Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 13, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 13 March, 2010 Are you prepared? 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. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 January, 2010 What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Another time I was trying to find a full-serve gas station to fill up, but there was nothing to be found. It was expensive,but when I brought it home I had to do all the work to get it up and running. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 January, 2010 Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog I started a new blog called The Administrative Bloopers Blog When you have a moment come and visit me over there. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 28 December, 2009 Now that is dedication.Executive Assistant donates kidney to her boss My assistant sent me a link to a story about an Executive Assistant in British Columbia, Canada, who gave the gift of life by donating a kidney to her boss. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Gifts Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 1, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 2 July, 2010 We dont know what we dont know We really dont know what we dont know do we? One person can be great at software programs and know all sorts of tricks to get things done quickly and another might be excellent at organizing and managing their email account. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 15, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 16 January, 2010 Calendar "ah ha" I was participating in a Harvard sponsored webinar with my boss the other day. The topic was on personal branding and they were making recommendations to executives on how to polish up their image. Our office manager updates it every morning. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Calendars 100

Calendars IAAP Time Zones 2010 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 13 February, 2010 Dealing in real time. If I am told that I should have it in the next few weeks, or can expect to receive it in a couple of months, that doesn’t really help me with my follow up as it is not a definite date. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca That I can track.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 28, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 28 February, 2010 We did it Canada! 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. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 7 February, 2010 When your voicemail goes awry. A good tip if you flub up your voicemail is to press # and it should give you prompts to get out of it. Confessions of a Micro-Manager ► September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 May, 2009 Go with your gut feeling! Confessions of a Micro-Manager ► September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World. ► 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

JUNE 4, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 5 June, 2010 Playing nice in the sandbox When I was younger I had a bicycle with a chain that would skip a link after about ten pedals and then it would fall off. She could have cleaned the whole house in the time it took her to get her room tidied up. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 21, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 21 February, 2009 Thats not my job! 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 5 July, 2009 Psst! 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. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 12, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 12 July, 2010 Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgate, 2010 Stevie® Award winner Lynn Holgate, an Executive Assistant at High Performance Technologies, Inc. Holgate is the Executive Assistant to the President, she also reports to the Director of Human Resources and manages a staff of four.

2010 100

2010 Interviewing Time Zones IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 22 April, 2009 Happy Administrative Professionals Day! I am speaking this morning at an administrative event so looking forward to meeting some new assistants. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 January, 2010 I gave at the office Years ago when I was a child, I would canvass door to door with my sister for a charity for cancer research. Confessions of a Micro-Manager ► September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 10, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 April, 2009 Keep your Inbox running on empty There are so many e-mails coming at us these days that e-mail management is very important. Of course what works for me will probably not apply to you so you need to set up folders that apply to your working situation, but the fewer the better.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Administrative Professionals IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 27 February, 2009 Different spellings: British, Canadian and American I was proofing a document the other day, but since Ive been reading documents from the United States and Canada, I couldnt remember if behaviorial was the American or the Canadian spelling. .© 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Google 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 22, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 August, 2009 Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 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. ▼ August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 9 July, 2010 Taking stock Whenever I finish a project I always ask myself, or get together with those who assisted me, and ask the question, "What went well and what could have gone better?" ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 27 November, 2008 Can you afford not to take a vacation? 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. It will be a good time to clean up all the e-mails that will be in my Inbox.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 29, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 30 March, 2009 When working isnt fun: Ho hum, ho hum, its off to work I go. 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. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Resume IAAP Interviewing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 9, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 9 May, 2010 Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time Assistants are in contact with other assistants on a daily basis. If I hear from the assistant I know I am going to get answers and the process of setting up a meeting will go smoothly, but should I try to develop a working relationship with them?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 12, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 12 December, 2009 On the job tips for new Admins. I started this blog to share the knowledge I had picked up over the years either from other administrative assistants, my bosses or from trial and error. I also use Tasks in Outlook to follow up on electronic items. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2009 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 18 September, 2009 Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles I recently arrived in Atlanta, Georgia to attend OfficeArrow s Lift Summit on Social Media. Confessions of a Micro-Manager ▼ September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 16, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 16 May, 2010 Whose meeting is it anyway? Do you ever get a meeting request and an agenda has not been provided, or if it is a teleconference the call-in details have not been given or the boardroom hasnt been booked for an internal meeting? 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones International IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 November, 2008 We have a winner! Confessions of a Micro-Manager ► September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World. ► 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

NOVEMBER 9, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 9 November, 2008 Contest! Confessions of a Micro-Manager ► September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 27, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 27 June, 2009 A funny thing happened on the way to the office. How do you plan to be funny in December? My friend said it didnt seem to faze her and she quickly pulled up her skirt and kept talking like nothing happened. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 January, 2010 Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say thanks. No, its not e-cards (I am not a fan of e-cards as one more e-mail cluttering up my Inbox is not a welcome thing), but these are actual hard copy cards that you can customize and send out with your own special message.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 21, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 21 November, 2009 The Little Engine That Could. 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? Once you start doubting yourself, it is hard to bring yourself back up. 411 Look Up 411.ca

Self Esteem 100

Self Esteem Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 23, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 June, 2009 Colour Coding Works. Confessions of a Micro-Manager ► September (3) The Advertising Game Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles We live in an Acronym Happy World. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!"

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Staples Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 1, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 1 May, 2009 When taking initiative isnt the best thing. 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.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 6, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 6 October, 2009 When you suspect a co-worker has a substance abuse problem. One day she just up and quit. One of the biggest issues surrounding substance abuse in the workplace are the lies required to keep up the front that everything is ok. Lets enjoy our day together.© " Warning!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 1, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 1 March, 2009 Spring cleaning on the blog It is a very sunny day today with a promise of spring in the air so I thought it was a good time to spring clean the blog. at the bottom and moved the My Favourites up so it would be convenient for your use. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 8 November, 2009 Preparing your boss for meetings away from the office or at home I had a good tip from my boss that I have used to help me prepare him for meetings whether they are away or at home. Meeting with Mr. Brown and Ms. Where is the meeting being held? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Calendars 100