Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 15, 2010

The topic was on personal branding and they were making recommendations to executives on how to polish up their image. How many times I have booked a meeting thinking the day was free, only to notice later that an all-day event was put in unnoticed at the top. but I don't use that system or know what the colours mean.

Calendars 100

Calendars IAAP Time Zones 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 31, 2009

ALL WORK NO PLAY, ALL PLAY NO WORK When I told my boss I had started a blog and was naming it Laughing All The Way to Work, he didn’t get it and said, "That doesn’t sound very professional Patricia." For fun, one of the officers asked me to put my name and birthdate in to see what came up.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 1, 2010

I have been on some interactive sites where assistants ask questions and get answers and I learn from them as I have some of the same questions. Lunch n learns are also a good way to learn from each other. Administrative newsletters or bulletin boards where you can post tips or suggestions is a good way to learn.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 20, 2010

It works well when it is a co-worker who sits closest to you, but depending on how your office is set up that might not be possible. If it is a planned time off then you can meet with your buddy and give them any instructions or information they will need to handle in your absence and any contact names and numbers.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

A good tip if you flub up your voicemail is to press # and it should give you prompts to get out of it. I actually didn't know this and this is something I need because I tend to blather on a little bit and get carried away! But, as I learned the hard way it doesn't work on all systems. Thanks Patricia!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 5, 2010

Does your boss ever organize a meeting behind your back? He will have a quick conversation with a staff member and set up a meeting, but not tell me anything about it. Posted by Patricia Robb at 9:52 PM Labels: Administrative Assistant , Arranging meetings , professional assistant Reactions: 3comments: Jodith said.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Some people in the office were trying to get the remote working as we had a PowerPoint presentation coming up and were calling it things like remote thingy , remote slide clicker, wireless mouse so I finally asked, "Does anyone know what the official name for that thing is?" EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

PowerPoint 100

PowerPoint Time Zones IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

By the same token, I appreciate it when someone lets me know by when they will have something for me and if they can’t have it done by that date, then I like it when they get back to me to say when I can expect it. So that is what I like, but it isn’t always what I get. I can only guess when I might get it.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 16, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 16 November, 2008 Writing when you don’t know what you’re talking about. I did do research however and read as many articles and books on the subject that I could and then I tackled the article and actually learned something while doing it. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 13, 2010

I take the bus to work and I often see people getting on a busy bus and then going through their backpack or purse looking for their bus tickets and holding up the line. I like to be prepared and I find life just works better for me at home, work and even on the bus, when I am organized and ready for whatever is coming up. no tickets.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 1, 2009

If you are a new hire, take the time to learn and ask questions. A colleague and I were discussing this very thing as we have seen it time and time again with new hires trying to succeed and who end up making some avoidable mistakes by jumping in too quickly and making decisions before having enough information. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2009

.© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 January, 2009 Housecleaning in Word 2007: Customizing your Dictionary Something you should do every once in awhile is to clean up your dictionary in Word. I have the software at home, but havent gotten the gumption up to load it yet. Wow.this tip almost makes me want to upgrade to 2007 *laughs*.

2007 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 22, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 August, 2009 Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" Sometimes I need to do a job, but I can’t move forward until I get an answer from someone else. So how do you word your follow-up e-mail so as not to come across as impatient? Put it in your Outlook Tasks with a reminder to follow up.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

Lesson learned and will now put me on high gut alert. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! 5, 2010 at 12 p.m. Minute taking made easier.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Administrative Professionals 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 29, 2009

When an opportunity came up, I went for it. Working is something we all have to do, but when it loses our interest, it makes it pretty hard to get up in the morning and make the commute in. Polish up the ol resume It is all right to send your resume out and see what kind of response you get. Job satisfaction is important.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Resume IAAP Interviewing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 1, 2010

Along with our multiple work passwords, we have a password for our home computer, and if we sign up for Facebook, Twitter or any other website, we have another password to remember. Of course the simple solution would be to have the same password for every aspect of your life, but nope that doesn’t work.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 16, 2010

