Time Management
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Have you ever gone to a meeting only to sit and wait until the presenter arrives - late? Are you scrambling to get your PowerPoint documents in order because you are the presenter and the meeting is in ten minutes? On a personal level, do you always show up to church or drop your kids off at school or parties after they have started? If so, you are in need of some time management.
Get a calendar. It doesn't matter whether it is a paper calendar, a diary system or an online program. Get something that works for you, something that you will actually look at and use. Now use it! Color code it if necessary to know what is personal and what is business.
Say NO! If you are doing too many things at one time, you can't possibly do them all well. Learn how to say no to the projects you have no interest in and give your time to the projects that are most important to you. Delegate the less important projects. Your productivity will increase as you will be less stressed.
Have a daily To-Do list. Write down your projects or activities. As you finish a task, check it off the list. Be accountable for what is on the list. By writing down what you have to do, you will see what is necessary, you will be able to group similar tasks and you will not forget anything, which might leave you more stressed and frantic the next day.
Here are even more great time management tips. Can you add to the list?
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DELEGATE!! |
Now that you have your time management under control, do you still feel stressed and overworked? DELEGATE! Get rid of those little tasks that are dragging you down. Here is a list of things that would be easy for anyone to outsource to a Virtual Assistant (VA).
1. Mailings. Do you have a list of clients that have requested information? Give that list to a VA and have her send out the information. She can design your fliers, have then printed, stuff and address the envelopes and get everything to the post office. If your brochures are electronic, no problem. She can email all the information and check that name off the list.
2. Database Management. So you have that list of clients. Now what do you do? Have your VA enter them into a database so you can keep track of what the client is asking for, how many times you have contacted them, what they have purchased from you, etc. This information is invaluable when it comes time to introduce a new product or service.
3. Word Processing. There are a myriad of typing duties a VA can do - anything from designing a custom invoice, creating a letter of recommendation, writing a press release for a new product or transcribing audio files.
4. Internet Research. Do you need a list of professions that fit into a very specific criteria? Do you want to know where the best place is to hold your annual Sales Meeting? Is there a specific product you want to purchase but don't know where it is or how much it costs? Internet research can be very tedious. Why not let someone else do the work for you?
5. Human Resources. If you are looking for a new employee, this project could require sifting through hundreds of applications. Let a VA narrow the field for you once a criteria is set. References can be checked, appointments can be scheduled, and employment packages and be organized.
Now that you have delegated some of your tasks to a VA, you may even have time to take a late summer vacation.
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