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So much to do, so little time to do it. That’s business, right? We could work 24 hours a day if we let ourselves. There’s always something else to do. But what if you’re looking to see more of life beyond your computer screen? Then it’s time to automate and streamline a few things…
1. Use your calendar. Schedule all that can be scheduled. Don’t take meetings on the fly. Follow a basic routine and honor the boundaries you’ve set for your time such as stepping away from the business and into family time at a certain point in the day. It’s much easier to prioritize your work (and your life) when you’ve got control over what’s on your plate.
2. Organize incoming emails. Utilize whatever tools are provided by your email client to the fullest. If you use Outlook, make use of flags and rules. You (or your Virtual Assistant) can set things up so that emails go straight into particular folders. It’s much easier (and less overwhelming) to sort through and prioritize messages when they’re already organized for you.
3. Automate your bills. If you have recurring bills each month, set them up to be auto-withdrawn from your account. Whenever possible, pay annually—you might even save a chunk of change. For other bills, take advantage of the ease and convenience of online Bill Pay—it comes with most checking accounts these days. It will save you the steps and cost of writing checks, addressing envelopes and paying for stamps.
4. Use a blog reader. Blog-reading can be a great way to learn new things, not to mention a nice distraction when you need a mental break now and then. But it can also easily turn into a full-time job trying to keep up with all of them. Instead, use an RSS reader to organize all of your blog reading. You can create categories or sort blogs by importance. Another suggestion: schedule your blog reading for once a week so that you don’t miss a thing, but aren’t being wasteful with your time and energy reserves.
5. Set up your listserv reading for digest mode. Instead of a constant incoming stream of (often irrelevant) messages that you have to spend time deleting, elect digest mode instead. That way, not only do you save yourself time, but the threads will come to you already organized.
6. Use a tickler file. This is a system where you have 31 folders representing all the possible days in a month. This is a great way to organize to-do’s and clear paper clutter from your desk. You can free your mind from worrying about anything that isn’t in that particular day’s folder. Weren’t able to take care of something that day? No problem–just move it forward to the next appropriate day’s folder.
RESOURCE: Omea Reader is a free all-in-one RSS reader that you donwload to your computer. You can even manage your podcast listening! For an online alternative, you can’t beat Bloglines.
About the Author: Danielle Keister is a business advisor and innovator in the Virtual Assistance profession. An administrative professional of 20+ years and veteran Virtual Assistant of 12+ years, her logical, no-nonsense approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of the leaders in the field. She loves what she does and is passionate about sharing her knowledge and know-how with the world. She’s all about inspiring others to reach for their highest excellence. When not taking care of clients in her own Virtual Assistant practice, she is busy leading the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce and helping Virtual Assistants create six figure businesses.
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