by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Oct 10, 2013 | Productivity, Small Business, Time Management
You have heard it before, being busy is NOT an indication of being productive. Sure, the time goes by, but what did you really accomplish? Did your tasks and projects get you closer to your goals or just help to pass the time.
Organization is one key component to your productivity and time management. You may be hearing: blah, blah, blah, but it is the truth. We read about it all of the time, but do you implement any measures to bring you back to focus?
What are your daily objectives? Trolling Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter updates don’t really count. They may be good distractions and provide entertainment, but how do they help you operate your business?
There are some simple straightforward, no brainer things you can do every day. They don’t cost anything, they will only help you invest more in yourself, your business and your time. Maximize your time to work smarter, not harder.
Productivity KISS
- Wake up early
- Establish morning rituals
- Determine your goals
- Create a To Do list
- Make action steps
- Plan your strategy and priorities: do the most important/most difficult task first.
- Engage or create your team
- Brainstorm and mindmap
- Don’t lose focus: maintain discipline and work ethic
- Figure out where you waste your time
- Time block to batch process your tasks and projects: for example, set aside 30 mins each morning to attack your email. Do this 2-3x per day
- Create an editorial and social media calendar
- Set aside time each week to write your blog posts and content curation
- Keep and sync a calendar with your mobile devices
- Use a timer or app to stay ON task
- Tune out distractions and notifications: every interruption adds more time to your task.
- Know and set time/space boundaries
- Never stop learning new tools or methods. Times change.
- Network with like-minded people
- Maintain a positive attitude about work and life
- Take timed breaks to refresh, but get back to work: no zombies allowed
- Keep everything in its place. An organized workspace is an organized mind with no wasted time.
- Think quality productivity
- Be aware of your core genius and outsource your low payoff activities
- Use project management tools that work for you! If you don’t like an online program, then at least use a basic spreadsheet. I love Teambox.
- Update and use your policies and procedural systems to maintain efficiency
- Do NOT multi-task: it is distracting, harmful to your brain and impedes productivity
- If you telecommute or work from home: change up your office environment: try a café or library
- Automate daily routine items: no need to continually recreate the same efforts every day. This also applies to SOME of your social media efforts. Notice I said some. Never automate personal engagement. That is not social at all
- Store things in the cloud so you can access them when you are away from your computer
- Learn some keyboard shortcuts
- Remembering passwords is a PITA: store them online and keep them safe with LastPass
- If you are working with a team, utilize Dropbox or Google docs to share content and easily review revisions
- Procrastination kills time!!
- Use news aggregators with keywords, favorite RSS feeds and topics to avoid hunting for your daily digital news. It is a time waster. Suggestions: Feedly, Prismatic, Tagboard
What tips can you add to this list?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 30, 2013 | Delegation, Productivity, Small Business
Business growth depends on your ability to leverage time, money, expertise and “human” power. As you have probably discovered, it is virtually impossible to manage every single task, system and project in your business, all by yourself. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to operate at 100% effectiveness, 100% of the time. Even with your action lists and priorities, you only have two hands and one pair of eyes. Your income is limited by your time.
Can you just imagine how freeing it would feel to be able to count on someone else for support? A team partner? Someone who is vested in the success of your business while still saving you money?
The answer for your small business?
Leverage the power of other people’s strengths and time so YOU can get more done: focus on your core genius to scale your business to the next level. Think of all of the everyday mundane tasks that while necessary, do not represent direct in-pocket revenue for you. Why do you use your valuable time for these low payoff activities?
“Within the first 6 months I added a virtual bookkeeper and personal assistant. I went from making about $4,500/month to making over $15,000/month.” Melanie Benson Strick
- What tasks do you perform on a daily basis that actually generate income?
- What projects or business operations are required, but are not money makers?
- Which of the two take up most of your day?
- What is on your plate, that shouldn’t be part of your steady diet?
Are you truly cognizant of all of the hours you spend on basic office administration? Project management? Social media? inbound marketing?
This is just a small sampling of what you should be outsourcing so you can focus your time on what you do best. How many of these low payoff activities do you manage every day?
