Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 7, 2009

You actually end up thinking that you are working harder, yet you are reducing your productivity by about 30%. Thats quite a bit of work that you could be catching up on throughout your day, each and every day. Then I would open up the applications associated with the next task. Believe it or not, this can lower productivity.

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Professional Assistant Blog

AUGUST 13, 2008

Do you follow particular religious holidays, but arent showing up in your calendar? In this case, I dont have to worry about taking extra days off, since I dont really follow the religious holidays that I was brought up with, which in turn, are part of the regular holidays that come up each year.

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Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2008

Then a bunch of co-workers show up in costumes. Do you like to dress up in fancy or scary costumes for this occasion? Do you want to dress up at the office, but not sure what to wear or if you even can? You dont want to end up at work and be the only one wearing a costume. What are you dressing up as? What a sight!

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

By The Professional Assistant on Monday, September 22, 2008 Filed Under: Organize , Productivity A re you asked to make reservations for your manager(s) at particular restaurants? This has become a great tool for me, since I have to make reservations on a regular basis for my managers. Do you feel that you could be doing this faster?

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Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2007

There are times when people come up to me and expect things to be done right away. If they prompt you to get it done right away (if this is not your immediate supervisor), make sure to let your manager know. They are there to help, since they are managing you. Apparently, everyone comes to me all at the same time.

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Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 29, 2008

as your client relationship manager (CRM)? In one of my previous jobs, when I was working for an Investment Advisor, he gave me the installation CD-ROM and asked me to read up on how to use it. I am sure that this will beef up your productivity with the system. Home About Me Advertise Free ACT! Whats next?

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 5, 2008

Home About Me Advertise Cover Your Tracks: E-mail Archiving By The Professional Assistant on Friday, September 05, 2008 Filed Under: MS-Outlook , Organize , Productivity , System Security D o you back up your e-mails in Microsoft Outlook ? There are two ways of backing up your e-mails. Are you familiar with this?

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Professional Assistant Blog

NOVEMBER 29, 2007

A large number of people that wake up in the morning need their coffee to jump start their mornings and help them throughout the day. Hotel managers and catering companies are also getting rave reviews about good branding quality. Some even drink way too much - 2 cups of regular strength coffee is enough.

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 10, 2007

Home About Me Advertise Common Courtesy in the Workplace By The Professional Assistant on Monday, September 10, 2007 Filed Under: Organize , Productivity D o you always end up cleaning up after your colleagues? These notions may or may not be true, but its how you are viewed by your manager.

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 3, 2008

Home About Me Advertise "Excel"ing to Create Subtotal Row Totals By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Filed Under: MS-Excel , Organize , Productivity Y our manager sends you an e-mail with a spreadsheet attached. Now only the subtotal rows will show up, instead of all of the details in between. Click Special.

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Professional Assistant Blog

AUGUST 28, 2008

Home About Me Advertise Clock In The Right Time Zone: Booking Meetings in Microsoft Outlook By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, August 28, 2008 Filed Under: Meetings , MS-Outlook , Organize , Productivity , Travel D o you need to book meetings for your manager(s), but most meetings are all over the country or even internationally?

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Professional Assistant Blog

FEBRUARY 7, 2008

Since I am an administrative assistant for 30 staff, which includes 6 managers, it can get a little hectic at times. Think of ways you can help manage the workload. Make sure to have a follow-up meeting with your boss every so often until your workload goes back to normal, just to keep them in the loop of how things are going.

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 8, 2008

By The Professional Assistant on Monday, September 08, 2008 Filed Under: Organize , Prioritize , Productivity D o you wake up in the morning and think to yourself, "What do I have to do today? You can prioritize your tasks as needed, create goals and even break down larger tasks into manageable chunks.

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 30, 2008

You can even register your cell phone and your managers cell phone as well. If they try to call you, they can be fined up to $15,000.00. Imagine how happy he/she will be when you tell them this. You can find the National Do Not Call Registry for the US here.

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Professional Assistant Blog

MARCH 20, 2008

Today’s assistants are computer savvy, smart and up-and-coming, and consider themselves professionals in the workplace. Those who are skilled at regularly thinking on their feet as they come up with solutions and ideas both on the computer and on the job might be able to step into this role.

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Professional Assistant Blog

AUGUST 23, 2007

Each and every day, Administrative Assistants alike face these challenges from either one or more Managers. Here are some basic steps you can take to handle these types of situations: Take about 5 – 10 minutes to write up a plan of what tasks you have to complete (you can also do this on your Microsoft Outlook Task bar).

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Professional Assistant Blog

OCTOBER 30, 2008

Thats how I ended up getting my current job. Thats how I get things done around my office, since I work for about 30 staff, which includes 5 managers. You should see my follow-up list. I usually follow up ever 3 business days on outstanding items. to the president, 3 VPs, and the HR manager. Its quite large.

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Professional Assistant Blog

DECEMBER 5, 2007

More importantly, do you want to get recognized and let your manager see that you are going that extra mile to do what’s above and beyond of your job expectation? We share ideas, skills and even ask guest speakers to provide up-to-date information and trends on what we need for our careers. Do you have a knack for writing?

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Professional Assistant Blog

FEBRUARY 19, 2008

I work in a large firm now where it’s mainly an open concept area, with only the managers having their own offices. We strive for an “open door” policy, but of course, there are times when the managers hold meetings or make phone calls and have their door closed.

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Professional Assistant Blog

JANUARY 15, 2008

Up until recently, I too felt this way. I started with helping at a drop-in centre at a Salvation Army location, where other colleagues and one of my managers would serve lunch to people that were down on their luck. You feel that your work life is in place and need to find some balance in other parts of your life?

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 27, 2007

Dont know how to organize yourself and things are starting to pile up? We actually use labels that we print up on our laser printer, instead of using a label maker. Here are 7 simple things you can do to improve your filing system: Try filing your documents into file folders, then put them into hanging file folders.

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Professional Assistant Blog

AUGUST 14, 2008

Here are some features directly from the site: Manage Your Passwords and Log In automatically. Back up your passwords and copy them between computers. If you are at the office and all else fails, call your IT department and they can reset your account for you. If you need to remember lots of different passwords, try using RoboForm.

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Professional Assistant Blog

JULY 16, 2008

Home About Me Advertise Seminars for Professional Assistants By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Filed Under: Networking , Productivity A re you looking to improve your skills and catch up with the latest office trends ? Are you trying to get that raise or promotion that you so well deserve?

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Professional Assistant Blog

NOVEMBER 20, 2007

Make sure to follow up on your commitments. With this in mind, it is more about perception than anything else, thus there is no particular tried and true way a person can act to achieve success as it is all dependant on the synergistic quality between the employee and manager. Don’t break your promises.

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Professional Assistant Blog

SEPTEMBER 13, 2007

Since our department is mainly made up of females, I seem to help the office balance in a more serene way. Being a male administrative assistant has its ups and downs, but the ride is definitely exiting and fulfilling. I found that my job transformed into a sudo management position with a great amount of responsibility.

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Professional Assistant Blog

JULY 22, 2008

What I discovered is a time saver and e-mail management tool that is a best-kept secret. I have written previously that to manage my work e-mail better I asked friends and family to send e-mails to my home rather than work. This has been a great way to clear up a lot of unnecessary e-mails at work.

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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.©

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Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 11, 2009

I often reach out to my network to get answers to problems that come up at the office or just to lend a sympathetic ear. Sign up to some interactive Admin Assistant sites such as OfficeArrow , Admin Secret and DeskDemon. The problem that sometimes occurs with sharing with current co-workers is it can turn into office gossip.

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