Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 29, 2011

Dressed as an elf for the office Xmas party. I can not believe how quickly Christmas has come around again this year! Nevertheless, here it is, the ‘season to be jolly’ , or in the case of many assistants the time to be putting the final touches to the office Christmas party. It can be a stressful job, particularly if you are not used to organising events, and it can sometimes be pretty thankless as it is one task where it can be hard to please everyone.

Restaurants 116

Restaurants Purchasing Filing Twitter 116

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

A few years ago I was working for a company that employed a large number of consultants, all of whom stayed in London during the week while the business footed the bill. At first the consultants picked their own hotels and put the cost through their expenses and as you can imagine their choice of hotels varied wildly and so did the price. Once the recession really hit home my Director’s budget was cut quite drastically and she asked all of us to think of ways to cut back on costs.

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Negotiating Suppliers Expenses Restaurants 125

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

A well organised travel itinerary is an essential service that assistants can provide for their managers. Think about all the different bits of paper you have to keep with you – tickets, hotel details, travel guides. Well along with the usual stresses of travelling your boss also has to attend meetings and act professionally when in many cases they are dealing with jet lag and the continuous business activities back in the UK office.

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Travel Dropbox Attire Time Zones 157

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 11, 2011

In my first blog post I posed a question, how difficult will it be to stick to a routine that will enable me to maximise my productivity? What obstacles will I meet and lastly will I be able to be productive while dealing with constant distractions and interruptions? Over the last few days I’ve had a chance to reflect on last week and from the outset it wasn’t easy following a structured routine simply because as an EA I do have to put other people’s urgent priorities above my own, in other word

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Assertiveness Equipment Holidays Filing 118

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 6, 2011

The last day of my productivity challenge! Friday. 0810 – I’m on the early train into work today as there is a Board meeting starting at 9am. I have a quick look through my emails but nothing much has been sent in overnight that is urgent so I have a chance to read my book for a bit. 0845 – It should be the best day to be able to follow the routine as all of my Directors are in the board meeting from 9am until 5pm today.

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Email Networking Filing Training 109

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

I am determined to stick to my schedule today! Thursday. 0830 – Spend time on the train reviewing my to-do list and it seems that I have quite a few tasks that require answers from other people. My plan is to deal with these first so that I can get the initial part of the task completed and work on other things while I’m waiting for responses. I also have a quick check over my emails and calendar for the day, I do have a few meetings today that I also need to attend. 0910 – So far so good,

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Email Filing Networking Training 109

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

Day two and three: I am trying to follow a routine that will maximise my productivity… Tuesday . 0830 – A soggy start to the day but managed to check my emails on the train and read a few pages of my book. 0910 – Just made it into the office, grab a cup of tea before heading to my desk. On the way I am stopped by the CEO and asked to get a flip chart for a meeting taking place in the boardroom.

Email 109

Email Filing Training Finance 109