Archive for the ‘time management’ Category
March 30th, 2010 | 
Author: What is worse than phone or email tag to schedule a simple phone call or meeting? The back and forth and back and forth, just when you think you got it, someone sneaks in and schedules the time before you get the confirmation. Sometimes it takes longer to schedule the face to face than the actually call or meeting.
So what is a time crunched entrepreneur to do? Get an on-line scheduling tool and leave the tag games to the playground.
This article will compare two great tools that will automatically schedule meetings on your current calendar, Tungle.me and TimeDriver.com.
Comparing the Features
|
Tungle.me |
Timedriver.com |
| Free for basic / Premium features cost | $29.99/year after free trial period |
| 1 calendar | Unlimited Calendars (Schedule Books) |
| A unique link to each invitation sent from you | No invitation to specific times, they see availability and pick a time convenient for them. |
| Synchs with Outlook, Google Calendar, iPhone App, Apple iCal and Entourage | Synchs with Outlook and Google Calendar |
| A lot of control over message content that is sent, how it looks, etc, may add to the ease of scheduling. | Customized messages but a one time setup of the generic message. Simplified invitation. Simply embed or send the link. |
| Confirmation of the invitation schedules appointment on calendar (2 step process) | The client picking the time and confirming it automatically schedules to your calendar. (1 step process) |
| Dashboard interface on website account to edit details of scheduled meetings, changes trigger updated emails to invitees | Dashboard interface on website account to edit details of scheduled meetings, changes trigger updated emails to invitees |
| Multiple people can be invited with multiple proposed times | Single person invited to schedule |
| No download required for invitee | No download required for invitee |
| Can share details of calendar (Actual calendar entries) or just availability. | Only shows availability |
| Total control of availability shown. | Total control of availability shown |
| Meeting requests initiated by a client have an extra confirmation email on their end | Meetings initiated by a client are automatically scheduled |
| Single address http://tungle.me/yourname | Multiple addresses according to your Schedule Book address. Not easily given out as they are a “code”. |
| Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Xing links on your profile page that the client sees. | |
| Tungle.me widget to share availability on your website. | |
| Activity Feed Log to view history |
There are pros and cons with both programs.
Tungle.me is very robust and has given a lot of control to the user, allows multiple invitees and put safeguards to protect you from spammers. Some of the features add a few more steps into the scheduling process and in some cases complicates it a little. If your client’s are not technically savvy this may have a longer learning curve and they may miss some steps. All in all Tungle.me is a very good tool for scheduling.
TimeDriver.com is a very simplified version of a scheduler:
- Send the link via email or embed in other materials.
- Client pick the time from the availability.
- It’s scheduled on your calendar.
- Reminders are sent out.
Having the ability to separate calendars and tasks is a big plus for TimeDriver. Limiting interfacing with only Outlook or Google Calendar may make the decision for you.
Either of these programs will simplify the scheduling of your meetings and phone calls.Before you decide which program to use, try both of the Free versions and see how you like them. Check out the interfaces and controls, schedule a few fake meetings and see how it works from both sides of the scheduling process. They are different enough, you will probably clearly make a decision on one or the other based on what you want to experience or what you want your client to experience.
Either way you can’t go wrong and it will give you back a little bit of your precious time…to go play real tag.
Tags: How much knowledge can you gain in a year?
One of the great joys of my life is mentoring. I meet with college students and help them figure out strategies to get through the hoops of getting that college degree. The last couple weeks have brought up a common theme that you as a business owner, virtual assistant or for that matter a human being can relate to:
“I feel like I have no time to….fill in the blank.”
Whether it is studying, learning a new skill, getting more information on a topic you are interested in or any number of items on your to do list, we all seem to have that problem.
The truth is you have the same amount of time as many other people that “rock it” every day; the President, George Clooney, Bill Gates, Edward Cullen…oh ya he’s fiction. The point is we all have the same amount of time and it is what we do with it that counts.
So if you really do feel like you have “no time” for your goals,
it’s time to get creative.
One thing I noticed as I talked to several students is some of them have a lot of drive time.Take for example if you drive 25 minutes one way to work M-F, that
is 50 minutes a day or about 4 hours a week. So what could you do with an extra 4 hours a week to learn something new? That is a whole afternoon or evening to do something else.
One thing you can do is what a lot of time management experts call the “Automobile University”. Study in the car. I am not saying to type on your computer or read a book or anything dangerous but to get creative.
One practice I have done for years is listening to books on tape and now mp3’s of seminars and coaching sessions. Sometimes I am truly amazed at how much I can listen to (even without torturing my family).
