Koala-T Assistant (MyKTA)

We understand the value of lists, but do we really use them to our best advantage? Is your life complicated? Lists can uncomplicated it and give it more structure. Is it uncomplicated? A list can give you direction in where you want to go in life. Is your life controlled externally, making you feel like your days are dictated by the urgencies of others or circumstances? Make a list.

There are lots of different kinds of lists:

• The To-Do List
• The Christmas List
• The Wish List
• The Shopping List
• The Goals List
• The Procedures List
• The Master List

What got me to thinking about lists were a couple of things:

1. During the week, I work my 8-hour shift, eat dinner, and go to the gym. Needless to say, my place blows up through the course of the week and I am left with lots of cleaning and organizing through the weekend.
2. Two things I need to make a priority to do each day is going to the gym and sending out resumes for promotional positions.

This would consist of a list for each day.

1. Create lists of goals.
2. Break those goals down into their respective tasks of what it takes to achieve them.
3. Incorporate a task from each important goal into the list for each respective day.

Doing something small each day removes it from being a large task later on.

Here would be an example of my Monday:

As you can see, from 7:00am to 5:00pm and the end of the day would be pretty consistent. If I workout 2 days on and 1 day off, that would give me Wednesdays to run an errand during that time, write on here, get in some reading time, or go out with friends or family. My weekends would have room to go to the lake, ride my motorcycle, go to a museum or gallery, have coffee with a friend, have a spa day, or do absolutely nothing. I will be accomplishing all the things that are important to reaching my goals without making me feel like I don’t get a day off to just relax. Those days are important too.

So start creating your lists.

Create a list for:

• Work
• Family
• Home
• Social
• Community
• Spiritual
• Health / Fitness
• Educational
• Fun

You will be amazed at the progress you make in only a couple of months, how much you will rediscover and nurture you, and how much more joy you will bring into your life by living more consciously. You will still have time for the spontaneous, probably more time by living your life with purpose and on purpose.

What a great day… and it’s Valentine’s Day! It is a beautiful day outside and I get to hear the horse carriages trotting around my corner waking me up this morning with an Old World feeling. There are days when it is so amazing to get to wake up in Old Sacramento. All the lovely couples will be down here treating their sweetie to a gorgeous day of interesting shops and restaurants and either sitting alongside the river or sitting on the deck enjoying a cocktail on the Delta King overlooking the river. Old Sacramento really gives you that Old West feeling when women were ladies and men were gentlemen.

In two days, the 16th, it will be my birthday and I feel kind of spoiled today. I usually take the whole week for my birthday because I have Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and I take the week off from work. Yes, I have this week off. Also, this year starts the 2010 Winter Olympics and the United States is doing pretty good and we’re ranking pretty decently. So grab your cup of coffee because I’ve got something for you. My gift to you. I know it’s my birthday, but I love to share great things.

Goal setting and evaluating my accomplishments and my “stupid” moments really hit me around my birthday. That is why I joined the gym in November and set the goal to weigh 145 by my 45th birthday (I am super duper close) and weigh 125 by the end of May (that’s my daughter’s birthday). Also, big decades are motivators, this being 2010. So my big reflective milestones every 5 years.

I failed to mention this to you at the beginning of the year, but you still have time to catch up. My first gift is for you to check out Darren Hardy’s blog at the Success blog (this is one of the links I share on the sidebar). He is literally giving away his Designing the Best 10 Years of Your Life for FREE. I actually paid for this last year and it is the exact same material, with accompanying worksheets (downloaded PDF), for all who register for their blog feed. What I love about this idea is that it is like joining a massive Mastermind group. You can read and participate in the comments. With the written material, this interaction isn’t available. So how awesome is that?!

If you use Firefox, I do, you can use Add-ons. Here is the second part of my combined gift to you. Grab the add-on called “Read It Later.” I mentioned in an earlier article that I purchased the iTouch for my birthday. I love it and have a technique for utilizing it in your productivity. “Read It Later” can be downloaded as an App to your iTouch or iPhone, and it’s FREE.

