by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | May 30, 2013 | Organization, Small Business, Virtual Assistant
Helping to manage a client’s business requires attention to detail, thoroughness, time management and accuracy. As a virtual assistant, my client base has entrusted their business operations and daily tasks to Ace. It is vital for success and smooth processes that we utilize the best tools and software to ensure that everything is properly executed and facilitated with no errors.
One of my favorite project management platforms is Teambox. It allows for one centralized location for communications, tasks, notes, files, time tracking and accountability.
Teambox Structure
- Projects – This is what you are working on, the main objective.
- Tasks – The different pieces of a project. Assign tasks to different members of your project.
- Members – These are the people that are involved in the project.
- Notes – A shared workspace for you and your team. Share notes from meetings, whiteboard ideas and collaborate.
- Conversations – Communicate in real-time about specific tasks or the project as a whole.
- Files – Share files that are relevant to your project with members of your team. You can also share specific files with people who aren’t members of the project.
The dashboard is very user friendly and simplified, displaying your projects and each feature mentioned above in real time. You can click on “recent activity” for an overview of each project or click on each project separately. One of the features that is most useful are the notifications which are delivered to my email and I can respond from there or login directly to TB.
Teambox is also integrated with Dropbox, Google, Github, RSS Readers and mobile apps. It makes it easy to access from anywhere, keeping you on task, connected and up to date.
My clients each have their own login, enabling them to upload files, create notes and assign tasks. Along with the conversations, keeping all of the project details in one location ensures efficiency and successful project management.
As a collaborative tool, Teambox also offers group chats with your team where you can even share files, videos and stay in direct contact as the project moves forward. The syncing opportunities have produced numerous options and capabilities to cross share content, stay in touch and manage the task calendars within the application in addition to any that you have synced.
If you are working with a team, you may only want specific people to view a task or conversation. Setting up privacy rules is fast and simple by choosing who the “watchers” are of the specific task or conversation. It remains private with only the people you choose.
Project management is a necessary component of every business, large or small and if you don’t have some type of system or program in place, data can get lost, tasks forgotten or missteps may occur. Find and test drive a platform that works for you and one that you will commit to using.
Image credit: Lifehacker
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | May 21, 2013 | Time Management
So you have read it is a myth. Well, it is in a way. You can’t manage your time but you can learn to better manage yourself. “Time management” takes discipline and commitment.
There are many hindrances to time management but they are all relate back to how we regulate our lives and productivity levels.
Things that hinder your time management
- Procrastination: when you consistently put off tasks, you end up in a time crunch and can miss deadlines or leave things undone.
- Distractions: take you away from the project, cuts into your time, diminishes focus
- Disorganization: misplace, misfile or lose things and you must waste time searching.
- Lack of focus: jumping around between tasks/projects decreases productivity and output; hence spending more needless time going back to find and finish what you started
- Saving EVERYTHING: when your inbox and folders are overstuffed, you spend more time searching for documents and emails. This inefficiency wastes your time
- Data overload: you have a constant barrage of emails, text messages, IMs and news pouring into your inbox. When you have a new notification, do you automatically STOP what you are doing, click, read, close? This takes up time, removes your focus and interrupts your work flow.
“You can manage the information and the interruptions, because the problem doesn’t lie in the amount of information and interruptions. The problem lies with your methods of processing that information and handling the interruptions.”
Time Fix – Get Organized
By organizing, prioritizing and eliminating distractions, you will save time and enhance your productivity.
- Create schedules
- Time block your day
- Organize your data
- Develop a routine
- Set boundaries
- Use your calendar for appointments and To Dos
- Use action steps for items on your To Do list
- Keep your workspace orderly
- Check email at specific intervals
- Delegate
- Put down your Smartphone
- Turn off the television
These are just a few simple tips to better manage yourself which will in turn help you to better manage your time. You will feel more systematized and industrious. Can you imagine how much more you will be able to accomplish in your day? With 168 hours in the week, you truly can achieve great things.
Are you ready to be the master of your time??
Image credit: Microsoft
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | May 4, 2013 | Entrepreneur, Time Management
We all have goals and things we want to achieve but are you really ready to commit? To produce an impact? Can you make the pledge to maintain forward momentum and accomplish your objectives? Saying and doing are two completely opposite entities. Action begets action.
“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress.” Bruce Barton
Sure, we often THINK about the changes we want to institute, the direction we see ourselves working toward, but those are merely thoughts. It is time to step up and confront what is blocking our realizations for growth.
- Squander our time and efforts on needless busy work
- Lose ourselves in the abyss of posting and trolling social media
- Become sidetracked with tedious, nonsense task
- Lose focus
- Decide we just don’t feel like it
- Work IN our business instead of ON it
- We are undeserving
- Expecting other company partners to contribute more
- Afraid of success
- Waiting for bigger and better opportunities
The only way to facilitate change is to learn to become more effective and efficient.
To transform.
To revolutionize our thought process and actions.
Keep a daily log of time and projects, the interruptions, personal ambushes and at the end of the week, scrutinize what you truly accomplished. How you spent your time? What was wasted and where can you improve your focus and time management?
A recent post on Stepcase Lifehack, 3 Ways to Be Less Busy and More Productive, state: “How often do you actually achieve results while you are busy? Not too often, I bet. Switch your focus from being busy to being productive, so that you can accomplish more, see tangible results, and have time for fun.” They offered some very helpful hints to fine tune and remove the busy from your life.