Let’s look at the numbers. Taking those 4 hours a week multiply that by even 40 weeks per year (you don’t want to be a total nerd after all!), that is 160 hours or 6.5 days! And those would be days without sleep!
To put it in perspective a 3 credit hour college course over 16 weeks is only 48 hours of total lecture time. While that does not include your outside class studies, you get the point. This simple exercise is like getting the content of about three 3 credit hour college courses, and you didn’t even do it all year in our example.
Be creative! You can do a lot with the time you spend driving, even if you commit to only one way. In our example that is 2 extra hours of study a week.
So quit making excuses and start getting creative! It really does work and with the wealth of information both free and what you pay for, there is nothing you can’t learn about and even become an expert in. I have friends that have learned foreign languages, started a new business, and changed the focus of their lives this way.
So here’s to moving forward… and learning all you can along the way.
To your success!
We make it easy for you to get all the information.
What you do with it is up to you!
If I can answer any questions or help you in any way just email me. I am looking forward to your success and helping you build your VA skills!
Have a happy and productive day!
Susan Snyder
Founder/CEO
buildyourvaskills.com
Email me!
PS- Go to http://www.buildyourvaskills.com and look at our current schedule of training. Find one that’s right for you and bring a friend!
PPS- The Inner Circle Coaching Program is filling fast! I have opened up a second group and I am limiting it to the first 25 so you get personal attention! Check it out and start or take your VA practice to the next level. http://www.buildyourvaskills.com/innercircle.html
Sign up for one of our coaching programs and grow your business or learn to work with or on virtual teams.
Want to use this article? You have my permission but you must use the entire article and keep the site links in tact.
Tell me your thoughts.
Do you use this strategy? Will you? What are some other ways you get creative to reach your goals?
Lately I have been trying to figure out how to be much more efficient with my time. Part of the reason is that I am so busy and want to free up some time. Another part is I am looking to bring on more team members and I was interested in what it is that I actually “do” that I could delegate to someone else.
I found out something interesting as I have tracked very closely my tasks over the last month. Did you know about 90% of what you do every day you did yesterday or within the last week? As I think about it now I could have guessed that but you just don’t think about your days that way.
I also found out I spent a lot of time figuring out what exactly I did the last time when a task was either very new, or very involved. That made me realize I needed to get much more intentional about making things easier to duplicate by making checklists or procedures.
Here we go again! You decided to be self-employed or an entrepreneur because you didn’t want the constraints of an operations manual or procedures that were too strict. You want to be “free”. I totally agree. So let’s not get overly corporate and form a committee or anything crazy like that, but let’s just use a little reason and make our work more efficient so we can enjoy a little free time or be able to pursue even more profits with our time.
Track your tasks
Boring I know. I was resistant because I am so busy, it was one more thing I had to do. Believe me though it will be enlightening. You will see exactly what is going on, how much time you are wasting, and how much time you spend reinventing your wheel.
Depending on your personality you can be as detailed as you want or just jot some notes. Keep specific clock time or just jot minutes. Do it a minimum of two work weeks. I did it for a month and it was very enlightening.
Analyze the Results
Now go back through what you wrote down. Make three lists:
1) Repeated tasks with how much time spent and how often they are repeated.
2) Tasks that were just one time but could be delegated if needed.
3) Tasks that will be repeated in the future but are infrequent.
Look objectively at each list. For repeated tasks analyze and prioritize those tasks into a list of what will be the biggest bang if you get it under control.
Make a Plan
With that prioritized list begin working on making a future plan. For each task decide:
1) Does it need a procedure outline?
2) Does it need to be delegated?
3) Does it need to be grouped/scheduled better?
Then work through each of the tasks as you normally would over the next few weeks. As you do the task the next time, act on the decision you made above. You can outline it, make plans to delegate it, or group and schedule it to make it more efficient.
Here are a few things I have outlined with a procedure task and am preparing to delegate to my team:
1) Office Supplies- I spent a lot of time figuring out what toner I needed and where to get it at the best price. This potential sand trap can be taken care of with a list of common supplies and where you got them last time. If you are running to the supply store, check the other items from the same place and pick those up if you need them as well.
2) List of Usernames and Passwords- I know you can relate to this one. I do not advocate writing out the specifics because you are just waiting for someone to find it then. Use a code. For example, I use the same basic username and password for everything but with variations. So I may add a number or a letter to the end. In the documentation I will just put the number or the letter as the password as a reminder. I do the same with the username. I also make notes on special situations with the sites. If you have to do anything special or figure anything out, chances are the next time you visit you will have to figure it out again.
