| I've always been good at time management. But | | | | as I was able to afford them. |
| when I left Corporate America and started my | | | | - Backup - the final thing I had to do was to |
| virtual assistant business, I found out pretty | | | | devise a backup system for my computer. I |
| quickly that time management in a virtual world is | | | | never really worried much about it before. But I |
| different than in an office environment. It meant | | | | couldn't risk losing valuable work, as it was now |
| that I needed to learn how to restructure my | | | | my livelihood. That's now one less thing I have to |
| day to be the most productive. | | | | worry about. |
| Of course, in the early days, time management | | | | Now that I had things in order, I was enthusiastic |
| meant using shorthand to take notes, and carbon | | | | to go to work. Even though my work day went |
| paper to create duplicates. The advent of the | | | | more smoothly after having done these things, I |
| computer changed all that. It's only gotten better | | | | found I still had some work to do. I was still not |
| and better from there. Today's administrative | | | | making the most of my time; I had to look for |
| professional has a wide array of tools at hand to | | | | ways to further improve. After a period of |
| help them organize their work day. When I | | | | experimenting with different things, I have finally |
| worked in an office environment, some of the | | | | narrowed it down to some things that work very |
| time management techniques I used included | | | | well for me. |
| sorting the mail into stacks before I opened or | | | | - Email - I figured out how to tame the email |
| distributed it; making sure that when I got up | | | | gremlin; by organizing my mail, just as I used to |
| from my desk, I ran all of the errands I needed | | | | do when I worked in an office, only now it's on |
| to while I was already up and about; converting | | | | the computer. I flag high priority mail for follow up |
| as many paper systems to electronic systems as | | | | (if I don't handle it then and there), file it in a |
| I possibly could. I always enjoyed finding ways to | | | | folder, print it, forward it (delegate it), or delete it. |
| streamline a process. I came up with some pretty | | | | If it requires adding something to my calendar, I |
| crazy ideas; but I was usually lucky enough to | | | | do it right then and there, and then I'm sure not |
| have bosses that allowed me the rope to try out | | | | to forget to schedule it in later. Good, that's out |
| my ideas, and they always worked. | | | | of the way. I schedule this first thing in the |
| Once I started working from home, where literally | | | | morning, and then usually check it a couple of |
| all of my work was done on the computer, many | | | | times throughout the day. |
| of my time management tactics no longer applied. | | | | - Schedule - having a schedule of my day laid out |
| It was a bit frustrating at first, since I had always | | | | first thing in the morning is crucial for me. I know |
| taken pride in my organizational and | | | | what I need to get done, and have a pretty good |
| time-management abilities. I couldn't quite seem to | | | | idea of how long it might take me, so it's not that |
| get a handle on it. It was out of character for me. | | | | difficult to schedule my day. I use my calendar in |
| I finally decided I needed to take a couple of days | | | | Outlook, and set a reminder to pop up for me. |
| over a long weekend to get things organized and | | | | This is the best method I have come up with to |
| develop a routine. | | | | make sure I don't miss or forget anything really |
| - I started with my computer. Up to this point, it | | | | important. |
| had only been for personal use. Now, it was my | | | | - Family - It took some time get my family used |
| primary work tool. I set out to organize my | | | | to the idea that just because I'm home doesn't |
| desktop, my documents, my files, etc, to allow | | | | necessarily mean I'm readily available to meet |
| me to work more efficiently; help me find things | | | | their needs. I still have a job do to, and a |
| easier; have a filing system that made sense. I | | | | timeframe in which to complete certain tasks. |
| deleted files and uninstalled programs I didn't even | | | | Besides that, I charge many of my clients by the |
| remember saving or installing, freeing up space I | | | | hour; therefore, it's important that the time I |
| didn't even realize I had. I ran my computer | | | | spend working on their projects is devoted wholly |
| maintenance regimen. Whew, that was a lot, but | | | | to that project. Once I made it clear that my |
| soooo worth while! My computer now runs faster | | | | work time is "do not disturb" time, they |
| and smoother than ever before. | | | | completely understood, and my work day now |
| - Next, I went to work on my calendar, task list | | | | has far fewer interruptions... |
| and email. I had things here, there and | | | | - Speaking of interruptions, that's another thing I |
| everywhere. I consolidated everything into my | | | | had learn to get under control. Although it was |
| Microsoft Outlook program and organized folders, | | | | hard to do, I had to learn to turn off my cell |
| lists and daily schedules. | | | | phone, close my email, put my desk phone on 'do |
| - After that, I took inventory of the software | | | | not disturb', hold off on doing the laundry, etc. An |
| applications I was using, and what I would need to | | | | important part of time management for me is |
| add to my collection in order to be productive in | | | | being able to focus fully on what I am working on. |
| my new work environment. After all, I was now | | | | It's a work in progress. By nature, I am always |
| responsible for all that, instead of the company I | | | | looking for better and more efficient ways of |
| worked for, as it had always been in the past. I | | | | doing things. I expect I will never stop tweaking it. |
| researched what I could use that was free of | | | | But, it's much better now than it was before. |
| charge, and added the higher quality applications | | | | Now, I have time to take on new clients! |