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Watch out: 5S may be coming to your workplace. And if it does, well, you have my condolences. I first read about 5S several months ago, and hoped it was a bad blip on the radar screen, sort of like a new High School Musical cast being assembled. But no, there it was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning. For those who haven't heard of 5S (sort, straighten, shine, standardize and sustain), it was originally designed for the manufacturing floor as a way to keep things neat and
Earlier in the summer Tina Forsyth interviewed me for her upcoming book, Becoming an Online Business Manager , Playing A Bigger Game With Your Clients (And Yourself). It was a great interview and I enjoyed talking with Tina about the role of the Online Business Manager. I got hold of my copy a few days ago and have already read it from cover to cover – it’s a fantastic read, especially for the virtual assistant looking to advance her business – and for solopreneurs too who are
Home About Me Advertise Need To Create a PDF? Dont Have the Software? Dont Panic! By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Filed Under: MS-Access , MS-Excel , MS-Outlook , MS-PowerPoint , MS-Word , Productivity Y ou receive an e-mail from your manager. Your manager asks you to create a report of some sort and wants you to send it to a client, but making sure that they cannot manipulate the information.
Home VA Training VA FAQ Podcast Featured Events for Bloggers & VAs Give a care? Give a share! Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 10:39 am // By: ktcosmos // Category: Prescott Arizona I used to love (and be good at) gardening. After too many years of fighting our snails, grasshoppers, javelinas, and earwigs, I finally faced some serious truths and personal limitations.
Forgetfulness is costing you time, money, and a ton of missed opportunities. In the age of automation, it’s easy to underestimate the power of a well-trained human mind. But memory isn’t just a parlor trick, it's a strategic edge. Human memory is one of the most underrated business skills. Whether you’re managing people, leading sessions, or having high-stakes conversations, remembering names, details, and concepts can be transformative in building trust, absorbing knowledge, and driving perform
When was the last time you did something courageous at work? I'm not talking about cleaning out the office fridge (although that does take gumption) or trying a new font on your report. I'm talking about stepping out of your comfort zone, doing something that made your palms sweat or your knees quake. You may be wondering why in the world you would do something scary at work, when just being at work these days is frightening enough.
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When was the last time you did something courageous at work? I'm not talking about cleaning out the office fridge (although that does take gumption) or trying a new font on your report. I'm talking about stepping out of your comfort zone, doing something that made your palms sweat or your knees quake. You may be wondering why in the world you would do something scary at work, when just being at work these days is frightening enough.
Home About Me Advertise Power Up Your PowerPoint With Templates! By The Professional Assistant on Friday, October 10, 2008 Filed Under: MS-PowerPoint D o you want to change the way your Microsoft PowerPoint templates look? Do you feel that you could do a better job on these templates than what you have currently? There is a great and simple way to add a new look to your templates in PowerPoint.
Home VA Training VA FAQ Podcast Featured Events for Bloggers & VAs Are Social Media sites today’s biggest time suck? Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 9:25 am // By: ktcosmos // Category: Business Strategies/Perspectives , Web/Tech Social Media sites have been heralded as the latest and best way to network and establish your brand. When you’re your own boss, your time is your own and without someone peering over your shoulder, you can Tweet/Plurk/Flickr/Facebook/LinkedIn your day away if
Documents are the backbone of enterprise operations, but they are also a common source of inefficiency. From buried insights to manual handoffs, document-based workflows can quietly stall decision-making and drain resources. For large, complex organizations, legacy systems and siloed processes create friction that AI is uniquely positioned to resolve.
After 9/11, I was struck by the sense of caring we showed for one another. It was a horrible, stressful time, but it seemed to bring out the best in us. We began to look out for one another, even at work. We shared our mutual pain about what had happened, and even expressed our fear for the future. Office squabbles seemed ridiculous, and petty jealousies even more so.
Home About Me Advertise Is Your Boss Not Giving You Enough Work? By The Professional Assistant on Thursday, October 30, 2008 Filed Under: Meetings , Organize , Productivity D o you find yourself being bored out of your mind at times with nothing to do? Do you feel that your boss could offer you more tasks, but keeps telling you that theyre putting things together for you, but never do?
Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Home VA Training VA FAQ Podcast Featured Events for Bloggers & VAs Off the needles! Baby hat and bell bottoms. Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 10:47 am // By: ktcosmos // Category: Knitting Every girl needs a pair of bell-bottomed yoga pants. Here is a little outfit for Avery Elizabeth Pogue, newborn daughter of Eric and Sierra. Yarn details: The main color is a very soft, machine-washable lavender which I found waiting for this project, buried deep in my yarn stash.
As an employee, it's often nerve-wracking to see managers troop into a meeting during these difficult financial times. What are they talking about? Is it good? Is it bad? Are they debating who is going to get laid off? Plans for a big project? What critical decisions are they making that the fate of dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of employees hinge upon?
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.
Home About Me Advertise Tips for Office Costumes at Halloween By The Professional Assistant on Friday, October 31, 2008 Filed Under: Productivity H appy Halloween everyone! You walk into the office and notice all of the Halloween decorations. A spider here, a goblin there. Then a bunch of co-workers show up in costumes. What a sight! Do you like to dress up in fancy or scary costumes for this occasion?
Home VA Training VA FAQ Podcast Featured Events for Bloggers & VAs On the needles October 2008 Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 10:04 am // By: ktcosmos // Category: Knitting Frenetic. That describes my recent approach to handcrafts. Started two new sewing projects and three knitted items within the past two weeks. Usually I knit for pure kinesthetic pleasure of fiber in my hands and the miracle of seeing the project take form.
Unlock your full potential with our comprehensive guide on productivity. This detailed resource explores the three fundamental pillars of effective task management: Todo List Mastery, Time Management, and Habit Optimization. Learn to capture and prioritize your tasks effectively, schedule them using proven strategies like the Pomodoro Technique, and maintain your productivity through consistent habit tracking.
I went on eBay the other day to try and purchase a crystal ball. Unfortunately, the ones that were available didn't come with a guarantee, so I decided to pass. I mean, who wouldn't want a crystal ball to see into the future -- to see how we're all going to survive this mess and whether or not the Rays really can go from being the worst team in baseball to winning the World Series in a year's time?
Home About Me Advertise Free ACT! (CRM) Video Tutorials By The Professional Assistant on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Filed Under: Productivity A re you using ACT! as your client relationship manager (CRM)? Did your boss just decide to install it on his/her system and yours then told you, "Read the manual, were going to be using this from now on"? If you’re looking to purchase ACT!
Sharing your authentic self in a virtual interview can be an unwanted challenge. How do you break through the digital barrier when conducting a virtual interview and share your exceptional self? Think in unconventional ways to elevate the virtual interviewing experience.
Home VA Training VA FAQ Podcast Featured Events for Bloggers & VAs Best of … Blog Action Day 2008 Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 3:50 pm // By: ktcosmos // Category: Blogging Whether on- or off-topic for your blog, there are times when participation in a group blog project just feels right. Blog Action Day is one of those for me. Plus, any topic that lets us pause in our obsession with our American Presidential Campaign feels like a healthy use of brain waves.
A virtual assistant colleague’s “tweet&# alerted me to this article at Fox Business. A snippet: clipped from www.foxbusiness.com. If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve got piles of paper cluttering your office and to-do lists that seem to be multiplying like rabbits. The good news is that many of the tasks that keep you from being as productive (and profitable) as you could be can be outsourced.
If one more person tells me not to panic, well, I might just panic. The truth is, we get up every morning and we're not sure what is going to happen. The stock market will rise. It will fall. Chicken Little will go running down the street screaming something about the sky. So, while it's easy for all the experts to tell us not to panic, it's kind of hard not to be a teensy bit apprehensive about what might await us every day.
Technical degrees might open doors—but it’s the soft skills that keep them open. In the face of disruption, evolving workplace dynamics, and rising expectations of leadership, soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and presence have become core business essentials—not nice-to-haves. Inspired by stories from her father coupled with her own career journey, seasoned executive Chandra McCormack breaks down how to lead with impact, connect with purpose, and cultivate a workplace cult
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