Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

I also have a quick check over my emails and calendar for the day, I do have a few meetings today that I also need to attend. I’ve managed to finish the slide deck without any interruptions. Spend time reading through some of the emails I’ve filed over the last week, including LinkedIn updates and other networking emails. 1230 – Heading into a meeting knowing I’m probably going to come out with some actions. 1630 – Another meeting to attend.

2011 109

2011 Meeting Minutes Filing Twitter 109

Practically Perfect PA

OCTOBER 31, 2011

The train turned up on time, I managed to get a seat and was able to check my emails and calendar for the day ahead. My Directors are all in a meeting so no chance to connect yet. 0930 – I seem to be back on track with the routine, I managed to check my emails and follow the procedure. Senior manager asks when one of my directors will be free. I email the director asking him to contact senior manager. This takes 10 minutes. Filed under: Uncategorized.

2011 109

2011 Meeting Minutes Email Calendars 109

Practically Perfect PA

NOVEMBER 6, 2011

0810 – I’m on the early train into work today as there is a Board meeting starting at 9am. 0845 – It should be the best day to be able to follow the routine as all of my Directors are in the board meeting from 9am until 5pm today. Before I start my work, I help get a few bits sorted for the Directors before they head into the meeting. Most of the jobs are small but there are a lot of them, including booking rooms, answering email queries and setting up meetings.

2011 109

2011 Meeting Minutes Email Twitter 109

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 29, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 29 August, 2009 Managing your Bosss Inbox Nowadays our bosses are busy almost 24/7 and in order to cope they need our help managing their e-mail account. Below are some things I try to do to carry out the management of my bosss e-mail account: Meet with your executive and get on the same page on what they are expecting you to accomplish when going through their e-mail account. Minute taking made easier.

2009 100

2009 Management IAAP Time Zones 100

Administrative Arts

JULY 19, 2010

I got this e-mail from Kelly: What is the business standard for the length of time to keep meeting minutes? You didn’t specify what type of minutes you need to keep. How long you retain meeting minutes will depend on the type of meetings you are referring to. Most record retention schedules I’ve seen have recommended keeping board meeting minutes permanently. Managing Calendars Part 2: Scheduling More Than Meetings.

Meeting Minutes 47

Meeting Minutes 2010 Calendars Filing 47

Office Dynamics

APRIL 12, 2010

They are used to managing their own e-mail, making their own travel arrangements, and setting up their own appointments. Many don’t realize that in going from front line management to managing managers, their time becomes a premium. Many new executives who have never had an assistant before have a picture in their mind of someone who answers the phone, types, and files.

Mentoring 100

Mentoring 2010 Filing Meeting Minutes 100

Office Dynamics

APRIL 12, 2010

They are used to managing their own e-mail, making their own travel arrangements, and setting up their own appointments. Many don’t realize that in going from front line management to managing managers, their time becomes a premium. Many new executives who have never had an assistant before have a picture in their mind of someone who answers the phone, types, and files.

Mentoring 100

Mentoring 2010 Filing Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 1, 2010

I mean if it was really me I should know what my password is, but wait a minute, I am me and I still dont know. I keep mine in an encrypted Word file on my computer. I also have an encrypted file with various other important numbers like my and my husbands social security numbers and the like. Servers are usually backed up daily, so your file will likely be restored. However, you probably want to password protect file. Minute taking made easier.

2010 100

2010 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Office Dynamics

JUNE 27, 2012

The “oops” factor: If you need more than two paragraphs to cover your topic, you’re better off using the phone, or attaching a Word* file. Bonus fix: Use a SharePoint* meeting site or shared drive for attachments. Getting a few items is fine – but who wants an email with a dozen files attached?”. A link to a shared drive, where all files can be stored, can be an easier way for people to access your data. Consider sending multiple files with fewer attachments instead.

Etiquette 106

Etiquette 2012 Email 2001 106

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 17, 2008

Try to anticipate the need so you can have the file or the answer your boss needs, before he or she even knows they need it. The assistant is also the gatekeeper to manage the flow of paper through the boss’s office. A good assistant knows just where to find the document or file needed, or they won’t stop looking till they do. Having a good filing system and keeping the file list up to date is something every assistant needs to be able to do.

2008 100

2008 IAAP Time Zones Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 23, 2009

I was in back-to-back Committee meetings and I decided to use two different colours of folders, a blue one for the Committee members, with an attendance sheet stapled to the inside cover for my purposes, along with their meeting packages, and a red one for the Chair with everything the Chair was going to need. Because the meetings were right after the other and I had lots of packages with me, it was easy to distinguish what went to whom just by looking at the colour.