I am able to save my Google Reader items that have some length to them and sync to read it later on my computer offline if I choose, but this isn’t where I really need it. If I’m sitting at my computer already, than I can read it. I need it for when I can use it productively away from my computer. Such as, commuting and you are not the driver, waiting in an office, standing in a lengthy line, etc. For me, I use it when I’m on the cycle at the gym.

Yesterday, for my one hour cycle workout, I listened to music in the background for the rhythm intensity to keep my legs pumping me into a sweat and read my Darren Hardy blog. “Read It Later” has you sync for offline. Here is my learning lesson for you after using it yesterday in my workout. You can sync for offline web and/or text viewing. I only had it on web viewing. It’s pretty, but small and on the iTouch you are not able to zoom. So, my suggestion would be to sync the text view for readability.

So with the combination of these various technology items, you can still be productive during your downtime when you don’t have access or it isn’t reasonable to have your computer in front of you. It is a great series and I promise you will get so much information, ideas, and motivation by reading it. You don’t have to sign up to view the blog, but you do to access the worksheets and the worksheets are a great supplement to the program. I highly suggest it. Darren also does videos, which were not a part of the written material purchased last year. So the program has really expanded with how he has incorporated this being a live participation model. Do not leave this site without checking it out.

I promise, you will love what he is doing with this program. Like me, I can’t afford the thousands of dollars it costs to go to week-long seminars, and I don’t have the time. This is like an online education/seminar for everyone who participates for FREE. I know there are some people who don’t tend to value information or things unless they have to pay for it, but I am telling you that it is the same thing and, to be honest, an expanded version of what you had to pay for just a year ago. So I appreciate Darren for offering this to so many people who can use it, but can’t afford to pay for something like this and who need it the most to acquire the skills, techniques, and tips that it takes to be successful.

So, Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Happy Birthday to me, and I wish you all great success.

I would love to hear from you if you decided to join and your thoughts on the program and any other ideas you have that make you productive and encourages your success. I also hope you find information here helpful, so please share with the people who could you positive things in their life. Also let me know how fantastic your Valentine’s Day is. I’m off to see my mom for Valentine’s Day and I texted my daughter to tell her she is my lovely Valentine’s girl. Did you tell your special people how amazing and appreciated they are today? Well… get to it!

With great love and affection to my Sparkle peeps.
-Layne

1. Craigslist. You can search for jobs in your location in “Jobs,” you can post your resume in “Resumes,” you can post your services in “Services,” “Gigs” also offers some interesting opportunities as well, as well as searching by keyword(s).

2. Be specific. Is there a particular industry or company you would like to look for? Go straight to their website. Most companies have an “Employment” page. If it is by industry, make a list of the companies in your area and find their website for their employment page.

3. Search Google for “Best Companies to Work for in [City] [State]. That’s where you put the city and state you are looking to work. In Sacramento we have a magazine called Sacramento Magazine that does an issue called Great Places to Work. Many major cities will have a similar magazine for the locals to get to know and enjoy their city.

4. Attend Chamber of Commerce events. There are events that you can attend for free and you don’t have to be a member. You will be able to get to know some of the businesses that are out there and what they do. It is also an opportunity to network. Just look up your local Chamber of Commerce’s website “Events” or “Calendar.”

5. Network with the people you know. Let them know that if they hear of any opportunities to keep you on their radar. Or if you like the company or industry they work in, ask them questions on what you need to do to apply.

6. LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. You can join groups related to what it is that you do, you can list on your page that you are looking for job opportunities. There is a tab for jobs that relate to keywords that you list that will populate on your Home page if anyone lists a job opportunity. There is a “Find Jobs” tab to search job opportunities posted on LinkedIn. In the “More” tab you can find Events.

7. Government. Check out your local government. There is city, county, state, and federal. There is a bit of hoop jumping to these and the process can take some time, but it is well worth pursuing just to add more opportunities to your basket of eggs. You can also go to the USAJobs website. They won’t list everything available to the city, county, state, and federal, but the details of the job will provide you with links you can go to in the different areas of government service. Search Google to go directly to each government’s website by typing in, “State of [state] jobs,” “County of [county] jobs,” “City of [city] jobs,” and so on.

