always encourage clients to go that route because it's
where you are going to reap the most rewards in terms of value, continuity
and cost-effectiveness. However, if you have not yet found your right
Virtual Assistant or you are between Virtual Assistants, but still have
occasional tasks and projects you'd like completed, we can help you out!
Quickie Gigs™ is primarily for simple, straightforward
administrative tasks and projects that can generally be completed and
turned-around in few days with no fuss or muss. You fill out our online
form with the project specs and once the preliminary account set-up is
completed, we'll get to work right away.
Everything is simple! You sign only one contract (this will cover our
terms for one year in case you have other occasional projects that pop
up) and each project will be quoted on a flat fee basis (easier for you
to budget). For more information, be sure and check
out our Quickie Gigs™ page.
Let's Connect
We Love Hearing From You!
 "I
really enjoyed the informative session with Shahab about HyperOffice.
In fact, I haven’t been able to get it off my mind! I think it appears
to be an “across-the-board” technology solution for working
with virtual clients."
— Jenni
Scoggins of Virtual-Jen.
How did YOU like this issue or a past teleseminar?
Was it insightful, helpful or informative? Have topic ideas you'd like
to see covered in the future? Let us know!
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NO-COST TELESEMINAR -
How to Write Articles to Market Your Business, Even If
You Are Not a Writer
 Every
marketing book and seminar tells you that you should be writing articles
to promote your expertise and your business. Writing articles is a great
way to enhance your reputation as the go-to person who has deep expertise
in the work you do every day. But if you have never written before, where
do you start, and how do you know you have anything to say?
Join us at the next no-cost VACOC Guest Expert Teleseminar on
July 16 to find out. Jan B. King is a book publishing expert
and author of numerous articles herself (just Google "Jan B. King"
to see them). She's helped hundreds of people get their expertise out
on paper as books and articles and in this month's teleseminar, she's
going to help you, too! We'd love to see you there.
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SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD? Have
you been wondering what this administrative solution called Virtual Assistance
is all about? Not to worry! The Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce
has written an online guide to answer all your questions: The
Client's Guide to Virtual Assistants.
TIRED OF WADING through
the thousands of Virtual Assistant sites on the Internet? Would you like
qualified, competent and reputable Virtual Assistants to come to you instead?
Simply submit your info to our Virtual
Assistant Partnership Center.
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25% IN AFFILIATE EARNINGS! Join the VACOC
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people to our website. Monthly payouts with no minimums required. Sign
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Find a Virtual Assistant Today
 You
don't have to live in overwhelm! Find
yourself a great Virtual Assistant today, and go from struggling
by yourself to enjoying more time, freedom and success.
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