I find my job dictated by the urgencies of others. I do a lot that goes beyond assisting to my executive, such as assisting other managers and staff. Here are some things I do that are outside of requests for my manager.
- Collaborating with other assistants outside my department setting up meetings for the executive’s manager.
- Creating an agenda of all-day meetings with all pertinent information.
- Proofreading all documentation to be submitted to my executive; making necessary corrections to format, spelling, punctuation, and grammar; and returning it to the manager for the corrections, as well as answering any questions.
- Contacting a resource for supplies or issues with office equipment.
- Processing new hire documentation.
- Maintaining various logs.
- Entering, tracking, and following-up on travel advance and reimbursement for approval and processing.
- Collaborating with branch units for monthly updates to budget worksheet.
- Assisting liaison to our Southern Workforce Branch.
- And much, much more.
So what can I do when the work starts piling on and it all needs to be done right now? Here are some tips that I find helpful.
Communication.
Don’t expect anybody else to know what you do every day or every minute of the day. If you are working on a full plate when someone comes up to ask you for something, let them know what you have going on currently. It doesn’t have to be in great detail, essentially informing them if it is something that you can help them with that day or later in the day. What do they need, by when, and what is entailed of the request? This way you are able to make an informed determination in when you can attend to the request.
Start your day right.
I’ll start with the obvious. Eat breakfast. I start my day with an egg and toast and, as I walk through downtown on my way into work, I pick up my cup of coffee and exchange pleasantries with people who start my day off so nicely. Upon arriving at the building I work at, I always smile and say good morning to the security staff who monitor and direct all building visitors. Then, as I begin my stroll through the halls to my little cubicle in the world, I have a ready smile and quick hello to the people I cross paths along the way. It takes me probably 15 minutes to get from my home, get my coffee, and get to my desk every morning. All that includes my ready smile and brief interactions along the way, starts my mornings off with positive momentum.
Once I take my seat, I’m like a pilot doing his/her preflight check. I boot up my computer, get documents together that are my first priorities of the day, check for voice mail, print out my executive’s calendar, get a peek on what the damage (how many) emails have surfaced since the former day, all while sipping away at my morning coffee.
I’m not a big morning person, functioning mentally anyway. That is why setting up routines are my modus operindi. My morning cup of coffee is a big part of that. The taste and smell perks me up. Setting up my office makes me feel organized and on top of what is to come.
Focus.
Focus on one thing at a time. As much as an assistant multitasks, it is still important to focus on the task at hand. For every time you are interrupted, it takes several minutes to get back the flow and concentration to an assignment. It is unavoidable to have to take phone calls, periodically check emails for prompt responses, and manage the traffic that comes through your desk, but managing and diverting distractions are an acquired and necessary skill.
Smile and don’t take it personally.
Sometimes we deal with people who are none too pleasant. It isn’t about you, it is about them. Don’t let them suck you into their world and don’t let them project their issues onto you. Remain pleasant, objective, and listen. You may not need to say anything, maybe you are just along their path of where it is they are trying to go. Be pleasant and courteous and, you never know, maybe that is all they needed to switch their own attitude.
It’s amazing how we can let other people or circumstances turn a day into crap. Don’t take it personally. For example, I actually believe I, generally, get “green” lights when driving through traffic, but every once in a while I seem to get a day where every light seems to turn red just as I approach it. It’s at those times that I remind myself that I will get to wherever it is I need to be a the right time for me, those lights are signaling me that they are keeping me from what is up ahead that could pose further delays, crazy drivers, or an accident. I keep the attitude that everything is in its perfect time and, if I try to press it before its natural course, I could very well suffer the consequences.
Walk away.
Not from the job of course, but to take a moment to step outside into some sunshine and fresh air, maybe a secluded spot to meditate for five minutes or a brisk walk around the block to do a “brain dump” and return to your desk refreshed and clear-headed.
I have read that if your job has you sitting at your desk all day to make efforts to get up and stretch every hour. That’s easy and brings you back to your surroundings. Focus is important but, like driving, you need to be aware of what is going on around you.
Take lunch.
You deserve it! I must admit, I am really bad at this. I tend to bring my lunch to my desk, thinking I will enjoy my lunch while doing some personal reading or going through some personal stuff that I brought with me. I rarely do. I end up eating and going through work email or other job-related stuff. So, if you can, try to do lunch away from your desk. It’s your time to do whatever you want and not account to anybody for but yourself. Or make a list of what you want to accomplish during your lunch hour, whether going to the gym, meditation, walking through the shopping center, paying bills for that month, visiting and enjoying a restaurant with a friend, anything that puts the focus back on you.
End your day right.
Take a few minutes to create the desk and environment you want to walk into the next morning. I realize that after a long day all you want to do is shut down your computer and go home. It is worth a couple of minutes to put things where they belong so you don’t come in the next morning facing an unorganized day first thing walking into your office. It could very well help change how you view the rest of when you first get into work.
Do something you love once you are out of the office. I call it my time to decompress. Sometimes it is coming home and cooking because I already have something interesting planned to to cook that evening. Going to the gym, I am able to vent frustrations or that feeling of being wound up. Visit with a friend who doesn’t work with you, both of you will want to talk about anything but work. With the warm weather and summer close at your heels, go to the pool and get some sunshine now that daylight is lasting longer.