8. State Employment Office. California has a department call Employment Development Department that has offices where you can use their computers to take a typing test (at no charge for the speed test certificate), use their computers to create your resume and cover letter, and provide you with valuable resources for job and training opportunities.

9. Search. Two really great keyword searches is “[City] job banks” or [City] job listings.” These will provide you with a wide range of links to search.

10. Use your college resources. Many colleges have an employment department and being part of their alumni allows you to have access to their resources. Which reminds me, check out local college and business school websites in their employment section. They are not listed in the government sites and you won’t always find them in newspaper ads. I have rarely come across them in the conventional employment searches, so look up their direct websites. The perks with working for a college or university can include continuing education classes.

There is also the “old school” method by checking out your local newspaper, as well as looking at the smaller papers. Sacramento has a great paper call the Sacramento News & Review that is published weekly with information, event listings, and job ads. Also Yahoo and Monster. I wanted to give alternatives that would not necessarily have quite the volume of response, but would not discount these resources. The problem I have with using Yahoo, Monster, and newspaper ads is that, more than ever before, the ads listed are from employment agencies or temp services and wanted to minimize those in your search.

I hope this list gave you some ideas that you would not have thought of and expands your job search base. Jobs aren’t in just one place anymore, being the local newspaper back in the day. They are all over. Part of the responsibility of finding a job is seeking out and researching all your available resources. It is up to the job seeker to do their due diligence in what it takes to find your job.

Ultimately, make sure that you have your resume done well. It does not need to be done “professionally,” but it does have to be clean, organized, and error-free when it comes to spelling and sentence structure. Make it easy for the employer to scan over your resume and quickly assess the skills and experience you have to offer. Also, make every effort to have it reflect in your background what they are looking for in the position you are requesting to fill. With regards to the cover letter. A standard letter is fine as long as you have identified it well to personalize the content for the position, industry, and person you are sending it to.

There are still a lot of opportunities out there. Don’t take it personally if you are not selected. Keep going and keep your confidence intact. I never see it as a competition, its about finding the right opportunity and fit that is as individual as each one of us.

If you know someone who would love some additional ideas to get them motivated, take time to send this over to them. They’ll appreciate it. Also, I encourage your comment to give others ideas on what you have found helpful in searching out job opportunities. And, if you could use someone to look over your resume and give you suggestions, it is a service I provide and would be happy to discuss.

I attempt to lead a relatively simple and, to a certain degree, quite a minimalist lifestyle. Sometimes that makes me feel like a bit of an outsider at times. Not always going with the direction of what would be considered “normal” or necessarily mainstream. Not so much a follower of the population, but I do try to follow my heart, listen to my intuition, and keep my eyes open for “signs.” I don’t mean to sound metaphysical, just to express that, with all the craziness of trying to keep up, I make every effort to retain my perspective, the idea of who I am and want to be, and my sanity by not getting bogged down by all the activity that takes place around me that can steer me off of who I inherently am inside or question the greatness that is within me and provoke me to act in a way that is against my best judgment or call into question my morals and values of what I believe is right. Living my life with integrity that represents the core of who I am, the contribution that I make with the people I interact with each day, and the appreciation I receive when I am authentic.

What You Already Know

There are things that you already know about yourself. What you like, what you don’t like. Do you find when you do something that you already know you don’t like, you find yourself disappointed? I do. So why do we keep doing it? Is it thinking that there will be a different outcome? Or that the situation deserves another chance? I love trying new things, new foods, new styles, new destinations, meeting new people. That’s different. When you continue to do things that you know doesn’t work for you, what does it take to make you clear your closet of that and replace with something that doesn’t work for you with something new that may be even better.

