Tracey D’Aviero, Virtual Assistant

So here I am, still transitioning my business to the beautiful vision that it is inside my head! I am making space in my day, making space in my business, for new clients and more business from existing clients.

There is much to do, and as long as I am breaking it down into manageable chunks, it is really not a difficult process. Each day I have put aside time to do ‘something’ for my business that will help me learn and grow. Last week I submitted an RFP to VAClassroom to get some new people on my team (how Tim Ferriss of me, huh?).

I have a few people that already help me out with overflow and special types of work that I do not do (read: graphics and design!) but now I am expanding to have more VAs work with me on a regular basis to take care of the growing list of tasks that my clients need.

I constantly tell my clients that it’s important to build a support team around them so that they can focus mainly on their clients and what they LOVE to do in their business. So the more I can take off their plates, the more time they will have to concentrate on just what they want to do.

By putting a team in place that can handle a larger workload, that means that I can spend more time planning for my clients, and we can get our initiatives in social media or just marketing working harder for them.

I am looking forward to this new transition in my business, too. I look forward to being more productive, and learning as much from my team members as I hope they learn from me!

I spent most of last weekend cleaning my office and my filing system and my computer of unnecessary files and emails and programs that I rarely used. It’s nice to be able to sit down and get that done  but it sure takes a long time!

I use Laurie Bornstein’s philosophy about clearing clutter when I need to get things like this done:

1. Start small – tackle one small thing at a time and you will get more done in a shorter period of time.
2. Clear out one full item (whether that is a desk drawer, shelf, email folder, computer folder, etc.) and then only put back the things you need. Decide where the other items belong and get rid of what is unnecessary.
3. Move on to the next item and repeat the procedure!

It’s really simple and it really does work. It breaks the task down into manageable chunks and it helps you to keep focused on the task at hand. I cleaned up one whole computer and moved a number of items from a second computer to my laptop.

When you work from home it can very easy to get distracted by things that are not work-related, or are non-billable time. I have mentioned in my previous posts that I am getting back to my perpetual learning mode, and it can be a distraction to have course material on my work computer, so I moved it so I can’t access it during business hours.

Little things like this can really go a long way to helping you focus on the task at hand when you are working virtually.

Take the time to clear the clutter out of your way, and be prepared to be more productive!

One of the other things I am happy to be able to pick up where I left off is my continuing education. As a Virtual Assistant who specialized in Internet marketing and social media, it is so important for me to stay on top of the current trends in the changing environment that is the Internet.

I have taken big courses like my Internet Marketing VA certification and my Social Media Specialist certification, but I am always on the lookout for those mini-courses or bits of information as well as teleseminars and webinars that are relevant to the work I do with my clients.

Some of my favourite people (and places) to learn from are (d’uh) VAClassroom, VANetworking, CVAC, Erin Blaskie, AutoBurstWebs … just to name a few. They each have a way of delivering great information in an easy to understand format, and it’s always all relevant to my business.

It has been some time since I have had the time to look for these events, much less attend them. That is my next phase focus, as I brush up on my skills in a few areas. But it’s more than improving my skill set, really. It’s about studying the new features of the programs that I currently use on a daily basis and being able to suggest new and exciting ways for my clients to benefit from these tools.

I specialize in using 1ShoppingCart, Aweber and WordPress as software, and of course I also use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Ning for social media. These companies are constantly updating and upgrading their products, and it is really important to keep on top of their latest features.

I’ll keep you posted with anything new that I learn!

Along with schedule adjustments and down-time to read, it is also time to renovate the office. Now that I am working from home full-time again, I am no longer running in and out of my office, dropping things where they may fall. Now is the time to clean the environment around me so that I can focus only on my work when I enter my office each morning.

I have already shopped for a new office chair, which I have needed for way too long. I have already set up my music selection which I love!

I have a great filing system for my email, computer files and paper files, but I am looking forward to purging, purging, purging much of this that is no longer necessary to keep on file. I’ll give my recycle bin and my shredder a workout, that’s for sure!

I will clear the clutter that has accumulated in my office. I have two desks in my office and one of them is a catch-all for all kinds of paper. I clean it off occasionally, but now I will want to work at that desk, so I will have to make sure that I have a better way of managing the stuff that ends up there now!

Of course as I purge, I am finding all kinds of gems that I have printed or saved over the last several months ‘to read when I have time’.  The collection of free ebooks and reports and mp3s is really mind-boggling. Luckily my computer filing system is good and I am having no trouble going through them, picking out the important pieces, and purging the rest. I will probably share some of these with you as I weed through them!

I always thought that electronic copies of things were more environmentally friendly, but my computer hard drive disagrees! I have recently done the same with email lists that I belonged to that were not serving me. It’s important to keep the flow of information that comes in front of you relevant and pertinent, in order to maintain your focus and clarity.

As I brighten the space around me by clearing the clutter in all of these areas, I am making really tidy room for the client work that is on the horizon! Looking forward to it!

So what does one do when one finds a bit of extra time in the schedule? Go back to the books, of course!

