Q: Why would I want to hire a local administrative assistant? Aren’t Virtual Assistants (VA’s) in other countries cheaper? A: There are several good reasons to hire a local administrative assistant. First, many tasks need to be done locally. Think of errands, such as dropping off a package, picking up supplies for a seminar, or…
Here’s a great “war story” about an admin saving the day. I have a friend “Kristie” who works for a large company as an administrative assistant. She helps about 5 executives of the company, so she’s quite busy; but she is very organized and does an amazing job for her bosses. She works remotely, since…
“Outsourcing specific functions that don’t bring in revenue, yet occupy meaningful work time on a regular basis can be the perfect remedy for the work-life balance predicament.” Owning a small business can be exhilarating, but it can also be scary and overwhelming. Entrepreneurs can be skidish about outsourcing for a variety of reasons, including issues…
Q: Isn’t it easier just to do all these small tasks myself? A: That’s kind of the cowboy entrepreneur mindset – “I can do it all myself, and I don’t need any help.” I found that that kind of thinking gets you only so far and no further. One of the greatest skills you can…
It is late Friday afternoon. Looking back on the week, I have not accomplished all the goals I had hoped to. On a day like today, this article really hits home! If only I had more time… Jason Womack trains busy professionals to be more productive — he knows what he is talking about. Here…
We all have days where nothing seems to go as planned… What do you do about it? If you are looking to reduce days like these and increase your overall productivity, Jason Womack has 5 suggestions for you: Keep quick tasks close at hand. Avoid technology blips with practice. Revive your confidence with a deep…
“I believe the only productivity ‘hack’ you’ll ever need is a to-do list. Let go of your task-crowding mindset – the results may surprise you.” Could time management and growing your business really be that simple?! Ben Simkin, founder of a multi-million dollar marketing company, boils it all down to “The 4 Golden Rules of…
I hear stories from time to time of executives who have an administrative assistant but never give her any work. They do everything themselves. Why? The reason is quite often something like this: “Well, I’m not sure what to give her. I’m not even sure how to hand it over.” So, instead of becoming efficient…
Q: Do you do short-term, one-off project work? Or do I have to hire an assistant long-term? A: Shared Hands loves to help with your one-time projects! When we discuss your project with you, we’ll give you an estimate for how many hours it will be, and then we decide if that fits best in…
One of the old-time masters of productivity and business is Bob Bly. Bob does copywriting for a living, but writes on many topics that apply to business and making good use of your time and money. This newsletter came across my desk a few weeks ago, and I share it with you here in its…