Moments of Epiphany

It dawned on me that I don’t look good in grey. I love black and white, those are always my classic colors, but grey completely washes me out and makes me look and feel drab. I know I have a pair of grey pants, so why do I keep them? To reduce the clutter in my life for what doesn’t work for me it is time to get rid of the grey in my life. I also have a wide array of lipstick colors, but there is only one that I always “want” to wear, because no matter what I wear it always looks great. I do have a second color that adds a little punch, and I stroke a bit of my favorite over the top of that. I can also wear just about any gloss over the top of my favorite and it looks fabulous. So why do I hold onto the rest of the colors? I keep thinking if I wear pink, the pink lipstick would look good; or I would wear red during the Christmas holidays, but when I do, I don’t think it is my best color. What I should do is toss all the lipsticks that are taking up space and stick with my “classic” and splurge every once in a while on a fun gloss to mix things up. I’ve also come to realize that black eyeliner is just too much for me and the browns always make my blue eyes that much more bluer. The solution… get rid of the colors that don’t make me feel good, get colors that do make me feel good, and try some new colors that just might make me feel good.

You Have So Many Choices

I loved working in law, I also loved working in engineering. I find both industries to be dynamic, interesting, intellectual, and challenging. I’ve worked in other industries and find them rather boring in comparison. So why haven’t I focused on finding more work that is in line with law or engineering? I guess I never took the time to realize some of the specifics about what I love about being a executive professional other than being really good at getting things done and how to get things done. Still, the industry in which you work can provide passion in the details of what you are doing and why.

Create a List of You

I’ve written in the past about making a list of what you want to accomplish and listing what you need to do to get there. But, I never suggested, starting your list of assessing who you are and what you already know you love or what makes you feel good. If you use this as a starting point, you are able to hone in on what activities or goals are really a perfect match for you, instead of chasing after what you think you should be doing. You will avoid a lot of wasted time and disappointment by going after things that really make your spirit sing. I don’t regret working in the various different industries. After all, that is what helped me discover more clearly what I do love in the work I do. I can also expand on the skills I provide because I have become more conscious of what I naturally have a knack for, what I struggle with, or what I’m really not very good at.

Make It Work For You

I work out at the gym five or six days a week. There are times when I can’t wait to get into the gym that day and am actually looking forward to it. Other days, I have to literally drag myself to the gym, but once I get there, I am full steam and motivated. I didn’t think I would like the elliptical, but found it to be less stressful on my knees and, after a while, now find myself enjoying it as I get into the rhythm of the music for the pace that makes me feel pumped up. I didn’t think I would enjoy the cycle because I am sitting down, I think I could be accomplishing much more aerobically by doing something else. Now I find the cycle almost meditative, I’m able to decompress on the cycle and even watch a movie, and still break a sweat. I also spend an hour on the elliptical and a half-hour on the cycle to offset my thinking that I am not pushing myself like I should. I tend to feel intimidated by weights, but have found that I can get through them very quickly and find myself already done. So I have found ways that make my workouts enjoyable, makes me look forward to going in each day, and feel like I’m missing out when I don’t go. The pros: I feel more fit, my weight is more manageable, and I’m reaching health goals. The cons: being early in the year, the gym is sometimes pretty crowded and it is almost like “Where is Waldo?” when looking for a piece of equipment. I don’t care for crowded locations to a certain degree and would prefer a lighter amount of traffic that makes me feel like there is more air and space flow that surrounds me. So I go as late as possible without getting out of the gym at midnight when I have to get up early in the morning.

Just Do It!

By eliminating what doesn’t work for you and replacing it with the things that do, you create more balance in your life. Believe it or not, many times it is the “things” in our life that we don’t let go of, knowing that it isn’t right for us, that clutters our minds and our life. By removing these things, you allow better things to come into your life, whether you know it or not. And you become more particular and more focused on what you already know works for you to allow them in. This includes friendships and relationships. You and I are sometimes the very people who set up our own roadblocks by letting the unimportant take up space in our lives. We allow it take up residence in our psyche thinking we have a reason for letting it be there.

Don’t! Get rid of what is unnecessary. Make room for what makes you feel good. There are some things that you just can’t change at this very moment, but you can make a concerted effort to step away for a moment to clear your mind space and come back centered and focused. Sometimes you may just need to let what is going on around you just sort of flow past you. To let the energy around the activity sort of pass by with very little reaction from you. To just not take that day so seriously. And, sometimes, to just take a personal day and step away to shake off and let some of the intensive energy settle in order to get back in, hopefully with your perspective, your energy, and your authentic self to reemerge.

