Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 13, 2010

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. I organize my desk so everything is within easy reach and makes sense to the way I like to work. I too, love to be organized and it only makes sense to be prepared.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 16, 2010

The person sending out the request for the meeting and asking for dates would usually be considered the meeting organizer. If you are not the organizer, you still have a responsibility to provide available dates in a timely manner, set a reminder to make sure there is an agenda and if there isnt, email to ask for one.

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones International IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 17, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 17 April, 2010 Keeping focussed in a busy environment There are so many distractions in the office -- the telephone, your co-workers, email and your boss! Now that I knew what was taking the time, I could do something about it and make adjustments to organize my day better.

Environment 100

Environment Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 17, 2008

Here are the top qualities that an assistant must have: Be organized. Can I say that again – BE ORGANIZED! An assistant’s job is to organize the boss and in order to do that we must be organized ourselves. .© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 17 December, 2008 Anyone can be an Administrative Assistant, right?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Filing IAAP 2008 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 10, 2009

Would you take a job just to get your foot in the door of an organization you really wanted to work for, even if it was a position that you didnt want to make a career out of? You should stay in the position for long enough to make what youve learned stick to be fair to yourself and the organization who hired you.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 12, 2010

The Stevie® Awards is a prestigious award honouring the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide. The fact that they have a category for Support Staffer of the Year is recognition of the important role support staff play in any organization.

2010 100

2010 Interviewing Time Zones IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 19, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 19 December, 2009 Meetings Plus: Taking them offline I organize a lot of meetings in a day, week, month; heck, even into next year. There are a lot of good organizing tricks out there and whenever I find one that works, I pounce on it and it becomes something I cant work without.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 10, 2008

The argument could be said that the role of the assistant is to assist and keep your boss organized so we shouldnt complain when we have to do it. I have found the best way to cope is to keep yourself organized. Keep an organized filing system and file list. Sometimes bringing the situation to their attention may help.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2008 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 6, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 6 September, 2008 Going Checklist Crazy I am organizing a Board meeting and I have checklists and to-do lists coming out of my ears. Being organized helps de-clutter any task and makes it more manageable and doable. Using a Bring-Forward System to Help Organize Your. 23, 1 p.m. .

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 11, 2009

There are some assistants however who enjoy the organizing and the business of being an administrative or executive assistant and they are good at their job and get great satisfaction in what they do. They dont want to change their career and that is all right too. (for

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

Another office raised almost $1,000 in a fundraising effort they organized. Recently, with the Haitian earthquake disaster, a friend mentioned that one of the doctor`s at the hospital where she works was asking people to sponsor him in a swim for Haiti. He raised over $1,000. The old adage `every little bit helps`, really does.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 9, 2010

I breathe a sigh of relief when I get someones assistant on the phone or receive an email from them. If I deal with someone and can see that they have organized something well, I will make sure to ask them about it. It is important to build relationships with those we work with, but what about assistants we dont work with?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

Follow up with the meeting organizer to request agenda and/or meeting materials, pre-reading, etc. Ensure that prior to the meeting you have received everything your boss will need, which may require follow up with meeting organizer. Meeting with Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith to discuss strategies for upcoming marketing conference).

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 16, 2010

Manage: Consider these points as you organize your workload. It reduces confusion by improving organization and leaves your work space clean. Put the least important one on the bottom and the most urgent on top. As you complete tasks, peel off the sticky notes to reveal the next priority. Check: Are you prioritizing tasks correctly?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 10, 2009

I find the best way for me to keep my Inbox organized is to immediately deal with the e-mail when it arrives. .© 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.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Administrative Professionals IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 14, 2009

I love the planning, organizing and running around that goes into bringing a conference from a thought to a successful event. You wonder how we do it all between our personal and professional lives, but we manage and I think it has to do with the fact that we are organized. You couldnt survive if you werent. 23, 1 p.m. (for

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 19 September, 2008 Using a Bring-Forward System to Help Organize Your Boss Of all the articles I have written, the one I wrote on the bring-forward system by far gets the most views. As an Executive Assistant to a busy CEO, I have to organize my boss and I needed a bring-forward system to meet his needs.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2008 IAAP Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2008

The head of your organization can often set the tone for how the rest of the office functions. Everyone helping each other and working together to achieve the goals of the organization. Even though you may have someone in your office that is like this, that does not mean you have to become involved.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 13, 2008