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Many become defensive when their aspect of busy is challenged and that is understandable, but in terms of accomplishable goals, growth, momentum and successes, busy and productive must be further defined to determine if being busy is just wasting time or working toward an end result. Entrepreneurship requires 150% dedication, focus and effort. It is not a part time endeavor to embark upon while meandering through life. If you are choosing to operate a business, then you must live and breathe your corporation, from top to bottom, every day.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge
- Know your goals: long term, short term and daily.
- Plan your work and work your plan.
- Create your action steps.
- Eliminate distractions.
- Stay on task.
- Turn off notifications.
- Be consistent with your actions.
- Delegate your non-income producing tasks.
- Learn something new to advance your business.
- Read pertinent books/articles.
- Find a mentor.
- Ask for help.
- Do what it takes to bring your business to the next level.
- Be accountable for each step-each milestone.
- It is up to you
“At the end of the day we are accountable to ourselves – our success is a result of what we do.” Catherine Pulsifer
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Apr 16, 2013 | Delegation, Time Management, Virtual Assistant
Image credit: actioncoach.com
As a virtual assistant I try to help educate my clients and prospects on the high value of delegating some of your daily business operations to better leverage your time and your skills. It is a low cost, high payoff activity to maximize your business growth. As entrepreneurs, the amount of hats we must wear can be overwhelming and very time consuming. It is almost impossible to do it all and perform at 100% of our capabilities. We can become worn out, lose track of time, have higher stress levels, become distracted, less focused, inhibit our productivity, have a decreased work life balance, miss deadlines, become backlogged or not complete our To Do lists. These things are not acceptable and will not foster growth and forward movement.
“It’s important to be working on tasks that have the biggest impact on the growth of your business–everything else should be delegated.” Iyla Pozin
I have learned the fine art of delegation as well. I certainly can’t preach the value of outsourcing to my clients if I am not doing it as well. Once I began delegating more of my daily business operations and back end admin tasks, there was a sigh of relief. The “aaahhh” feeling that I knew my team was helping me to be more effective and productive. I am a control freak; however, hand picking my personal virtual assistants gave me the confidence I needed to be able to send them tasks and projects.
Delegating has given me more time to work ON my business rather than IN it. I continually refine and revisit what I will outsource, as there is always room for improvement but if I am going to make suggestions to you, I too must follow the same premise. I have also discovered that the more I read, research, and learn about new tools for you, the more I apply them to my own business. I am grateful that you have chosen Ace as your virtual assistant. It is because of YOU that I too have been able to flourish and become even more productive, which I didn’t think was possible being so OCD about time management and productivity.
“If you are ever going to grow your business beyond what you can contain in the grasp of your outstretched arms, you’ll have to let go of a great deal of what you do to fill each day.” John Jantsch.
What will you delegate today?
by Ace Concierge | Virtual Assistant | Apr 5, 2013 | Delegation, Virtual Assistant
Image credit: timetrade.com
If you have never partnered with a virtual assistant, you may be wondering how can someone who potentially lives across the country actually help you manage your business on a remote basis. It seems so foreign not to have someone in the next office but we are just a call, text or click away from your fingertips. I have been in business since 2002 and thanks to technology, I am fortunate enough to have both USA based clients as well as international.
Virtual assistants use several different platforms to streamline our client projects and communications, keeping us focused, timely and productive. It is no longer necessary to rely upon an in-house team when you can save money and time by working virtually. There are literally hundreds of tasks and projects that you can effectively delegate to a virtual assistant. The possibilities are only limited by your requests. Click “25 Tasks You can Outsource to a Virtual Assistant to Grow Your Business – Today!” by Chris Ducker.
As a busy executive your early morning may begin with a cup of coffee and your laptop (just don’t mix the two). Email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blog posts, Pinterest, calendaring, appointment reminders, content curation and a review of your To Do list are just a small part of your daily routine. How much time do you spend on these every single morning? Are these activities the best use of your time? Are they high payoff activities?
As facets of your marketing, branding and a little fun time, they all require attention, but do they need to be managed by you? Probably not.
What can you do?
Calendaring Case Study:
Enter the busy entrepreneur whose days are full with back to back meetings, presentations, phone calls, business development, networking and correspondence. Triaging emails, calendaring and setting up and confirming calls was not only consuming too many hours, but it wasn’t the best use of his time as it took him away from his core genius.
Our Ace Solution:
- Create a Google account, enabling us to manage his calendar, appointments and reminders
- We also created accounts for conference calling and screen sharing programs for presentations and calls
- The client now forwards email threads with any needed appointment details, alerts the client/prospect that Ace will be managing the appointment scheduling and conference details
- Ace initiates the follow up and schedules the meeting using one of the three tools
- Depending on the application, the appointment will be added to the GCalendar or it will self-populate via the conference platform
- GCal reminders are set up to be delivered via email and or pop-ups for my client
- Email reminders can also be sent to the other attendee(s) if the conference software does not offer the service
It is so much easier and more efficient to simply click “forward” than to manage all of this yourself. It takes time and effort to set up the platforms and manage each step while you are trying to work ON your business.
How much time do you lose during the day working on calendaring and similar low payoff activities? Consider delegating your calendar, appointment scheduling and reminders to a virtual assistant. You will have generated more time in your day to focus on what is important, rather than on what needs to be done.
“It’s just plain smart to leverage your time with talented workers on your team, than try and do it all yourself.” Chris Ducker
