Career Development
Issue: May / June 2014

Squirrel!

By - May 25, 2014

Imagine that it’s 7.15am on Monday morning, in the dead of winter. The phone rings and it’s a radio station calling to tell you that you’ve won an all-expenses-paid trip for two to a beautiful Caribbean island. The airplane leaves Wednesday morning. Would you be on that airplane? I assume you would. I know I... Read more »
Project Management
Issue: January / February 2014

Be Results Driven

By - January 25, 2014

‘A professional is someone who cares about results, not just the activity. The only catch is that it takes a certain kind of person’. Michael Hammer, author of Re-engineering the Corporation Successful leaders do not think “What are the tasks I have to do today?” They think “What are the results I have to achieve?” Their... Read more »
Leadership
Issue: January / February 2014

The Key Attributes of an Effective Executive Personal Assistant

By - January 25, 2014

The role of the Executive Personal Assistant is growing exponentially says Richard Arnott
Project Management
Issue: January / February 2014

Make Deadlines Your Friend

By - January 25, 2014

It’s tempting to think of deadlines as negative, especially when imposed on you by others. Deadlines can make you feel powerless, frustrated, even stressed if you feel it’s out of your control to meet them. But deadlines can be extremely powerful too when used to positively manage yourself and drive your productivity, putting you back... Read more »
Career Development
Issue: September / October 2013

Work/Life Balance and Managing Our 24 Hours

By - September 25, 2013

We all have the same amount of time to expend each and every day, so why does it seem like some people have mastered their time better than others? As Assistants I think we struggle with this quite a bit. No matter what we do, whether we work in the corporate world or manage our... Read more »
Project Management
Issue: July / August 2013

Why Multitasking is Getting You Nowhere – Fast!

By - July 23, 2013

Multitasking hurts us every time we attempt to engage in it explains Dave Crenshaw
Project Management
Issue: May / June 2013

Productive, or Just Busy? It’s Time to Take Control of Your Life

By - May 25, 2013

Are you in control? People get up, have breakfast and race to work crushed into trains, buses, traffic jams. Some are talking on mobiles, some look fraught, others just quietly reading their book or Kindle to take their mind off the day looming ahead. Do they look happy as if they can’t wait to get... Read more »
Project Management
Issue: May / June 2013

Feeling Overloaded? Boundaries to the Rescue!

By - May 25, 2013

Marsha Egan explains why we need to set boundaries Have you ever seen a circus plate-spinner? Those people who spin flatware on tall spikes, dashing frantically from plate to plate to keep them airborne as, if they let their guard down for a moment, the whole lot will come crashing to the floor? Do you... Read more »
Project Management
Issue: May / June 2013

PAs: the World’s Best Jugglers

By - May 25, 2013

The vast knowledge that can be sourced on the Internet tells me that the world’s best juggler can handle seven balls at a time, with 352 moves. A competition I’d like to see is him taking on my very own PA who seems to juggle well over 353 moves a day! I have always been... Read more »
Project Management
Issue: March / April 2012

Where did daily planning go?

By - March 25, 2012

Before the advent of e-mail and smart phones and nearly constant electronic interruptions, daily planning was a strategy that was used quite effectively in the business community. Not so much, anymore! Oh yes, we still make the attempt to set our daily plan, but I am willing to bet that for a lot of you... Read more »
Productivity
Issue: September / October 2011

The Five Folder System

By - September 25, 2011

Keep track of your paperwork with Adam Fidler’s five folder system Swamped with paperwork? Is your desk used as a dumping ground? What’s the best system to use to keep on top of those papers? The following process focuses on just five folders (A4 document wallets). The secret is that every piece of paper you... Read more »
Processes & Procedures
Issue: March / April 2011

Is Your Calendar Managing You?

By - March 25, 2011

Not long ago, I was talking with a senior Executive Assistant who was frustrated that some of her high priority initiatives were not moving fast enough. After exploring various reasons for the slow uptake, I asked her to look at her calendar and calculate the amount of time she personally spent on these initiatives. The... Read more »