Ian's Messy Desk

JUNE 30, 2010

I asked why he had been on the medication and she said, “that was four years ago, when he had his surgery.” The closest she ever came to digital organization was an electronic address book she used until it became too difficult to read the screen. As we continued chatting, I heard paper rustling in the background.

Ergonomics 100

Ergonomics Health Medical 2006 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 5, 2010

Does your boss ever organize a meeting behind your back? That makes it difficult when I am supposed to be organizing his calendar, but since I am responsible to organize his time and in spite of my frustration, I have to make it work. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 1, 2010

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 8, 2009

How often I have organized a conference or arranged a Board meeting and after all the organization and planning it goes off without a hitch. I like organizing and feel satisfied when everything comes together nicely, but it takes a lot of work to get there. Have you ever been at an event that isnt well organized?

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP 2009 100

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Be one step ahead of your boss.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Filing IAAP 2008 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

When I interview for a job I interview the person interviewing me and try to get a feel for whether we will work well together. Good boss, bad boss On one interview I went on, when I met the two men who would be interviewing me, I met the first one and thought, "OK, so he seems like a nice man and I could work with him."

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Interviewing IAAP International 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

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. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Why I love my job?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

Another office raised almost $1,000 in a fundraising effort they organized. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. 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.

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. I also get good tips from other assistants.

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Meeting with Mr. Brown and Ms.

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Put the least important one on the bottom and the most urgent on top. 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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. I never have more than four or five e-mails in my Inbox for any length of time. Here are five buts you can do without: But I dont have time! Oh where or where is my password?

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

Make the interview count and ask the right questions. Ask yourself what things really matter to you and ask questions to bring those things up in the interview. 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. Hire smart! Its worth trying to work it out.

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP 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 11, 2009

That is why I suggest when you go to an interview you should ask questions and find out exactly what “providing administrative support&# means. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. They dont want to change their career and that is all right too. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. To work effectively, I have always found working as a team is the best working situation.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 8, 2009

The same applies if you have a job interview or a new challenge at work. Is everything organized and in the proper place so when you need it you can just grab it? Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. It puts you in the right frame of mind for what you are doing and then you can get down to business.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 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

LEADERASSISTANT.COM

OCTOBER 29, 2023

Join my email list here if you want to get an email when a new episode goes live. I’m sure in that time, and in childhood, it’s called bossy, but I think I was just kind of leading and organizing. SUBSCRIBE Subscribe to The Leader Assistant Podcast so you don’t miss new episodes!

AT&T 72

AT&T Retirement Travel Networking 72

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. So why bother going? Oh where or where is my password?

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. 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

SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Using a Bring-Forward System to Help Organize Your. Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh. Oh where or where is my password? ► July (4) Guest Blog by Alexis Bonari: 10 Easy Ways to Check. ► March (2) Admin Buddies Are you prepared? . Why I love my job?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Admin Awards

DECEMBER 1, 2021

You’re getting paged in the middle of the night with issues or after your shift with issues, you’re having to answer all kinds of questions about these metrics, you’re having to hire people and interview people – it can’t be fun. Instead, they reached out via phone calls, emails, and texts. ’ Finally, he said, ‘Fine.’

Administrative Professionals 40

Administrative Professionals AT&T Retirement Environment 40

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. This happens with e-mail as well. My boss calls these types of e-mails "crankograms." Let your fingers do the walking: Quick keyboard sh.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 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

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Our job is not just one thing, but many different tasks and it changes every day. Oh where or where is my password?

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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Can you believe we are already into a new year and will have to think about completing a performance appraisal again? Oh where or where is my password?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. To do so choose Invite Attendees.

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP 2003 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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat. Perhaps, you are reading this and thinking some of these things can be a big time commitment. I understand! Ask yourself if you have the time to go to a meeting once a month.

IAAP 100

IAAP Time Zones Administrative Professionals 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. Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgat.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100