Thank You

We are continually on a journey of self-discovery. Find appreciation in the things that make you remarkable; find appreciation in the remarkable things around you; find appreciation in the little things that come your way; find appreciation in the challenges that you take on and overcome along the way that make you stronger, wiser, and more patient.

Find the Grace of God in each day, whenever you can.

If you find this article helpful, pass it on to someone who can use a boost.  If you know someone who always seems overwhelmed or a bit harried in life taking over, this article might remind them of their value and the importance of taking the time to appreciate themselves.  And, if you liked this article and it really kind of hits home with you, leave a comment and let me know.  I would love to hear from you and hear about what keeps you authentic.  And thank you for stopping by to visit with me.

I have come across a great resource worth sharing.  It is located on the Office Arrow website and titled, The Effective Executive Assistant, A Guide to Creating Long-Term Career Success.

When I first started writing on my website to give tips, ideas, suggestions, and information for the professional, it was because I tried looking for information that related to the administrative field.  I couldn’t throw a stone and hit anything worthwhile to inspire me in my profession.  This blog has opened up a wide range of other websites to come into my radar and I am grateful to be able to share some of these with you.

The publication that I speak of here is a 61-page PDF.  To download the document, you must sign up to their website.  Don’t worry, the sign up process is simple and easy, very basic.  There are choices for membership, but I chose the Basic and the Basic is free, which gives you access to a lot of information and various templates, so you will find the information definitely worth the “free” price of signing up.

The document breaks down the various elements of the field as an Administrative Professional.  If you are looking at it as a career option, it will tell you what an assistant is and does, what core competencies or characteristics and skills it entails, and the types of assistants there are.  It will give you an idea of the type of setting and environment you would be working in, as well as covering the various myths associated with the position.  The final portion details great suggestions in creating a successful career as an Administrative Professional, concluding with an extensive resource listing and a recommended “Reading List.”

They really did a good job putting together a beautiful document that flows well and is chock full of information.  It really gets to the meat.  It is not necessarily a “How-To” reference, that would be more along the lines of an Office Handbook.  So if you are looking for a great resource for information on what it takes to be an Executive Assistant or what you should be doing to elevate what you are doing as an Executive Assistant, this material will give it to you.

So go over to their website, sign up, and check out a great website of information to keep you at the top of your game.  You can be just one of many assistants that are out there or you can be that “one in a million.”

The Question

I received a question that I’m sure most executives want to ask. There are quite a few VA services out there, as well as online services that the executive or business owner can locate and advertise for a virtual assistant. The problem I have with most of these services, is the VA bids on the job, hoping to make, what?, $5 an hour. Not for me. The client does not pay for office space to house me, doesn’t have to provide me with a desk and computer, and doesn’t have to provide me with medical or take care of the taxes associated with employing me. Why would you pay any less than what you would for a traditional assistant.

I don’t really know the track record on many of the assistants on these services. My understanding is many come from overseas and there will be a bit of language barrier. They may be able to speak the language, but the translation and how they may interpret the instructions of the assignment may be less than what you get from a seasoned professional assistant. I’m not necessarily dissing the services, they do provide income for those who are looking for some extra change, and I do mean only “extra.”

My point on this is,

Remember, you get what you pay for.

So don’t pretend to be surprised.

Nevertheless here is the question:

Layne,
Is it possible to provide such a service virtually? I work all over the world, and I’m not so sure.
W

This Was My Response

Sure. Having worked in the standard “cubicle” world for years, the majority of communication, tasks, and assignments go through email now. Email has become so prevalent that you will find that there is less direct communication with the administrative assistant in today’s office. Most of the time I feel I can get more done working from home without the interoffice distractions. With IMing such as Yahoo, if you need to get the attention of your assistant, that would actually work more efficiently because the boss does not have to interrupt their work flow by personally walking to the assistant for requests. Documentation is all electronic as the office has become more paperless to a certain degree.