3) Gift lists and birthdays- This is not my forte so I will make a list and remember to check it. Someone gave me a tip of buying and addressing all my birthday cards in one weekend at the beginning of the year. They said to place the mail date where the stamp goes and then put them in order. When the time comes, pop a stamp on it and put it in the mail. No promises but could be a good project for my assistant. (I will sign yours mom…)
The major lesson I learned with this exercise is I can do some simple things without getting too complicated that will help me to be more efficient. I also have more confidence that I can hand a task off if I need to and someone can just jump right in and complete it like I would.
Here’s to moving forward…
Susan Snyder Founder/CEO
BuildYourVASkills.com http://www.pcstraining.net
Go to http://www.buildyourvaskills.com and look at our current schedule of training. Find one that’s right for you and bring a friend!
Sign up for one of our coaching programs and grow your business or learn to work with or on virtual teams.
Want to use this article? You have my permission but you must use the entire article and keep the site links in tact.
Where does it go? Like Sand through the hour glass, so are the Days…
Have you ever been in this situation? You are typing feverishly on your computer getting ready for a presentation, the phone is ringing, the dog is barking, you have to get the kids to your mom’s so she can watch them for the presentation…you look up…10:00! What! I haven’t even showered!
If you are a work at home professional I am sure you have been right there. Some of us more times than we would care to admit.
First let me assure you I am no time management guru. What with kids, my business, client projects, phones, Facebook, kids, laundry, kids… you know the drill. So what is a busy Work From Home Pro supposed to do?
I also know many of you may not have kids, but we all have distractions. There is no one looking over our shoulder to make sure we are on task. No clock to punch in and out. It is easy to look up and the time be much later than you expected and the to do list to still be much longer than you hoped.
While I still have sometimes major issues in this area, I have found some strategies that work for me. Here are some tips to making your work from home time as productive as it can be.
1) Schedule your time. I know, you work from home for the freedom of time it provides. You can make your schedule look like whatever you want. THAT’S the freedom, no one will tell you how to schedule your time. Nor will you have to have a committee meeting to decide what to put on the agenda. You don’t have to have it signed by your supervisor or any of the mundane hoops that contributed to your exodus from the traditional work place. But just like your money, if you don’t budget your time, it will be gone and you will wonder where it went!
2) Build in breaks. Gone are the days of your mandatory 15 minute breaks. However, they are still important. They can serve as a reset for your brain, get your muscles loosened up, and keep your tummy from grumbling. Take a walk, call a friend, play with kids, whatever makes it feel like a break for you.
3) Schedule “POWER” Sessions. Whether they are 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 5 minutes long, schedule chunks of time that you focus with intensity on a SINGLE task. You will be shocked at what you can accomplish in little spurts of time. Here’s the rules:
* Turn off all distractions- No phone, no email, no twitter deck, no facebook, nothing that will interrupt your flow.
* Pick a single task and a single goal. You may not complete an entire project in a 15 or 30 minute slot but you can complete a task toward the project.
* Make it a length of time you can stay undistracted, short and concise. Two hours is not a power session.
* Set a timer and do nothing but work on that task until the timer goes off.
* Take a quick break
* Rinse and Repeat
4) Have realistic expectations. It will take some time to work out what works for you. In time you will determine how many power sessions in a day, how long they need to be for the tasks you do, and how many breaks you need. Don’t try to save the world and build the new stadium in one day. Break apart your tasks, schedule them out in the day, and pat yourself on the back when you get them done.
5) Be Consistent- When you do discover strategies that work for you, practice them consistently, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.
6) Be Persistent- When you fall off the wagon, get back up. You must evaluate what is working, what is not, and if you are being too hard or too soft on yourself. Ask for outside perspective if you are having a block in this area. Just keep trying.
7) Re-evaluate often- You don’t have a manager giving you performance reviews. Give yourself one. Ask yourself the questions a manager would ask. See what works, what needs improving and set things up so you have success and not failure.
If you keep these ideas in mind you will be able to get a better handle on your schedule. You work from home for many reasons. Primarily you are working to make money and to build a business. If your time is not productive, you will be frustrated, your clients will be irritated and your business will grow slower than you want. Manage your time wisely.
To your success!
Susan Snyder
Founder/CEO buildyourvaskills.com
Go to http://www.buildyourvaskills.com and look at our current schedule of training. Find one that’s right for you and bring a friend!
Posted in power sessions, time budgeting, time management, work at home, work from home | 
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