Tag: productivity

Accomplishment Reports and How These Help

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Being a busy-headed person means that you would not be able to handle all of the tasks in your company at once, which could include human resources. This may include the fact you will not be able to check the accomplishments of your people on a certain day.

Relatively, this may be the reason why you would likely be skeptical of getting a virtual assistant. You may be thinking that checking on the remote staff from time to time is imperative. However, it is not.

You should be informed that a virtual assistant is trained to work with minimal supervision. It became a norm in the online work industry that as a VA, you have to work independently.

Nonetheless, if you are still apprehensive about how things would work out between you and the VA effectively, then you should know that there are accomplishment reports.

What are accomplishment reports? These are reports sent out in a document or via e-mail, which provide details on what your virtual assistant has accomplished for the day. Instead of checking each of the assigned tasks to the VA, you can simply depend on their daily report in the meantime. This works perfectly if you do not have easy access to your workspace or you are preoccupied most of the day. Take note that each of your VAs’ activities may require the use of a different software application. Thus, it is virtually impossible to access everything instantly.

The said reports are also most helpful in cases of disputes. First, it could be your virtual assistant’s reference whenever you are looking for a certain activity that should have been accomplished on a given date. There will be probable instances that you may miss out the updates from your VA, resulting in you thinking that he or she has not done anything. The report somehow gives the virtual assistant security. Second, you may also take advantage of the reports to gauge if your VA is being productive in a day or otherwise. If the latter is ascertained, then you could at least solve the issue immediately.

Accomplishment reports could be a list of tasks done during the day. Alternatively, it may also include the documents related to the completed activities, such as a spreadsheet or word file. You may freely set a format of the daily report, if you prefer.

From the given facts above, you could already see that virtual assistance may work for you regardless of your hectic schedule. In remote staffing, communication is a foundation. All it takes is making use of it in the most efficient ways.

Quick Roundup of Productivity Tips for Virtual Assistants

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Virtual assistants could be considered among the busiest professionals at present. This is due to the fact that being in the online industry provides you the freedom to select different fields to enter. You could be an administrative VA while working as technical support for another client. Freelancing had given people a wider scope of opportunities to take advantage of. Nonetheless, this also implies that one may likely encounter issues with productivity one way or the other, particularly when tasks become heavier.

Every virtual assistant or even an office-based employee will find an instance wherein he or she will procrastinate. This is perfectly normal, but it does not mean that you should let it be. There are ways for you to remain productive in the midst of stressful environments and a stack of projects. Given below is a quick list of these tips:

Have a healthy meal before working.There is nothing better than ensuring your body is nourished properly before it goes to work. The more nutritious your food choices are, the more your system will have the energy to carry out both mundane and nerve-wracking projects at work. Vitamin C, B-vitamins, DHA, and magnesium are among nutrients that are found to boost productivity.

Get adequate sleep. Many would say that it is impossible to get enough sleep nowadays as a virtual assistant, but this is untrue. Regardless of being a night owler or a typical daytime employee, you have the power over the number of hours you doze off. All you have to do is get rid of the distractions, which keep you from sleeping well. The nuisances you may want to cross out are internet browsing, television, and social media.

Create a to-do list. By planning out your day, you would be able to prioritize the most important assignments and get rid of the tasks that are unnecessary. You could even allocate certain periods of time for every activity, helping you to make the most out of your day. You could create this list the day before or hours prior to your shift.

De-stress. You have to get rid of the stress of facing unfinished work, which affects your productivity. In order to do this, you should spend time with your family and friends. Alternatively, you may select hobbies that will keep your mind off your work.

Take a break when things get restless. You have to take a “real” break, which means you should clear your head off from anxieties and stress. This could be done while you are at work. A few minutes of breathing in and out could be a great thing to reset your mind and body. This could even give you a clearer judgment of what to do next with your work-related problems.

Follow the aforementioned pieces of advice and you could boost your productivity easily. Take note that you have control over your performance at work, both in improving and making it poor.

Traits That a Virtual Team Member Should Possess

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Virtual assistance is not limited to working alone or carrying out tasks for your client individually. There will be cases that you need to work in teams. Thus, you need act as a team member and cooperate accordingly. Nonetheless, being a part of a group does not entail that you will simply handle your tasks and you are done. There are traits that you should possess in order for you to contribute well to the success of your team’s project. There is more to just receiving instructions and doing them.