Enjoy the moment.
Enjoy each moment of each day. It is easy to lose the days. It all kind of blurs past us. Life isn’t worth living like that. By enjoying the process of what you do in each moment, you create exceptional experiences. You also project a quality around yourself that others can get a feel off of, it can be a feeling that they want to be a part of that, or it makes them feel comfortable, or they just feel good when they are around you. It is just something that can’t be really identified because it comes from within. Remember to feel, touch, taste, and hear what is amazing in the moment. Live in the moment, create in that moment what you want it to be, be the exceptional person you visualize in each moment.
I believe what we do is significant. We attend to details that create ease for the executives we assist. We are not always appreciated or valued for what appears to be simple details, but in reality makes someone else’s job easier. In my own personal life, at times, I wish I had someone who did the research, set up the appointments, and processed the paperwork so all I have to do is show up. Also, unless you actually do it, you don’t realize all that goes into making it so seamless and easy. That is what you do, under the radar.
With great affection to all my professionals,
My challenge, actually for the week, has been managing overload. I realize that I can’t do it all, but I make every effort to, and to do it well. That is the problem with overload. You find yourself sacrificing the quality of your work. You don’t mean to, but it’s inevitable.
As an assistant, the job is all about managing constant interruption. Not everyone can do it. We are multi-tasking between all sorts of activities. Our job is not the kind that you can start on a project, focus, and plow through. While working on a task or project, we are also answering the phone, managing email, stopping to assist with a question, routing documents, logging, and processing. In reality, sometimes I’m amazed anything gets accomplished.
These days I find myself walking into work and booting my computer up with a minimum of 30 emails, and it’s not uncommon to start the morning off with 60. That doesn’t include the stream of emails coming through each and every hour. When managing through email, and most things, I am a “first in, first out” kind of gal. What I am getting better at is, while going through the oldest mail first, attempting to manage the latest mail that comes in too. So I’m kind of running through email from both ends.
Everyone has advice because everyone’s stuff is priority. Well, every piece of email I get requires me to do something with it. Whether 5 minutes or 30 minutes and it is all important and it all must get processed. Nobody knows all that you do and, really, they don’t want to know because they are busy too. So how do you handle the barrage of demands. After all, you are only one person.
Don’t let it get you worked up, stressed.
First suggestion. You have to breathe and keep your calm, sense of humor, and sanity. It is called “grace under pressure.” The difficulty is dealing with an environment like that every day, which really isn’t healthy either.
Manage your space.
Some people seem to function in stuff. Stuff everywhere. I’m not one of them. I like a clean and organized desk. I like leaving the office with everything off my plate so I can come into work the next day with a fresh “plate,” so to speak. But this isn’t always the case. So, knowing that you are coming in the next day with a “boat load” of stuff to get done, try to organize your desk before you leave so you at least walk in with everything in place for you to get off the ground running and not begin your morning feeling cluttered and out of control. I’m not a morning person. I like to get my cup of coffee, boot up the computer, and build steam as the day progresses.
Manage your time.
This could mean when someone gives you a request, ask for a deadline. When do they really need to have it completed? Communicate if there is a conflict in getting the task completed on that timetable. They may be able to compromise or juggling the other conflicts may be required. The point is, make sure that there is clarification on priorities. We may think one thing is a priority when it turns out that it may not be as urgent as our initial impression of there being one.
Do the best you can.
Perfection is non-existent. Well, other than an amazing sunset or a beautifully prepared meal. Strive in greatness in all that you do. Make sure that your attitude is that of high quality and that will reflect in the output of your work. Some environments are toxic, but that doesn’t have to be you. Don’t allow others to get in your head. Stay true to yourself and keep your attitude elevated so that you are better for yourself and for the people who matter to you.
Don’t take the job home with you.
Which brings me to another good point. When you’re done with work, you’re done. Leave it there. Go home and enjoy spouse, kids, dog, cat, and even yourself. If you need something to vent on, find something that moves the energy out of you and brings good energy into you. That could be a hobby, meditation, a nicely prepared meal where you sit down and enjoy your healthy food on beautiful plates. I go to the gym and I go 6 days a week. I not only lost 15 pounds in one month, but I have been known to sweat 2 hours on the elliptical or beat up the weight machines. They can take it and they don’t say anything back. But don’t take it out on the really important people in your life. They are the ones who deserve your best. Find an outlet that can take the beating, something you love or at least enjoy, and it makes you a better person for doing the activity.
Appreciation.
Appreciate what you do. Even if you don’t get it directly, love what you do and it really doesn’t matter what other people think. Understand that there are a lot of people who either do not like what they do or they are going through their own issues. We don’t have the full story of why people are the way they are, so by not being confrontational or aggressive will sometimes cut the edge off how they may interact with you. And, yes, sometimes it is hard to do. You might feel like you need one of those bits that you can bite down on to manage excruciating pain.
As an assistant, we like helping people. That is just how we are wired. It brings us satisfaction knowing that we were able to put something together that looks effortless and easy. It is when you no longer take pride in what you do that you lose what makes you so great at your job.