- Triaging and responding to emails
- Creating email templates
- Researching statistics and industry data
- Content curation
- Social media best practices
- Social media automation tips and tools
- Sending out client birthday/holiday cards
- Travel planning
- Editing, proofing blog posts
- Image search and creation
- Uploading blog posts and adding SEO
- Creating systems
- Tracking deliverables
- Generating office policy and procedure docs
- Researching online business tools
- Managing your database
- Creating spreadsheets
- Managing your online newsletter
- Tracking web statistics
- Testing new software
- Interface with team members
- Blog promotion
- Cross promoting your content on social media channels
- Calendar and appointment scheduling
“Exceptional leaders, however, understand the importance of and how to surround themselves with exceptional talent and delegate tasks and responsibility to them.” Peter Gasca
How much more do you think you could accomplish if you outsourced just 5-10 hours per week? I am not suggesting anything new to you or something I don’t do myself. I have a phenomenal virtual assistant and without her tremendous assistance, I would go insane. When you continue to do it all, or attempt to, you become the bottleneck to your growth and expansion. If things are falling through the cracks, you have little time to yourself or you are a slave to your business, it is time to re-evaluate your systems.
What are you willing to give up in order to grow?
If you are interested in testing the waters or learning more, please contact us to discuss your business, operations, systems and how we can partner. Working through any apprehensions about working with a virtual assistant is easy with a little guidance and reassurance.
We can do this together.
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Sep 3, 2013 | Entrepreneur, Productivity, Small Business
I was listening to a podcast this weekend about sales and service. There is always room for work and personal development when you own your own business. It never stops. Personally, I am always on and eager to learn more for both you and me.
Back to the podcast: You want the best service and products and we want to deliver. That goes without saying but being the best customer goes beyond signing an agreement or clicking pay now.
This post isn’t about creating your buyer personas and identifying the ideal customer. It is about BEING the best customer to ensure complete satisfaction and deliverables.
As the vendor, your vested partner, we have a job to do and most of us strive to be the pinnacle of providers. Our business depends on it because if we don’t, there is someone else who will. Your needs are to be met, better yet, exceeded. But we need YOU to do your part as well.
In your mind’s eye, what characteristics represent your own best client? The kind you love to work with? The one that is so productive, enriching and fun, making your job so much easier?
Sure, there can be daily challenges or differences of opinion, but those can be easily seen as strengths to develop a strong working relationship. It takes two to make it work, efficiently and effectively.
The 4 Cs of being the ideal client:
Cultivation:
Doesn’t it feel wonderful when you establish a new relationship, feeling the vibrancy and synergy? You know it is going to work out. You are excited to move forward. Don’t lose this feeling because of the daily grind and pressures of running your business. A successful partnership, like any connection, requires effort and mutuality. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or schedule strategy calls if you have new ideas or ventures you want to discuss. We welcome that interaction and want to serve you.
“One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others.” Lewis Carol
Communication:
It goes beyond just telling us about your plans and visions, which of course are vital to our success ratio, but we also need open communications, transparency and feedback. Creating the initial foundation after the sale, especially when in the service industry, is paramount to our long-term partnership. Clear and succinct details and desired outcomes are important to us. Feedback is necessary on our deliverables.
There are many times we also require more information from you, enabling us to do our best and meet your expectations, but if we as service providers are met with an untimely response or lack thereof, we are unable to give you the service you want and deserve.
- Keep the communication lines open.
- Respond in a timely fashion.
- Provide honest feedback.
Collaboration:
Our partnership requires collaboration, a give and take for us to achieve your goals. In the Virtual Assistant industry, you have contracted with us to assist you with your business management and operations. We need to work closely together, using tools and clear communication to achieve your desired objectives. You may have given us project to complete and to create a sturdy foundation for success, we need to collaborate and discuss the details. We will use a variety of tools to streamline the process, and while you have delegated to us, you are still considered a facet of the job, when and if, we need additional information or approval. When we are able to work together, bounce ideas, outline criteria, and act as mutual associates, the outcomes far exceed expectations. As your vested partner, we drive AND thrive to do our best for you. But again, it takes two.
Let’s work together to master your operations and scale your business to the next level.
“LOVE the WE because as I said before we are a team! :)” Recent quote from an ideal client.
We are a team.
