E-mail is the preferred means of communication in the working world. Discreet and fast, they are mostly informal and employ an easy conversational tone. Virtual assistants are, if not on Skype, always reachable by e-mail.

More people like e-mailing because it is direct, simple, and quick. Best of all, it allows communication with individuals in another time zone. Information can be sent to a person’s electronic mailbox where it’ll be waiting for retrieval when they start the workday.

Much like the traditional letter, an e-mail has a heading, a body, and the closing. The subject line, however, indicates a brief and clear summary of the email’s contents. The body, on the other hand, is made up of short sentences. Long sentences can be confusing and maybe difficult to understand. Short and simple is the best rule of thumb.

It always helps to keep in mind the recipient, the final reader of the e-mail. Will it be a colleague, client, or the boss? Examples of formal opening to an e-mail’s body –

                        Thank you for your email of January 16…

                        I was wondering if,,,

Bad grammar is sometimes acceptable to friends and some colleagues. However, if the e-mail is for a client or a manager, grammatical errors and a familiar tone are not suitable.

Close attention to basic grammar, capitalization, and punctuation is needed. Words are chosen carefully; compare these two groups: a) attentive, agreed, pleased; b) impossible, difficult, busy. E-mails received can be learning tools, studied for the language used.

Above all, discretion in the writing of e-mails is necessary. They may reappear in a situation that could compromise a friendship or a deal. As Constance Hale aptly put it, “Be bold. Be fast. Get to the point right away. The best e-mail communication is simple and clear.”

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

 

Writing is one of the many services The Help provides. From article writing, blogging, manuscript, narrative reporting, translation, product reviewing, and many others – we take pride in what we do. 

Another personal favorite I have is poetry writing. Let me share with you how my love for writing all started. 

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In 6^th grade I encountered poetry in assigned readings.  I recall reading Christopher Marlowe’s The Passionate Shepherd to his Love, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade, and Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee in high school. Classroom discussions of Faust, Beowulf, and other works led to a lifelong relationship with poetry.

Since then I’ve been writing poems; and have had the good fortune that some merited publication. Aside from a love of words, a certain guiding instinct propels someone to write stanzas, rhymes and even an entire story in verse. How does that happen? How does a poem come alive? Some discoveries –

1. Write the poem or thoughts that the muse brings at the first instance. That means no waiting because the muse’s visits can be fleeting.  Write everything down without restraint. I constantly have a pencil on me and have whipped out any available piece of paper – notebook, bookmarks, and receipts – while in the middle of a conversation. For example, I wrote the following in June 2009:

                  Whistling flutes

                  out of tune –

                  Are my ears not

                  attuned? Somewhere

                  there’s a conductor.

 

2. The first draft must have breathing space. Unfortunately, there’s no written rule on how long that space might be.  Return to it in a week, a month, or a year, come back with new information. Elizabeth Bishop composed poems over months and years, pinning incomplete drafts on a notice board with gaps left for the right word, whenever that might come.

3. Revise, rewrite, and read aloud. Much like other art forms, a poem is never finished. There’s constant room for improvement.

Start from scratch – begin from words that come spontaneously. The first drafts may sound strange, pay attention to line breaks, make sure that images carry the poem forward, listen to the poems’ direction. Read the poem aloud, listening for the jarring sounds, eliminating digressing ideas. In many ways, writing poetry is the art of putting one’s soul on the page.

William Carlos Williams wrote, “It is difficult to get the news from poems, but men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.” Great reminder of the central role poetry could have in everyone’s life!

 

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

 

Reading is one of the three “Rs” foundation basic skills, the other two being writing and arithmetic. After its acquisition in early school years, reading becomes the most used ability in daily life.  It is very much part of merchandise search or grocery shopping at a supermarket like picking up an apple and considering buying a kilo or just one piece. Reading is there for traffic signs, driving directions, and Internet use.

Perhaps the advent of the Internet has seen a wane in book readers. Information overload engendered a new group of bibliophiles who prefer short summaries that encapsulate ideas and themes.