So you have the ability to communicate on different levels, have less disruption in your own work processes, and receive documents quickly through electronic transfer. You not only get the actual electronic documentation for your records and files, if necessary, all you should have to do is send to print or forward electronically to the party that needs it. You can even permit to have your assistant use an electronic signature and lock up the document or convert to PDF.

There are some tasks that require someone to be in the office, such as filing or meeting and greeting clients. The end result is, when working with a trusted and highly skilled assistant, you save time, money, and the need to babysit the time and activities that an in-house assistant does. When an assistant isn’t busy in the office, you pay for that down time. Sure there is busy work, but the point is, you pay for only the time it takes to get the assignment done. Just communicate clear objectives on the details, expectations, and any deadlines so there is less likelihood of misunderstanding or receiving an assignment that does not meet the criteria you expect. Start with simple projects, develop a relationship, and work up to the more complicated assignments as the you and the assistant become familiar with each others style.

I hope this helps.

Further Thoughts & Costs

I actually got to think about the further details that went into retaining a quality assistant after I posted this.  I wrote a college paper that detailed the cost of hiring an employee.  Let me list a few:

1. Time (is money) for partners to discuss the need to fill the position.
2. Time spent putting together the ad to list for hire.
3. Cost for the various mediums to use (i.e., want ads in the local newspaper, Monster.com) or if using a medium that is free (i.e., Craigslist), the time to repost until the position is filled.
4. Time spent taking and assessing each resume.
5. Time spent setting up interviews.
6. Time spent in interviews (is there more than one manager included?).
7. Time wasted on no-shows (this still happens).
8. Time for second interviews.
9. Time for hiring process and paperwork.
10. Time spent training.

This is just the hiring process.  I must admit if you choose to go with a virtual assistant, many of these costs are eliminated or greatly reduced.  A manager can research Virtual Assistant services and, as I mentioned above, start them out on simple tasks.  Also the work is contracted.  You don’t have to keep them for a month to work out the bugs if you don’t want to because you feel that you have invested so much time, energy, and money on hiring this individual, you would have to do the process all over again. Ugh!  Also, when it is time to let the person go, with an employee you have to pull a Donald Trump, “You’re fired!”  Working with a virtual assistant, at least in the beginning it is understood that the first project or first several projects are a sort of analyzing of whether or not to continue with their services.  You can always move on if it’s not the right fit.  No hard feelings (if done professionally of course on the sides of both parties).

Working with a virtual assistant is a partnership.  Something like dating or marriage.  As long as both parties are satisfied with the quality of the relationship it will continue.  Keep in mind that the virtual assistant is a business owner as well, they can decline to provide service if they feel that it is not a good match as well.  What I like about this scenario is we are talking about providing a relationship that encourages trust and respect.  We could all treat each other that way.

What are your thoughts? I thought it was interesting that this person actually works all over the world. Wouldn’t he/she in essence be working virtually anyway? Participate in your comments with your thoughts on the pros and cons of an assistant working virtually or is it really necessary to have someone in your office to get an assignment done properly. Interested in hearing different views.

I am an electronic techie geek.

I actually fell into this by accident. I actually started out as a hairdresser in California. I have always been creative and hair, beauty, and style was always interesting to me. And, it seemed, I was pretty good at it. I always had friends and family who wanted me to do their hair or change their look. Soon after getting my Cosmetology license, I met the man of my dreams, got married and pregnant, and we were soon moving to different states when he decided to leave the Air Force. We moved to Ohio, where he was from; then off to Pennsylvania, for his college to work on airplanes (he used to work on fighter jets); and then to Minnesota where he took a job with one of the big boys (at the time) with Northwest Airlines. The excursions that took us outside of California eliminated my ability to work as a “beauty consultant” as each state requires its own licensing. I was moving around to too many different states to keep up.

So off to college I went to attain knowledge in a profession that was more “practical” with my circumstances. So I chose the certificated program, “Legal Secretarial Specialist” at Rasmussen Business College in Minnesota. I chose to take the most difficult administrative program with the thinking that I could work in the administrative field in any industry and any state. This was the time when home computers were starting to take off and my little nomadic tribe of a family decided to get one. The days of DOS.

