Feb19

This is for the EA/VA peeps

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This is for the EA/VA peeps

To all the Executive Assistants and Virtual Assistants out there, put your hands up in the air! We salute you. You keep the world organised. If it weren’t for you, countries will fall into chaos, kingdoms will fall, and all will descend into an unorganised pile of papers and unscheduled meetings.

This is for the EA/VA peeps. The ones who keep the company running and never get tired of manning the fort. The ones who are always on top of the situation and know which thing goes where and who gets to do which task. This is for the This is for the EA/VA who keeps us all on track and organised, ready to do our jobs. We already know you’re fabulous, and here are a few more competencies you can work on in order to continue to be the fabulous assistant that you are.

Communication
As an EA/VA you have to be able to learn to cut through all the noise and get to the heart of the matter. With all the things going on with your client, you have to be able to get the important points and get the gist across minus the fluff. Your client only need to know the gist, so get to the point. Clients have a whole range of different personalities and diverse backgrounds and each EA/VA should be able to adapt to the client’s communication style. Flexibility is essential in order to relay messages effectively and efficiently.

Attention to detail
Yes, there are a host of technologies, applications, and tools to help you scan, narrow down, compute, double check, correct, and go through just about any document, email correspondence, or presentation. But EA/VA’s have to make their clients look good, and it is imperative that all the small details are taken care of. For example, you can spell and grammar check documents but if you forget one part of the instructions – that could spell disaster for the project. You can have all the documents ready and looking fantastic but if you miss the deadline because you missed a schedule change in the meeting, then your client could look bad. Small details matter and will always be an area where EA/VAs can add value.

Flexibility
Clients, especially executives, have a packed to do list. EA/VAs have to be able to make decisions on which tasks are a priority and which ones can be delegated. Handling multiple priorities will be an EA/VAs job and it is up to them to be able to juggle those priorities.

Self motivated
To be able to excel in every industry EA/VAs should be self motivated. They should not be afraid to take the reins and be able to put themselves forward for projects, tasks, challenges, and anything that will get them seen and heard. EA/VAs are vital to every organisation, let them know that you are.

What are your EA/VA experiences? What competency are you looking for in a EA/VA? Share them with us in the comments Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Feb12

The Multitasking Myth

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The Multitasking Myth

How many resumes have you sent out listing “great multitasker” as one of your important work skills? A lot, I bet. While the ability to multitask is something to be proud of, it doesn’t really translate to being a productive trait. We’ve all come to accept that the ability to multitask is an ideal business virtue that solves all problems when it comes to work management. Now it seems that study after study deems multitasking is counterproductive.

Observe an office setting and you’ll immediately notice that may different activities and projects are being pursued at any given time. Many tasks get sidelined, tagged as unnecessary, go unfinished, labelled unimportant – all in the course of a project. No many how many people are on the team, or how many resources are poured into the project, there will always be tasks that we could have skipped over in order to get to the finish line.

The best industry leaders have the uncanny ability to focus on one point in the future even with chaos surrounding them. No matter how many moving targets there are, they keep their focus on the end goal. Most people would say it is a weakness to have such a limited point of view. But now, many people are beginning to see the proverbial bigger picture.

Nowadays, the operative word is “focus”. Time seems to slip by when you’re doing multiple tasks at a time. But really, the key is to identify those tasks that aren’t lean or streamlined, and then promptly abandon them. Because really, who would care if you let the lower priority tasks dwindle and die? No one really needs those hard copies, you can go with digital ones. Will painstakingly putting sticky tabs on the sign here spots really make that big a difference? The main idea is to not waste time doing tasks that are deemed low priority just for you to be able to say that you’re busy. Because that’s really what multitasking is, doing a high value job along with menial mindless tasks that you could just as easily do away with.

Here’s a trick that might work: President Dwight Eisenhower (a productivity powerhouse) once said “ what is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” He has designed a matrix that’s great for weeding out what task can be addressed urgently and what needs to be focused on. Take a piece of paper and draw a cross, dividing the paper into 4 quadrants. Take a look at your to do list and decide whether they are urgent, not urgent, important, not very important. Your urgent and important tasks will fall under the “do it now” quadrant. Your important but not urgent tasks will fall under the “decide when” quadrant. Other task will fall under the “delegate” quadrant (who else can do it?) and the “delete” quadrant (these tasks are the ones you can ditch altogether).

Have you used the Eisenhower Matrix before? Have you had any success with it? Share your experience with us in the comments Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Feb6

Choose to Live Productively

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Choose to Live Productively

January is over. That’s one out of twelve months being done and over with. Some of us may have taken extended vacations, and some (actually, most) of us have probably gone right back to work after the holidays. January is like one giant Monday when we dread coming back from the holiday break. Hopefully, by now, we’ve all eased into our regular schedules.

We may have slid back into some unproductive habits while we were looking for our rhythm at the start of the year. Not to worry, here are some tips to get your productivity going again and get your groove back.

Body
● Get enough sleep – being sleep deprived can lead to a host of problems like bad food choices, lack of focus, and low motivation. All of which you will need in order to be productive. How you start your day will set the mood for the rest of it. So, if you start off sleep deprived you won’t have the energy to accomplish tasks.
● Exercise to energize – I know it sounds counterintuitive to exercise when you’re feeling sluggish, but that’s the best time to do some kind of exercise activity. When you feel your energy dipping, try a brisk walk around the office. Or better yet, start your day with a quick run around the block.
● Take breaks – There are a lot of benefits to taking work breaks, but the best one is that taking breaks actually increases productivity and creativity.

