by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Mar 16, 2012 | Delegation, Organization, Time Management, Uncategorized
In comes the world of technological advancements and Smartphones to aid us with work, life, and staying connected but how has it really impacted our personal and professional lives? When I am out with friends I see so many people furiously scrutinizing their phones, tweeting, texting and checking Facebook updates while ignoring the company they are with. What message does this send to each party? Is what is “inside” their phones so much more essential and stimulating than spending time with one another? Why even have face to face if the other person(s) obviously has no face value?
Remember the days gone past of personal interaction, communication and building individual relationships- being present in the moment without concerns of outside influences: who is saying what to whom or being so obsessed that you miss the “now?” We all used to engage in conversation: sharing value, insight and fostering deeper relationships without interruptions or another person observing their phone for the next message. The wonders of dining alone while in the company of others? Have you been there? Is your eye contact just a fleeting glance in between text messages?
“Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.” Thich Nhat Hanh
While I haven’t lost the value or benefit of Smartphones, especially as a virtual assistant, but I believe there is a fine line between being rude and discourteous while amongst friends or business colleagues affixed to their phones. I will be the first to admit that I have been guilty, but that was in the past. I have made a concerted effort to be present in the moment as I have chosen to be in the company of the group. If I had a lack of interest, I would have stayed home and merely texted.
What memories do you want to create? How do you want to cherish the time you have with others? Show them you value and respect them by putting away your phone. All of the updates, emails, and text messages will not instantaneously vanish because you didn’t check them at the moment. Life is just too short to persist on this path of seeking immediate gratification of the reading the next best thing, as we end up failing to notice or neglect the wonders of our present moments.
Make your priority the people you are with by giving them your “mind full” attention.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” Henry David Thoreau
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Mar 1, 2012 | Delegation, Time Management
1. Don’t delegate what you can eliminate 
2. Create a plan including accountability and responsibility
3. Delegate things that aren’t part of your core competency
4. Delegate routine activities
5. Outsource non-income generating tasks
6. Create a list of resources if necessary
7. Trust that someone can do the project as well as you
8. Invest in short term training for a strong foundation
9. Provide reasonable deadlines
10. Use the 4 D’s: Do. Dump. Defer. Delegate
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jan 19, 2012 | Delegation
As an entrepreneur, your success depends upon your capability to commit your time to what you do best, applying the concept of leverage – getting more done with less time, effort, and resources. Entrepreneurs and small business owners alike characteristically have a difficult time delegating to others. We are all control freaks, compulsively detail oriented and so emotionally invested into what we are trying to accomplish, that we do not permit others to assist us with some of the work.
Partnering with a virtual assistant helps you to increase your productivity, reduce your overhead costs, increase your bottom-line, allow you more time to focus ON your business rather than IN it and enhance your time management. These are just a few of the benefits you will gain through delegation to your VA. It is not merely WHAT we do for you, but what you stand to gain with your new found hours.
According to Wikipedia: “A virtual assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant)[1] is an entrepreneur who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a home office. Because virtual assistants are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance or benefits. Clients also avoid the logistical problem of providing extra office space, equipment or supplies. With a full range of options to choose from, clients can customize their remote receptionist service to meet their exact needs.
Virtual assistants utilize today’s technology to deliver their services and communicate with clients by working remotely. A virtual assistant’s core practice consists of administrative or clerical tasks. However, many virtual assistants offer additional specialties that fall under various other categories, such as marketing, website development or maintenance, creative and technical services, etc. In addition, many VA’s have target niches, and those include real estate, coaching, and writers to name a few prominent ones.”
According to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers: “Outsourcing is growing fast and delivering results. More people than ever are outsourcing with no indication that growth with slow.”
Delegation is a low cost, high pay off solution to your daily business needs. If you outsourced just 4 hours per week, you would have 16 more hour per month to focus on your “core genius:” what only YOU can do for your company, for your clients. How would you put those 16 hours to use?
“Outsourcing is a tectonic, structural change in the marketplace that will significantly change the competitive outlines of companies. It is the mainstream of the global business ecosystem. It’s here today and will continue to expand and touch our lives, both as providers and consumers, in many ways.” Sachdev Ramakrishna, VP Strategic Marketing, Mphasis (an EDS Company)
Ace Concierge is YOUR delegation partner. We help you in the daily operation and management of your company with our virtual administrative services, enabling you to spend your valuable time on income generating activities.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Jan 3, 2012 | Delegation, Time Management
Many of the daily business tasks that consume your time can be effectively outsourced, enabling you to focus on what is important, rather than on what needs to be done.
- Think about what you would do with an additional 4 hours per week, or 16 hours per month?
- How would you invest that time in your organization?
- What administrative details do you really need to be doing, or not doing?
- Are you caught up in back-end details that should be delegated?
A simple exercise to discover what you can delegate to your virtual assistant is to keep a daily log of your tasks and projects’, noting how much time was spent on each, even being mindful of the interruptions. Each of these facets helps you to see how your time is spent.
Looking back to the log, do you see items that should have taken you 15 – 30 minutes but may have take longer due to unforeseen distractions, or because you had to “figure out” how to complete the task? Keeping track for a few days or a week will help you to see where and how your time is being spent.
- Upon review of your time sheet, think about what you should have delegated.
- Did you spend unnecessary hours performing more admin tasks?
- Were there other more vital business details that were overlooked or passed over because you were doing busy work, or trying to figure out how to complete the task?
How do you want or need to invest your time in your company? Delegating is a proven tool to increase your productivity, time management and effectiveness. Many important administrative tasks can be outsourcing to a professional Virtual Assistant who already has the knowledge or skill to be able to complete your tasks efficiently, without interruption and in a much timelier manner than you may be able to. With your projects being successfully executed and completed, you will gain valuable hours in your day to work ON your business rather than IN it. Why not start today?
