Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 15, 2009

Sometimes I wish I had something to warn me when I am with someone with a cell phone so I can know that we are going to be interrupted. I find it frustrating when people either text while in a conversation or are constantly taking phone calls. Apparently not, when its by phone. In an emergency, the cell phone is a useful tool.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Etiquette Phones 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 14, 2009

To-do lists I have to-do lists for the Board and Committee meetings and a to-do list for the Board Reception and Dinner. My favourite to-do list is a calendar timeline so I can see at a glance where I am at and what I need to do to get there. It is simply using an on-line calendar with space on each day to enter what needs to be done.

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones IAAP Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

If it is a big project I use a calendar and write down all my required to-dos on the dates I need to get them done to make my deadline. I’m a visual person so it really helps me to plan my way to my goal. ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 20, 2010

It works well when it is a co-worker who sits closest to you, but depending on how your office is set up that might not be possible. If it is a planned time off then you can meet with your buddy and give them any instructions or information they will need to handle in your absence and any contact names and numbers.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

Another bring-forward and organizing tip my friend shared with me (that she picked up from another assistant along the way) is using two-fold folders, with inside pockets. My boss likes me to print his weekly calendar on Monday so he can see at a glance what he has for the week so I clip that to the front of the folder.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2008 IAAP Calendars 100

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.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Some people in the office were trying to get the remote working as we had a PowerPoint presentation coming up and were calling it things like remote thingy , remote slide clicker, wireless mouse so I finally asked, "Does anyone know what the official name for that thing is?" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning!

PowerPoint 100

PowerPoint Time Zones IAAP 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 10, 2009

Of course before I recommend anything I try it out so I picked up the phone and it asked me what I was looking for and what city and province. I chose details and was given the street address and phone number and I still had the option of having my call put through to the store number. 411 Look Up 411.ca " Warning!

Google 100

Google Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 16, 2010

Check: Are phone calls planned? For each one, write down what you hope to accomplish with the phone call to help you stay focused. Check: Is your software high-functioning and up-to-date? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 31, 2009

He takes about 12 steps, squats and rejoices in his accomplishment, then he gets up and walks another 12 steps and squats again to repeat the process. Schedule meetings with your boss regularly, but at the very least annually, to identify areas that need improvement and also for encouragement in areas you are doing well.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 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 hear from the assistant I know I am going to get answers and the process of setting up a meeting will go smoothly, but should I try to develop a working relationship with them? 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 10, 2008

If that is not happening, schedule yourself in their calendar. If you do arrange to meet with them, be prepared with questions and information so they will see the benefit. You want to keep up to date on their working life and all they have to do. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2008 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 28, 2010

What a blast the last two weeks have been, but I dont think I could have taken any more late nights staying up to watch the Olympics in Eastern Standard Time. CountryCode.org is a comprehensive guide to make phone calls from anywhere to any country in the world. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 13, 2010

I take the bus to work and I often see people getting on a busy bus and then going through their backpack or purse looking for their bus tickets and holding up the line. 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. no tickets.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

A good tip if you flub up your voicemail is to press # and it should give you prompts to get out of it. They said it works with most phone services. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

Another time I was trying to find a full-serve gas station to fill up, but there was nothing to be found. It was expensive,but when I brought it home I had to do all the work to get it up and running. He loved it and I believe ended up doing his job better because of it. I remember when self-serve gas stations first started.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

I am busy, busy this week preparing to leave because I dont want to leave any loose ends and I want to cover off on anything that might come up in my absence. I also know that when I come back I will have to work twice as hard to make up for the time that I am away. but Im still going. I cant wait! Minute taking made easier.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

I was in a meeting all day taking minutes and then had a side meeting scheduled at 4 that I had to take minutes at, but in this case the minutes had to be transcribed, printed and put in the meeting packages for the next day. The meetings were stress free and I was able to depend on my checklists and templates.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Gifts Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 January, 2009 Housecleaning in Word 2007: Customizing your Dictionary Something you should do every once in awhile is to clean up your dictionary in Word. I have the software at home, but havent gotten the gumption up to load it yet. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

2007 100

2007 Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 13, 2010

I think Tasks is one of Outlooks best-kept secrets, but it shouldnt be and is a great way to follow up on items. If I send an email to a co-worker requesting information, I immediately drag it from my Sent items to my Tasks, set a reminder to follow up and write in the Subject line "Did I get this information". 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP PowerPoint Email 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 29, 2009

I can hardly keep up with my own e-mails at times let alone someone elses account, but that is part of my job. If there are any deadlines or appointments, put them in your boss’s calendar or task list with appropriate reminders. Is this something he or she will need and does it have to be printed for a meeting?

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP 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. Who better than the admins to come up with something that works. Sometimes scheduling meetings can be a headache with no end in sight trying to get all the parties together.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 5, 2009

I have a network of assistants that I call friends, although some are just phone colleagues, but we help each other. If you know what works best for you and if your job is 80/20 on what you like then you can put up with the small stuff like filing and filling out expense forms. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Interviewing Holidays 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 1, 2010

Along with our multiple work passwords, we have a password for our home computer, and if we sign up for Facebook, Twitter or any other website, we have another password to remember. Even if you phone the bank they need your secret passcode or they wont speak to you about your account. August 02, 2010 Patricia Robb said. Works so far!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones 2010 IAAP Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 1, 2008

When he is away, it is very quiet and sometimes I just have to get up and walk around and visit someone or it feels like I am there by myself. I can interact where I am now, but I have to get up and go if I want to speak with someone and then when I get there I may find they are busy or on the phone so I have wasted my time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

And always checking up on you. Ask yourself what things really matter to you and ask questions to bring those things up in the interview. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

This time I came up with a site called Karens Linguistics Issues. I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Google 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 19, 2009

The last online course I took was under $70 and was interactive using both the computer and a speaker phone for audio. It was a convenient alternative to a live classroom, but I still do appreciate the classroom setting and nothing can compare with the people you meet and discussions you can have with your classmates during a break.

Training 100

Training Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 22, 2008

An e-mail like the one I received would have been better delivered face to face or by phone in order to get the tone of what the person was trying to communicate. I stop the flow and pick up the phone. It is amazing how quickly a matter can be handled on the phone or in person. Keep up the good work.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International 2008 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 22, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 August, 2009 Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" So how do you word your follow-up e-mail so as not to come across as impatient? It is OK to follow up, but be nice.people have a lot on their plate and your request is probably not the only thing they have to do, so be understanding, but be persistent.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

I gave at the office Calendar "ah ha" Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog What ever happened to the "us" in Service? ► August (4) Managing your Boss's Inbox Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier. Dealing in real time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 15, 2009

Tried and True Method: I set up 12 hanging file folders labelled January through to December. I then put the items in a two-fold file folder with his calendar printed out on the one side and the items he will need for the day on the other side. The system I use is quite simple and has been around for a long time.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP International Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 4, 2010

It is frustrating to the rest of the team because they are trying to meet certain goals and when there is a problem it takes time away from the manager who has to deal with it, but also the whole team as they see the time ticking and production at a standstill. 411 Look Up 411.ca 411 Look Up 411.ca Minute taking made easier.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100