At the outset, reading’s primary purpose is to get information and to understand. And then there’s the learning, discovering, and the entertaining aspects in the act of reading. For example, the book “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert is entertaining, informative, and shows how a personal search by one person can resonate with so many others. The book may not have pleased everyone but for busy virtual assistants juggling work and family, the book was and can be a nice break from the tedium of a busy day. As books do, depending on an individual’s interest. There are others like the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, short vignettes of inspiring personal stories that can be 10-15 minute reprieve from work.

Books generate curiosity and questions that are satisfied, answered by different kinds of reading. Readers come away with a feeling of having acquired something new. Reading requires time; it’s like spending many hours with a good friend. It demands attention and concentration. Someone engaged in reading will definitely have an active mind that contributes to good mental health down the road.

Imagine the horizons and the doors that open up in the world of fiction or nonfiction that someone is about to discover. Imagine that book gifted by someone, waiting patiently on a nightstand. Then imagine how it feels not to know how to read. That particular foundation “R” is very important; the author Ray Bradbury said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”

 

Written by Yoli P. – The Help

Supposedly a cliché, ‘time is gold’ is often mentioned when workers are faced with deadlines or some such activity that has a certain end. A valuable resource shared by everyone, it is easily the most precious because life and its attendant activities revolve around minutes and hours. As a virtual assistant, time management becomes a central factor in the organization and delivery of tasks.

Lack of priority setting, procrastination, and lack of knowledge in the usage of proper technology tools are three of the common enemies of time management.

For virtual assistants, creating a to-do list of the five most important tasks for the day is key for getting things done. It also helps if a to-do list for the week is prepared to insure that the work plan is on track. With these lists prominently displayed on a computer frame, a virtual assistant will remember.

Because of great flexibility available to virtual assistants, procrastination can easily set in. Working from home presents more challenges such as playing with children or doing household chores that can be disruptive. Discipline and self-control are important as much as focus and determination so that assignments are delivered on time.

Another good way to stay focused is by following a “time out” schedule for yourself. Sometimes knowing that there will be a couple of hours for relaxation at the end of the day is enough to concentrate on the job at hand.

Tools such as Skype, Google calendar, and Dropbox are tremendous help in staying on track. Becoming informed and acquiring the skills for these tools will enhance a virtual assistant’s work performance.

Time is money and nowhere else is this truth more evident than in a virtual assistant’s world. Creating a ‘done’ list will produce a sense of accomplishment for a virtual assistant and guarantee satisfaction for the clients.

 

Written by Yoli P.- The Help

Many people do not believe that savings are important. I was one of them and for the longest time it was the last item on my goals. But we all learn our lessons albeit late in life. Because the future is unpredictable, having a safety cushion becomes an absolute necessity for everyone. There are compelling reasons for getting on the saving-for-the-rainy-days track such as retirement, education, and natural disasters like flooding.

But how does one start preparing for that rainy day? With fixed monthly bills to pay, setting aside extra cash becomes a daunting task attainable only by self-discipline and determination.

First, assess spending habits by listing all expenses. This can be tedious (and I speak from experience) but it really pays off. For example, a tall latte costs $3.00. If consumed twice daily during a five-day workweek, that’ll be $30.00/week and in 52 weeks, that’s a whooping $1,560.00 spent on coffee alone. Cutting this expense in half will insure that four-digit cash in a savings account by the end of the year.

Next, create a realistic budget, categorizing each expense. For example, Transport category includes bus fare, gas, and toll fees. Groceries and eating out belongs to Food and Dining while clothes buying would be under Shopping.

Remember the discipline and determination? These two comes handy when making the monthly contribution to the new savings account. Because lifestyles are different for everyone, it is not possible to have an applicable formula for savings. Usually, income is divvied up with 60-65% towards “rent and other fixed costs,” 20% for “wants,” and 15% for savings.

Although credit cards could be helpful, it is also easy to become dependent on them particularly when cash is short and payday is a week away. Sinking into debt can quickly happen from this point on.

Saving what one can over time will help tremendously. I remember looking at my savings account at the time when all it contained was a sad two-digit figure. I decided to change the numbers; that was 15 years ago. It was not easy but the peace of mind I now enjoy is more than the interest any bank can offer.

Here’s a quote that is a constant reminder of the power of determination and sincerity:

When your determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think, “This is never going to work out,” then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight. Then everything will really move in the direction of failure (Daisaku Ikeda).

Written by Yoli P. – The Help