The office party can be a good time for some networking with the different people in your organization. RSVP If you are not able to attend the party, it is always a good idea to let the organizer know and your boss. So why bother going? You may also come to understand your co-workers better and find common interests.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

Each organization we work for will have their own acronyms that we have to get familiar with fairly quickly if you want to know what they are talking about. And who bothers writing out the words e-mail, TV, ASAP or FYI when everyone will know what you mean anyway?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones ASAP IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 12, 2009

i.e. My boss will send an email with a cc to me and on the last line or buried in the message he will write something like “I have copied Patricia to set up a teleconference at a mutually convenient time.&# If you are sent an email with a request to do something either asap or later, did you do it or have you diarized it to do it later?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2009 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 8, 2009

Is everything organized and in the proper place so when you need it you can just grab it? Of course you have to be prepared and know your stuff, but knowing you look good when you walk in the door will do wonders on how you present yourself. What about your work space? Is it neat and tidy?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

Using a Bring-Forward System to Help Organize Your. . ► June (3) ► May (7) ► April (4) ► March (5) ► February (7) ► January (8) ▼ 2008 (215) ► December (3) ► November (6) ► October (5) ▼ September (5) Cystic Fibrosis Using an electronic Check Box - Check! Why I love my job?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

Once you have completed a task, send your boss a quick e-mail to let them know you have done it or cc them on your email. Show your boss that you want to contribute to their success and to the organization. I always have more confidence something will get done when I see it being written down. Its worth trying to work it out.

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

The worst time to write an email is when you are angry. I find talking it over with a friend can be a good way to organize your thoughts. This happens with e-mail as well. My boss calls these types of e-mails "crankograms." I am sure you know what I mean and have received them yourself and felt the sting of it.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 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. Our job is not just one thing, but many different tasks and it changes every day. If someone is needed at the Reception Desk to greet guests and take calls, we can easily step in.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 13, 2009

In some organizations raises are tied to how well you do and it is also a record that is kept on your personnel file. Can you believe we are already into a new year and will have to think about completing a performance appraisal again? As painful an exercise as this may be, I wouldnt downplay the performance appraisal.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

I also had a reception to organize and I am never sure how many appetizers to order for everyone and normally go by what the hotel staff tell me I need, but I noticed there is always so much food left over that I tried something different this time. There is value in getting to know people, even if it is just over email or the phone.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Negotiating International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 11, 2009

Check out some of the sites and organizations and see which you would find to be most useful. Perhaps, you are reading this and thinking some of these things can be a big time commitment. I understand! We do need to have a life outside of work so I find the best thing is to pick a few that work for you.

IAAP 100

IAAP Time Zones Administrative Professionals International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 24, 2009

Send a Meeting Request, without getting replies You know how it is when you send a meeting request to the whole organization and then get 40 replies in your Inbox. Click Apply and OK To set your email to view b.c.c. If it is not necessary to see the Replies then just turn off your Request Responses button.

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP 2003 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

Using a Bring-Forward System to Help Organize Your. . ► June (3) ► May (7) ► April (4) ► March (5) ► February (7) ► January (8) ▼ 2008 (215) ► December (3) ► November (6) ► October (5) ▼ September (5) Cystic Fibrosis Using an electronic Check Box - Check! Why I love my job?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Interviewing IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 15, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 15 March, 2009 When you need it later: The Bring-Forward System My boss likes me to keep him organized and the way I do that is to have a system to bring forward items, which I then bring to his attention when he needs to see it. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 29, 2009

Some emails are obviously junk. For instance I just received an email from a lawyer who said he has an inheritance of $4 million, but he needs me to send him some money and once he receives it, he will send me the money. Is this something that I can Delete to unclutter his Inbox? Very good article Patricia! THanks for sharing!

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP 2009 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 8, 2009

Imagine, if we had assistants at home to pay the bills, do the budget, organize dinners, answer our calls and follow up with reminders -- it is starting to sound pretty good. That is a good time to recognize assistants for all that they do. I hope all of your professionals appreciate what a privilege it is to have someone look after them.

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 31, 2009

This of course prompted me to write the following thought of the day on my blog, "The location of your Office Suggestion Box can give you a good idea of how important it is to your organization. If it is located near the garbage can, dont expect your suggestions to be taken too seriously."

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP International 100