2009 100

2009 Staples IAAP Time Zones 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 5, 2009

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. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? Minute taking made easier.

2009 132

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 132

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 10, 2010

Ctrl + Home moves the cursor to the beginning of the open file or document and Ctrl + End moves the cursor to the end of the open file or document, but if you are in the middle of a document and want to select everything from there down, press Ctrl + Shift + End or if you want to select everything from there up, press Ctrl + Shift + Home. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ▼ August (3) Pass it on.

Keyboards 109

Keyboards 2010 IAAP PowerPoint 109

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008

As an Executive Assistant to a busy CEO, I have to organize my boss and I needed a bring-forward system to meet his needs. I use hanging file folders labelled from January through to December. Every afternoon before I leave for the day, I go through the hanging file for that month to see if there is anything I need to bring forward for the next day. I put it in the order of when he will need it and flag anything that he will require for teleconferences, meetings and travel.

2008 125

2008 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 125

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 23, 2009

At one office I worked in we had a mail cart with slots for everyones mail, but it was filed First name, Last name. the phone book, standard filing practices etc.) This goes for filing and also how your contacts are ordered in Outlook. If you open the contact card you will see in the first section File As. Posted by Patricia Robb at 8:26 AM Labels: Administrative Assistant , filing that works , first name , last name , professional assistant , what order do you like?

2009 100

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 19, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 19 December, 2009 Meetings Plus: Taking them offline I organize a lot of meetings in a day, week, month; heck, even into next year. When I receive an initial request for a meeting, I use a meeting form and write down the information I need: who is requesting the meeting, what is the purpose of the meeting, where it will be held and a phone number or an e-mail address and dates that are available.

2009 109

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 109

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 13, 2010

I mentioned this to our team of admins at one of our meetings so when one of my co-workers found out how to do something they thought to share it with the team. This is useful if you want to file the email and change the Subject line to something that better describes what the email is about or to put notes in the email. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ▼ August (3) Pass it on.

2010 100

2010 IAAP PowerPoint Time Zones 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 first day of each month, I go through the monthly folder and sort the items into the appropriate numbered file to be processed through the course of the new month. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

2009 100

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 12, 2009

This can be as simple as having hanging file folders marked from January to December and then you just put items in the appropriate month that you need to bring forward for your boss. I have daily meetings with my boss so sometimes I print the e-mails that I have questions on and put it in a folder and then we go through each item and he lets me know what, if anything, I need to do. Sometimes your boss will pass this on to someone else to do or not want/or be able to meet.

2009 132

2009 IAAP 2008 Time Zones 132

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 26, 2009

Or if you want to attach a file, choose Attach File. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Taking stock We don't know what we don't know ► June (1) Playing nice in the sandbox ► May (2) Whose meeting is it anyway? Minute taking made easier. Meetings Plus: Taking them offline On the job tips for new Admins.

2009 100

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 10, 2008

A wonderful person, but totally disorganized and always waiting for the last minute for everything. Here are some things I would suggest to help: Have regular meetings with your boss. If you do arrange to meet with them, be prepared with questions and information so they will see the benefit. A good bring-forward system is a must for this as you will want to bring forward items they will need for meetings and conference calls. Minute taking made easier.

2008 100

2008 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 11, 2009

At times I have been pushed to do something that I didn’t think I could do and found it was something I really enjoyed, such as minute taking. I find that generally administrative assistants are good in a lot of different areas and are in a unique position of being in a close working relationship with management that could open doors to new work experiences and better overall job satisfaction. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

2009 100

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 13, 2009

In some organizations raises are tied to how well you do and it is also a record that is kept on your personnel file. Normally, I put something about needing to get my filing system up to date, but I think I may have missed the point when I have done that. I use a place based in Toronto called Last Minute Training. It works in the same way as last minute flights do. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Minute taking made easier.

2009 100

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 24, 2009

The Speed Trap: Are you struggling to meet a deadline? Construction Ahead: Planning ahead helps you anticipate last minute things that might come up. I am part of the project management office at my company and I hear the term roadblocks all the time. Cant wait till the next meeting (this afternoon actually) when I can ask them if they really see the problem as a roadblock, or is it just a hurdle? EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

2009 100

2009 IAAP Time Zones Postal Code 100