In order to enlighten you, given below are the traits you should possess as a team member:

Open to Communication. You should note that even in team work, communication is a foundation for success. If you are not communicating well with your co-members, you may end up not understanding what exactly you have to do. Alternatively, they may not be aware of your concerns.

There should be exchange of not only instructions, but suggestions, propositions, and criticisms in a team. This is critical, particularly in a setting wherein all of you are working remotely. Relatively, you only depend on calls or messages to ensure a certain project is accomplished.

Friendliness. If you are too stoic, you may give an impression that you do not want to work with your team members. There is nothing wrong with establishing friendship with your co-members. In truth, this is your means to ensure that everyone is comfortable with one another, making your work more bearable, regardless of the pressure around.

Highly Professional. There will always be a possibility that not all of your team members will have the same perspective as you do. This implies that you have to be understanding at a greater extent, which can be synonymous to being highly professional. You are not meant to argue and win a discussion. Your goal is to stick by what is right and accept your mistake, should you commit one, minus the heated arguments.

Instead of simply focusing on your own beliefs, you should also put yourself in the situation of others. This is when you will have a better view of what is best for all of you as a team.

Benevolent in Sharing Knowledge. If you have been in the workplace longer than the others, you should be kind enough to assist and impart your knowledge to others. Remember, in teams, one’s success is everyone’s. If you will keep your skills to yourself, you may end up impairing the possibility of your team to carry out tasks effectively.

Whenever your team members are asking for your opinion or guidance for a certain task, do not neglect them. Instead, consider it your responsibility to train them.

On the other hand, if you are a new member, accept the learning being channeled to you. This is regardless of how skillful or experience you think you are. Note that one environment could be different from another.

Blunt. As mentioned earlier, criticisms are also exchanged among team members. Thus, if you want your co-members to improve, do not be afraid to voice out your concerns regarding their inefficient workplace behavior or need to better their skills.

In return, you should also let your team know that you are open to receiving negative feedback regarding your work. This will create an atmosphere of pursuing growth and learning rather than competition among your team members.

To sum all the points provided above, a quote from Henry Ford would definitely be ideal:

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

 

Why You Should Set Up a Home Office

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There are lots of ways to feel like an office-based employee while working as a virtual assistant. You could start by setting up an area in your home that would serve as your office. In truth, this is a strategy for newbies to cope with their adjustment from being an office staff to a home-based worker easily. Furthermore, there are numerous benefits to consider when it comes to doing so. To give you insights on this matter right away, check out these points:

Maximum Productivity. Did you know that many could attest that setting up a specific area at home as an office helps increase productivity? According to most remote workers, there is this lack of distractions, particularly if you stop placing your computer near the living room or in the bedroom itself. It will appear like you are isolating yourself while working so that your concentration will not be divided.

If your loved ones are often within your sight, you would likely have this uncontrollable urge to check on them once in a while. In contrary, if you are alone in a certain area with minimal disturbance, you would have every reason to make the most out of your time to work.

This is also a way to separate your personal space from your professional one.

Staying Organized. Having a home office means every document or file related to your work could be found in that area. This is a smart way to stay organized. Regardless of how urgent the requirement of your client is, there will no longer be delays since you already know where to go.

Aside from your computer, your home office could also be equipped with a file cabinet or bookshelf, where all your needed materials or references could be found.

Improved Speed in Task Execution. If you could set up an office where all of your necessitated office tools and devices could be found, you would lessen the time to execute certain tasks. For instance, instead of running from one room to another simply to make a call, you could set up a telephone near your desk as well. This goes the same if you are talking about printers, scanners, fax, etc.

Professional Environment for Client Coordination. Most clients, who hire virtual assistants, prefer employees whom they can communicate with minus the disorder and homey feel. This means whenever a call (either voice or video) is initiated, they will not have issues with background noises or cluttered area to see in their monitor. If you would set up a dedicated office, you would no longer have to tell the people around you to shush simply because you are taking a call.

Avoidance of Poor Lighting. If you are used to positioning yourself anywhere at home when working, this could be a risk for your eyes. Without proper lighting, you will likely have an eye strain.

However, if you would find a way to set up a home office, you could decide carefully where to place your computer monitor. This will help you work more safely and longer.

With the points provided above, you are probably highly convinced that now is the right time to start setting up your home office.

Start enjoying your home-based lifestyle more!