Commitment:
You possibly chose your vendor based upon interviews, recommendations, online brand reputation and research. You selected the best company or person for the job. In doing so, you trust them to provide you with remarkable products and service. You made a commitment to the partnership. Commitment is a big word, reflecting on your trust and value in the service provider. If you have made this pledge, why not be the best you can be, so we can be the best for you?
No one likes to be disappointed or to have to repeat the process to find a replacement. Invest in this partnership in order to see your desired results.
Commitment is also the catchall for:
- Cultivation
- Communication
- Collaboration
This post is NOT to put the onus on you. It is about US!
In your quest for the best, you found a provider who exemplifies each of the characteristics above and is fully accountable for their half of the equation. As entrepreneurs, we opened our doors to provide and serve. To be unsurpassed and please you with our goods and services.
“For us, our most important stakeholder is not our stockholders, it is our customers. We’re in business to serve the needs and desires of our core customer base.” John Mackey
Let’s do this together. Are you ready?
What character traits make you the best client?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Aug 27, 2013 | Productivity
Buried under a mire of paperwork, To Do lists, daily administrative tasks and long range projects can be the crazed life of any entrepreneur. Just how much can one person successfully and effectively manage?
In thinking about all of the various hats you toss in the ring every day, which one is the most important?
- Marketer?
- Sales Rep?
- Bookkeeper?
- Social Media Manager?
- Receptionist?
- Travel Agent?
- Content Curator?
- Graphic Designer?
- IT?
- Event Planner?
- Customer Liaison?
This list is short and probably doesn’t even come close to fully accessorizing your head. While we love colors and fashion, the constant switching on and off of duties is counterproductive, wastes your valuable time and doesn’t represent your core genius. They are the low payoff activities that are necessary to run your business but do they require YOUR attention?
If you made a list of tasks that are associated with each category, what would your day look like?
Pretty overwhelming I am sure.
Have you considered tracking your day? Keeping a spreadsheet or notebook of EVERYTHING you do on a daily basis to keep your business operating smoothly, generating income, grooming current customers and converting leads? It seems daunting, but it is an exercise to make you more aware of your time and energies spent.
Where should you fully invest your efforts?
Here’s your challenge: test out the concept for 3-5 days and see what is on your list. If you would rather have a little digital help, Rescue Time will show you how you spend your time on the computer. You still may need a pen and pencil or the keyboard, but aren’t you curious where the day goes?
Review and analyze your data. What do you see? Any common themes? Did you miss any deadlines or appointments? Was something only half finished or not really in your expertise? Did you have any time for yourself? Downtime is important to refresh and get clarity but if you are busy flopping hats on your head and watching the clock tick, you forgo some well-deserved leisure.
Consider this: Are you tired and burnout? Is it time to delegate to increase your efficiency and productivity?
You may be facing some roadblocks to delegating but you can easily overcome your objections and learn about the benefits of working with a remote team.
Image credit: profitablegrowth.com
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Aug 2, 2013 | Productivity, Time Management
Are you looking to increase your productivity and efficiency? Maybe get back on track to do more or better manage your time? There are hundreds of articles posted daily and it can be overwhelming to read and/or implement different tools or platforms. You have to find the one that works best for you and use it.
We can read and test with all best intentions but unless we begin to create new habits, committing to a goal, the tool won’t take effect. It is up to you to dedicate your time and energy to learning which one you will apply.
I know I have personally tested a variety of To Do lists, task reminders and project management applications. Some have fallen by the wayside while others have become SOP. I have made these part of my daily routine, for both myself and my clients. Without proper time management and organization, time would be lost and there could be a sense of chaos or overwhelm.
There are many professed gurus suggesting their best methods and time tested tools, but whatever you choose, it must work for you.
- You must want to be more industrious and systematized.
- You must be ready for change.
- You must utilize the application until it becomes second nature.
We search every day, every week for new articles and suggestions and here are few from this week.
6 Secrets Of Super Productive To-Do Lists
3 Threats to Effective Time Blocking and How To Solve Them
How To Manage Your Time
Project Lists: 8 Steps to Crush Your Chaos
The Science of Productivity (video)
Small Business Success Podcast: Time management, Delegation & Empowering Your Core Genius
Time management tips: 5 beliefs that limit productivity
Time Tracking for Productivity
So there you have it: a few tips, tools and commentary to guide you toward a little deeper efficiency.
Can you become a Productivity Maven?