That is where it all began. Whenever we had problems with the computer, I was the one who was asked to fix it. Most of the time it was about how slow the computer would run. So I picked up books on DOS and learned the various macro systems that would increase the speed, ran the defrag program, and tweaked his games so they seem to run seamlessly as he enjoyed shooting things up.

I got a job with a law firm who represented several cities as the “City Attorneys.” They did a large amount of criminal documentation that was given to the assistant as dictation. Before I came on board, every word was typed in. Most of the information was for the offenses and redundant, used over and over again in most of the Criminal Complaints. This was when WordPerfect was the only choice for word processing and most law firms still use this software today. This is where I honed my skills in creating templates and macros. After that, we were able to get the Complaint done within days instead of weeks. This was also when “reveal codes” was a necessity to examine because you did not always print what you saw onscreen. This was before WYSIWYG. I still use reveal codes to see the details of what is in a document today with Word.

That is the evolution of my electronic techie geekiness. I have since built my own desktop computer, that is still wicked fast today, even though most of the time I work on my laptop.

I am always surprised when I come across administrative assistants who still use the computer and various applications as a glorified typewriter. The programs offer so much functionality and access to creating truly creative and dynamic ways of presenting information. Most have a handle on the more intermediate applications of programs today. You have to in order to keep up with the needs a company has in presenting information.

Today.

I continue to keep up with technology by visiting the various sites you see on my sidebar to learn new skills and applications that the various programs can do. I don’t go out and buy the really big books like I used to, but would like to. I also keep up with the new programs shortly after they are offered. I usually give a little bit of time for the company, usually Microsoft, to work out the bugs. And then I am off and running.

I find the program that I probably live in the most in today’s technology age is the Calendar. I use the “Task” function a LOT and should probably do a write up on that because there is so much you can do with it. The Calendar also houses the email system. Email has become the method of communication. No longer is the boss coming to you with the request of a project or task, it is now being sent via email.

On my quest to seek out technology that simplifies my life, I was greatly interested in the new iTouch with the Apps feature. I had put it off for quite some time as I was hoping they would come out with one that had the same GB as my current one, which they now call the “Classic.” However, I decided to go for it.

There is a bit of a back story to the reason why I ended up getting it before they hit 120 GB. I thought I lost my “Classic” at the gym. I know, God forbid. On my way to Best Buy, I stopped by the gym and, shocking to me, someone had turned it in. YAY! So I began to reassess my purchase. I started thinking, “Well this month is my birthday. You wanted to get this in the past, so what would you get yourself instead for your birthday?” I could get a nice pair of shoes, or maybe go to the bookstore, or maybe something that I needed. I decided on the iTouch.

One of the reasons I actually wanted the iTouch was for the functionality that of a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). I used to have a Palm, but something went crazy on it. I also had a Palm phone when I was on Verizon. I could carry all my information with me wherever I go. I realize that many of the phones have the various features, but I didn’t find the features to be quick and easy to use on the phone. After all, that isn’t their primary function. The iPhone has all of this, I realize, but I am not with AT&T. However, I am a big fan of Apple and have had the iPod for many years. So getting the iTouch was upgrading, again. I still hope to get a Mac. Maybe next year’s birthday gift.

I downloaded some Apps and am really interested in getting back to you on my impression of a free app called “Intuition: Mom’s Assistant.” I also read about an app called “Siri Assistant,” which I hear is phenomenal, but can only be used on the iPhone. Oh well.

I would love to hear from you what programs, features, and technology you just can’t live without. What makes your job and life easier? What helps you to be more efficient, productive, organized, and sane?

Don’t forget to take a look at the sidebar for websites that offer tutorials and tips on making you the “go to” person in the office when something techie needs to be done.

I have a friend who does photograph and film.  Actually her major is film, so that is her creative challenge and inspiration.  I had mentioned to her that I would like to have some current pictures done as it has been some time now.  Her mind process goes straight into film as that is where her love is.  I, on the other hand, have a hard enough time with having pictures taken of me, so film just scares the bejeeses out of me.