If you don’t have e-mail folders, create some and sort messages as they are received. Check: Do you plan for tomorrow? Check: Are phone calls planned? Be sure to include call-back windows if you leave a message so you won’t be interrupted while working on an important task.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

I am busy, busy this week preparing to leave because I dont want to leave any loose ends and I want to cover off on anything that might come up in my absence. I also know that when I come back I will have to work twice as hard to make up for the time that I am away. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 5, 2009

Take notes during the interview so you don’t forget what you wanted to ask. If you don’t get it, it wasn’t the right job for you or the right time. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I’ve been able to plan and complete a project successfully. INTERVIEW WELL Make it a conversation.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Interviewing Holidays 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 28, 2010

What a blast the last two weeks have been, but I dont think I could have taken any more late nights staying up to watch the Olympics in Eastern Standard Time. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. National pride -- all time high.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 21, 2009

When I look at them however, I see someone who really knows their job and I know they could do it if only they would forget about what they can’t do and concentrate on what they can do. The next time a new challenge or opportunity comes up at work, pay attention to what you tell yourself -- are you being positive or negative?

Self Esteem 100

Self Esteem Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2009

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! A nice Christmas gift to her boss who is a dad of five children. That is pretty dedicated. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Gifts Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

I was at the cottage with a friend and she was cranky and started to get wound up about something to do with her husband. By the end of the call her husband had caught her crankiness and it ended up with them both being angry. She ended up calling her husband back and apologizing for her bad mood. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 4, 2010

It is frustrating to the rest of the team because they are trying to meet certain goals and when there is a problem it takes time away from the manager who has to deal with it, but also the whole team as they see the time ticking and production at a standstill. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 21, 2009

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! Ive been gaining weight lately and couldnt figure out why until I started to look at my new office habits.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 21, 2009

If a conference comes up and they are looking for someone to do the registration, we can step in and do that or we can organize it from start to finish. Who better than the admins to come up with something that works. Sometimes scheduling meetings can be a headache with no end in sight trying to get all the parties together.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

And always checking up on you. Ask yourself what things really matter to you and ask questions to bring those things up in the interview. .© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 4 October, 2009 Confessions of a Micro-Manager Who would want to work for a micro-manager? Someone who is on your back for every little thing. Did you do this?

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 1, 2009

at the bottom and moved the My Favourites up so it would be convenient for your use. Under My Favourites, I have added a Meeting section with some useful sites and combined many of my travel related links under one title simply called Travel. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 14, 2009

To finalize your minutes, you will just need to tidy up the language and formatting for the Chairs approval. My battery power died half way through the meeting. Good thing to check before the meeting begins. I use the meeting agenda as an index with each item as a tab number. prepare for the next meeting! (It

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones IAAP Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 1, 2008

When he is away, it is very quiet and sometimes I just have to get up and walk around and visit someone or it feels like I am there by myself. I can interact where I am now, but I have to get up and go if I want to speak with someone and then when I get there I may find they are busy or on the phone so I have wasted my time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Depending on how acronym happy your office is, it can be like learning a new language. I suppose we better get used to it as it seems to be a trend and start to learn the language of acronyms and initialisms. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Back to the drawing board. Acronyms are annoying.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones ASAP IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 9, 2008

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 17, 2010

To finish up and make it shine, I used a glass cleaner. What I learned very quickly was that I had to finish one room at a time. Sometimes you are just not sure what is sapping up your time and I have found a time log will help you determine where you are going astray. While there I started cleaning the kitchen sink.

Environment 100

Environment Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

I am speaking this morning at an administrative event so looking forward to meeting some new assistants. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style!

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 18, 2008

One thing Ive learned over the years is that an arsenal of compelling stories and anecdotes related to my career can be extremely useful. I choose to tell stories that I know others can relate to and maybe even learn from listening. What separates a good networker from an average one is the ability to follow up.

Networking 100

Networking Time Zones IAAP International 100