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. Here are some things I would suggest to help: Have regular meetings with your boss. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2008 International 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

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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Be one step ahead of your boss.

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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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. I have noticed in my role as an assistant that I can be called upon to do a lot of things. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 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. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

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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.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 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

NOVEMBER 8, 2009

State the purpose of the meeting in the calendar appointment as well as who will be at the meeting (i.e. Meeting with Mr. Brown and Ms. Smith to discuss strategies for upcoming marketing conference). Follow up with the meeting organizer to request agenda and/or meeting materials, pre-reading, etc.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Calendars 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

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. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

2010 100

2010 Interviewing Time Zones IAAP 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.

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Agenda Time Zones International IAAP 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

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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 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. As wonderful as online learning can be, going to a live conference or seminar with other assistants is something that you should try to do a few times a year. I think I am just not used to having to think about me.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 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! 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Administrative Professionals IAAP 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. 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

JULY 16, 2010

Manage: Consider these points as you organize your workload. It reduces confusion by improving organization and leaves your work space clean. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 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

DECEMBER 12, 2009

If the letterhead has the name of the organization on it you do not have to repeat it again under the name and title, unless that is your boss’s preference. Some organizations like you to list the attachments, i.e. Enclosure: 2008 Annual Report. As you have discovered half the battle is getting organized.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2009 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. They dont want to change their career and that is all right too.

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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 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. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 9, 2010

If I deal with someone and can see that they have organized something well, I will make sure to ask them about it. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. She received a job posting that she thought I would be interested in so passed it along to me and I have done the same for others. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. New South Wales Australia Time) Turning Soft Skills Into Tangible and Recognizable Skills That You Can (and Should) Bring to The Office Conference December 6/7, 2010, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia IQPC’s 8th Executive and Personal Assistant Summit is on again in 2010!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 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

AUGUST 8, 2009

Is everything organized and in the proper place so when you need it you can just grab it? EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 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?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

Show your boss that you want to contribute to their success and to the organization. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. It saves your boss asking if you got it done and in time they will not ask because they will just know you have handled it. Its worth trying to work it out. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. New South Wales Australia Time) Turning Soft Skills Into Tangible and Recognizable Skills That You Can (and Should) Bring to The Office Conference December 6/7, 2010, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia IQPC’s 8th Executive and Personal Assistant Summit is on again in 2010!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones Interviewing IAAP 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. Ask yourself if you have the time to go to a meeting once a month. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Perhaps, you are reading this and thinking some of these things can be a big time commitment.

IAAP 100

IAAP Time Zones Administrative Professionals International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

I find talking it over with a friend can be a good way to organize your thoughts. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Thank goodness the Internet was also down so my friend couldnt e-mail her frustration to her husband. It is always worse to have things in writing and harder to take back. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. That is a good time to recognize assistants for all that they do. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Negotiating International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 29, 2009

Going through some major organizing and filing here at our office and this is another 'a propos' topic that hits home. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Very good article Patricia! THanks for sharing! August 31, 2009 Suzanne said. Hi Patricia ~ Good blog article with some great tips!

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP 2009 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 17, 2010

Now that I knew what was taking the time, I could do something about it and make adjustments to organize my day better. Keep your desk organized with a place for everything. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. So dont let all that work get you down. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Environment 100

Environment Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 13, 2008

You also dont want to get too relaxed and drink too much because even though you are at a party outside the office, these are still the people you work with and if you have plans for your career then what you do at the office party counts. The office party can be a good time for some networking with the different people in your organization.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays 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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. There is little chance that someone will miss that and double book them. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP 2003 100