I am in the process of reworking my schedule and as a result am finding pockets of time here and there to relax. Several months ago I got a copy of Jim Clemmer’s new book, “Growing @ The Speed of Change” and I started to read it but as my workload was so heavy at the time, sadly I put it down and couldn’t find the time to pick it back up.

This week I have picked it up again and I am definitely finding it hard to put it down. It’s not the first of Jim’s books that I have read – I read “The Leader’s Digest” many years ago. I love Jim’s style in this new  book – it is a combination of classical and modern quotations, stories, ‘wise words’, anecdotes and practical applications to help incorporate change into your life, and to help you deal with the uncertainty that can come along with that change.

It is such great timing for me to be reading this again and I am finding great nuggets about focus and positive thinking and attitude that are really helping me through this transition in my business.

I have learned that of the three types of people Jim describes – the wallower, the follower, the leader, that I am a leader (I kinda knew that already, but it’s nice to read it!).

“The Wallower curses the wind. The Follower waits for it to change.
The Leader adjusts the sails.” ~ Jim Clemmer

The book is so full of information but the format make it really easy to read. I look forward to keeping it right on my desk bookshelf for easy reference!

Nothing like picking up a bit of confidence and mixing it with some positive thinking when you’re trying to grow your business!

Finishing my first full week at home and for some reason I had much less time to myself than I expected! Not that that’s a bad thing, but I pictured naps and movies in the afternoon, and that just didn’t happen! 

I did come across an interesting article about napping though. It does in fact boost brain power and I particularly like the reference to the brain email inbox. Have you ever felt like you are on communication overload?

In any case, I am still focusing on ME time over the next couple of weeks. I am enjoying a lot more quality time with my husband and my son and we are even going on a ski trip in a couple of weeks. (Well, there will be people skiing around us, anyway.)

ME Time is really important in general, but when you run your own business and work from home, you can only be GREAT for your clients if you make sure to take care of yourself first. By taking care of yourself, you will be much more prepared to take care of others.

Note to self: book facial and pedicure (spring is on the way and if you know me, that means sandals!!) and maybe even a haircut and a massage. I deserve it!

So I am finally entering the transition stage that I have been long awaiting. For twelve years I have been working from my home office, but there have been times that I have taken on work with one or more clients that has required me to be on-site at their office. 

I have recently finished working with my last on-site client and am now back home in my office five days a week. This is a great change for many reasons, and I am looking forward to settling into my new routine!

When you work from more than one location, it can be difficult to focus on your task list. It takes great organization and often requires putting in extra hours to keep on track because of all the stopping and starting.

I have a very full client roster these days (yay for my clients!) and so juggling time away from my office during business hours was sometimes very difficult to manage. I found myself working very early in the morning and very late at night, often, just to keep the workflow going smoothly.

I am very happy to be back home full-time, and focused on scheduling my time any way that suits me.

As I look around my office, I know there will be change ahead of me. I have a great email system but I know I will tweak it. I have a great filing system but I know I will change it. I have other things that I have no systems for. I know I will develop those. For those of you who know me, that’s an exciting phase for me! I love systems!

In my business, there will be even bigger change. I look forward to blogging regularly and tending to my social networks, and even getting a newsletter started. I am revising my service offerings and focusing on my ideal client. I am building a team of people that will help me take care of my clients’ needs and help me grow my business too.

It’s going to be great, and I am happy to jump in with both feet!

It’s nice to be back home!

So here we are, wrapping up not only the year, but the decade. It’s really remarkable how quickly the years seem to pass as you get older. I remember so vividly how we were all so frightened of Y2K and how it would affect the business world.  Look how business and technology has progressed since that time!

It seems like just yesterday, and yet it was so long ago. In fact, the world has dramatically changed so much since then. See my previous post to get an idea of what happened over the last 10 years!

It makes me wonder where we might be in another 10 years, or even five years … or even next year!

Where will I be? Well, I have been putting a lot of thought into that lately, that’s for sure. I have been working with my business coaches, Paige Stapleton and Brian Stark for several months now (love them!!) and we have been carving out my path for the future.

I am embarking on the new year with much transition planned. With Paige and Brian’s help, I have been able to obtain focus and clarity for my business, the likes of which I could not have obtained on my own. Their guidance and support has been invaluable to me and I know it will continue to be as we get things together for my business transition.

Don’t worry, I’m not going away! Quite the opposite, actually! I am focusing on fewer service offerings and narrowing down my niche, so that I can provide more streamlined services and support to my ideal clients, while growing my own business at the same time.

It seemed like the right time to do this, and while it is a lot of work to get it all together, it has brought me comfort and strength at the same time. It has built my level of confidence in what I do. It has helped me to identify what I do best, what I enjoy doing the most, and who I most enjoy working with. It has helped me concentrate on the things that matter most to me. It has helped me get to know myself as a business person.

Do you have a business coach? If not, I would highly recommend it. You get a toolbox of goodies that helps you analyze and streamline your strengths, and you get your very own personal cheerleader. Who doesn’t want that?

So I wish you all the best of the remainder of the holidays and keep an eye out for the new and exciting things on my horizon. I hope it will inspire you to take the time to focus on your own business as the new year begins. You will be glad you did!