Mind
● Steamline decisions – eliminate decision fatigue by addressing trivial decisions. For example, have a work uniform (meaning, you wear one similar style to work – not the same clothes) to eliminate the time wasted agonizing over what to wear to work. You can also meal prep and take lunch to work on certain days so that you don’t have to think about where to eat.
● Start with the end in sight – have a clear picture of what you think the outcome will be before starting a task or project. This makes it easier to stick to the plan and not get easily derailed by unnecessary tasks.
● Use technology to your advantage – learn keyboard shortcuts, create templates, utilize web apps like pomodoro or kanban boards to maximize your productivity. Tune out social media and distracting (or scary) news. Keep communication lines open but put them on mute so that you don’t jump up everytime a message comes in on your slack or skype group.

Soul
● Set priorities – there will be days when you won’t be able to do it all. Know which tasks are important and which ones can be put off for another day.
● Imagine your ideal day – it’s one where all your plans work out well, right? Keep that in mind, down the to small details and work on that accordingly.
● Celebrate your wins – very few of us have type A personalities where we get all of the things done, 100% of the time. Whenever you accomplish a task, celebrate your small victories. That sets you up for more motivation to complete the others.

What are your favorite productivity techniques? Share your hacks with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Jan28

Your Morning Motivation Routine

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Your Morning Motivation Routine

Motivation is a very important factor in all things we do. It is weird because it works differently for different people. Sometimes it is a switch that (extremely) lucky people can just turn on or off. For the rest of us, it is a snowball that has to be built in order to gain momentum.

Motivation is defined as the desire or willingness to do something. Or it could be the reason for acting or behaving in a particular way. Naturally, our morning is the best time of the day to get particularly motivated. Mornings set the tone for the day so if we wake up sluggish, anxious, or unmotivated – guess how the rest of the day will turn out?

Unless you’re a four-year-old, no one wakes up in the morning excited and eager to take on the day. You will need to help yourself get into that mindset. For some, that comes easy. For others, not so much. So here are tips for the rest of us who will need time to get motivated.

Wake up on time
Freeze. Put your phone down and step away from that snooze button. No one wants to start the day harried, frazzled, and rushing. So stop hitting snooze and reclaim your mornings. You need to take the time to prepare and set your intentions for the day. You won’t be able to do that if you’re rushing to work.

Get some sun
Open your blinds and let the sunshine in. Sunlight signals the body to wake up. It can also facilitate the release of serotonin – a mood-boosting hormone that also helps bring calm and focus. These are things you need to keep yourself motivated.

Activate your body
If you can get a quick work out in – do it. If not, do a quick stretch while making coffee or brushing your teeth. Any activity can help jump-start your body and shake you out of sluggishness. Exercise also helps improve blood circulation, release endorphins (the feel-good hormones), activate your brain, and improve concentration. You can do light stretching, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, or running in place. Those exercises don’t need special equipment or a large space to complete.

Quiet time
Take some quiet time out for yourself. Wake up before the rest of the house does so that you can get some ME time in. This is important for settling into your thoughts and for preparing yourself mentally for the day.

Positive talk
Let go of negative talk and never ever berate yourself. If you catch yourself with a worried thought first thing in the morning – teach yourself to let it go and replace it with a positive thought. Start your day with a motivational quote or a mantra that you could repeat to yourself. You can tell start with something like “better done than perfect” to remind yourself that chasing perfection kills productivity.

What are your favorite motivation tips? Share them with us in the comments. Always remember to stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Jan21

Should I Post This?

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Should I Post This?

Recently, I have heard news about a video circulating that had very disturbing content. It was a rockstar who streamed his own death on Facebook live. I had the good sense not to search for or watch the video because, seriously, that is the decent thing to do. It is the way we show our sincere condolences (even if we do not know the person) to those he has left behind.

News followed that the family has requested with great pain to take down all instances of the circulating video. Nobody would want a loved one’s death to be entertainment fodder for other people. Time and again, people get into trouble because of sensitive internet posts. If we can all take the time to reflect before we post anything online – then maybe the internet wouldn’t be such a dangerous and scary place.

In light of this, here are some guidelines on responsible internet posting:

Is it my photo or is it from/of someone else?
You can either get an angry message from the owner of the photo or get serious charges for copyright infringement (or a stern takedown notice at the very least). So before you post anything, ask yourself if it is yours to post. If it is a group picture, ask your friends if they want it posted. And always ask a parent if it’s ok to post a picture of their kid. There are predators online that could take advantage of this.

Is it a good photo?
Does it contain explicit material? Is it suitable for viewing if you saw it at work? Would it promote good feelings or would it promote anger, violence, racism, or apathy? Will seeing it make people feel good or elicit good responses? Some posts inspire good feelings – feelings like love, wealth, health, and a sense of community. Others promote violence and anger. Which feelings will your post promote?

Could it get someone in trouble?
Sure, it’s funny posting a picture of your hammered friend sleeping on the bathroom floor. But stop to think if they could get in trouble for that post. A coworker, boss, or parent could see. It is not fair to project them in an unflattering and compromising light.

Is it going to cause drama?
Your controversial political post could elicit a lot of likes – from like-minded friends – but it might also cause a great divide. I’ve seen friends and family unfriend each other on political issues. Unless it is a fair and inclusive discussion, then it’s probably a good idea to talk about it in private, amongst friends and family, and not publish your thoughts out on the internet for all to see – and judge.

Am I aware that anyone can share it?
Check your settings people – be careful who gets share access to your posts and pictures.

Would I be okay with my Grandma seeing it?
If the answer is NO, then don’t.

A year from now, will I feel good about making it public?
We all say stupid things when we’re young, uninformed, or don’t know better. People forgive, but it’s hard to forget when it becomes available online for all eternity. Remember, everything you put out on the internet gets stored on servers somewhere – forever.

Be careful about what you share. Remember to stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help