So she took a look at my website and that is where the brainstorming began.  She got excited with me on what I was doing with the website and ideas that I had, while offering some suggestions on what interesting things we could do.

This post is to let you in on some future ideas that I hope to incorporate into the website that will provide even more information on the professional assistant and tools with the little tips I write about.

Interviews on Film

With collaboration with my “videographer,” I will be looking to do some interviews with professional assistants located here in the Sacramento area, in interesting locations around the city that discuss the industry they work in, what they love about their job, what skills would be suggested to work in that industry as a professional assistant, and a fun conversation that showcases some of the really great local professional assistants.  If you live and/or work in the Sacramento, California area, please feel free to volunteer.

Interviews on Paper

As I am interested in the amazing administrative professionals that are out there no matter where you live, I plan to put together a standard template of questions for a monthly “Professionals” posting.  Feel free to volunteer.  I also plan to include interviews with the people who hire administrative staff in their industry, what the industry is like, and what they are looking for in the professional they are looking to hire.

Video Tutorials

Currently I write the “How To” on the different challenges I come across with the various Microsoft and computer programs and plan to incorporate a video tutorial for the visual.  I will continue to write the details of how I do it, as sometimes it is just nice to have a written version to refer to and also some businesses block websites or video from staff computing.  I have to admit that I love the written version at work because I don’t play videos due to the proximity of others being able to overhear when working in a cubicle environment.

So these are some of the exciting things I am working on with my videographer to enhance the experience of coming to this website, as well as showcasing the administrative field with the amazing talent that it comprises.

Requests for Participation

I would like some suggestions on what questions you would like answered to get to know the different industries, skills, and background of the administrative professional.

I would love to hear back from those of you who would like the experience of participating in either the video or written interviews.

And I look forward to introducing you to my collaborative partner, my new videographer.

I just finished reading an article about whether or not blog comments are essential to a site, such as this, or not.  The biggest issue that  comes up from having a comment section on a site has to do with controlling spam, self-advertising, and just random crap.  I take a couple of precautions for this.  One is that I moderate comments seeing that it reflects what is written, as well as information that contributes to others using a plugin called Diques Comment System.  I also use the WP-SpamFree plugin.  I have found these two tools to be very helpful in managing the degree of random comments and allows me to focus on the quality comments.  It is an extra step, but it also allows me to stay on track and respond in a timely manner.

I don’t plan to discontinue them at this time because I believe there is more than one point of view.  This allows others with similar experience in what I write about to contribute or an alternative way of doing the same task.  It also allows a person to disagree and detail why, an alternative point of view.  I use Feed Reader to manage quite a few blogs that I like to keep up with that provides me lots of ideas and suggestions, and some purely for entertainment.  Personally, I find the comments entertaining and informative.

It could be viewed as self-aggrandizing that is if you are merely looking for a “pat on the back.”  I appreciate the comments for two reasons, the opportunity for someone to give their feedback and the opportunity for others to provide their experience and suggestions.  Personally, I comment on someone’s blog when I feel I have something of value to contribute.  Many times, as I generally read through my Feed Reader, I don’t get to view the comments, but can quickly read through the articles.  I will click on the article link if I am interested in what comments others have made or would like to contribute a comment myself.

At this point, I don’t believe that a comment section is a “make or break” option for a website.  However, I believe it is the quality of the content that dictates a websites traffic.  If you provide quality content that is written well, your followers will come.  I must admit that I don’t believe I get that much commenting.  I don’t know if that is good or bad, but do find my website traffic increasing over time.  This I track with both a Google Analytics plugin and FeedBurner.  If people find your information interesting, they will keep coming back and will refer others who may enjoy it as well.  As you will see on my sidebar, I share many of my favorites to you as I love sharing really great things, opportunities, and ideas.  As if you couldn’t tell by the information that I write on here to share.

I would love to know your view on comments, whether you use them or not, and your personal experience with them.  So feel free to share your experience on both the commenting and the moderating sides of commenting.