If you don’t struggle with managing your inbox, stop reading now. If you do struggle, I’m right there with you. Many people have a love-hate relationship with their inboxes. They like them for quick communication. But they hate trying to manage the overload of...
Productivity
Blog Post Archive3 Strategic Things You Must Do to Effectively Organize Your Desk
Take a look around your workspace. Is it organized or a disaster area? Can you quickly and easily find things? Are there any items that are just taking up space? Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day, so it’s a great time to take a critical look at your workspace,...
An Admin’s Guide to Understanding Daylight Saving Time & Time Zones
This article was updated on March 15, 2021. There is one mistake that almost everyone, including admins, make on a regular basis, but most have no idea they’re even doing something wrong until it’s (literally) too late. Referencing the wrong time zone is something...
Beware of the Dangers of Being a Workaholic
Chances are you know a workaholic. You might even be one yourself. You know the type. They’re the first one in the office each day and the last one to leave each night. It’s not surprising to see them working from home over the weekend, or cutting their vacation short...
Job Burnout: How to Identify, Manage, and Avoid It
by Suzanne Bird-Harris, CEO, Fly Rod Media LLC “Burnout” is a term coined in the 1970s by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. He defined it as “the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one’s devotion to a cause or relationship fails to...
5 Simple Tips for Healthy Eating
You worked through your lunch break and had to settle for a candy bar from the vending machine. Your executive brings in pizza and the salad that you so carefully packed this morning sits uneaten in the breakroom fridge. You’re tired and stressed at the end of the day...
How to Develop a Color Code for Better Organization
As an administrative professional, you understand just how much structure and organization comes into play on a daily basis. You probably have multiple systems and procedures that allow you to create order and inspire productivity. But with so many people and...
5 Types of Office Clutter That Kill Your Productivity
Clutter: The collection of “stuff” lying around that creates disorganization in your workplace. It sabotages your productivity and can adversely affect your mental health day in and day out. It’s time to get it under control! Research has shown that cluttered spaces...
An Introduction to BakerWrite Speedwriting
Do you struggle to take accurate meeting notes? Are you constantly worried that you’re going to miss something important? How do you know what’s worth writing down and what’s not? As an admin, you probably have to take meeting minutes, phone messages, and even...
Emerging Technologies for Administrative Professionals
If an administrative professional from the 1950s happened to be magically transported to today’s office, they’d be in for quite a shock! Gone are the days when filing, phone skills, and semi-legible shorthand were key requirements for an admin job. Today’s job...
A History of Disruptive Technologies in the Admin Profession
As a speaker, I like to start my sessions on innovation by asking assistants to think back on the things that used to be a part of the office when they started in the field, but aren’t anymore. It’s usually a fun little jaunt down memory lane as we share flashbacks of...
Give Perfectionism Its Walking Papers: Five Reasons You Should Be Willing to Make Mistakes
One of the first productivity concepts we all learn is to avoid perfectionism, and most of us do make the attempt. Even so, it’s an insidious habit, one reinforced rather than overridden by many leaders. Often, your managers want you to get things right the first...