Archive for Virtual Assistant
Five Tips for A Peaceful Working Vacation
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the reasons I decided to start my own virtual business is so that I could spend more time with my family which is flung across the western United States. Last week, I actually had a chance to put my resolve to be "moible" to the test. My mom and dad very generously rented a beach house for a week on the Oregon coast. My daughter and I got a chance to spend time with them, my sister and her children and take in some ocean air. But, I also felt like I was on a bit of a roll with my business so I didn’t want to take a break at this point. So, I took my show on the road. Here are five tips for making it work (hint: communication is the key).
1. Let your clients know that you are going mobile for the week, but still working. Give them your cell number to contact you if needed. I actually didn’t get any calls. This is especially critical if you are travelling to a different time zone 
2. Let your travel companions know that you need to work — and what your working hours will be. I did this with my family. They planned to be back after my work hours so that we could play together in the afternoon.
3. Scope out the Internet situation in advance. Do some research and locate nearby Internet cafes, etc.
4. Have a plan B. The Internet connection at the beach house was down. Luckily, I can use my laptop to access the Internet from my cell phone. The nearby internet cafe was also a nice place to work.
5. Remember to make time to have fun!
I really enjoyed my trip…. and working with an awesome view of the beach.
Is this the end of the Industrial Revolution?
Posted by: | CommentsIn the past week or so, Best Buy has gotten a lot of attention for it’s results based evaluation policy. Under this plan employees can work whenever and pretty much wherever they wish as long as the work gets done. This is being hailed as a big advancement in work/life flexibility. In New Mexico, where I live, I know quite a few people who work from home full or part time for out of state companies. In my case, I moved but I am still working part time in the same job I had in Virginia. I think I actually accomplish more working part time out of my home that I did when I was in the office full time.
But I wonder, if virtual working arrangements might be the norm in the future. Is work transitioning back to where it was before the Industrial Revolution when most people worked essentially for themselves using their own equipment. In fact, there are all cadres of virtual professionals who work for clients throughout the country over the Internet as independent contractors. Is this a good thing? I think offering flexibility is a good thing — many jobs can be accomplished during non-traditional business hours. However, a regular salary does give a certain amount of security about how much money is coming in. I’m not sure that going to a pay by the page method is really in the best interest of workers.
What do you think?
Welcome to the new, improved Highlight This!
Posted by: | CommentsNew business, new locale, new blog. Welcome to highlight -this — the official blog of Yellow Highlighter Solutions. Actually, at the moment, I’m just at the very beginning of my path to build a virtual assistance business. I will be attending AssistU starting in January. The AssistU program is the “graduate” program of virtual assistance — it is five months long. I’m already impressed with the program — the New Mexico group has already hunted me down and welcomed me in. I had lunch with Franni, a VA from Rio Rancho yesterday and it was lovely. I can’t wait to meet with the rest of the group next Tuesday.
My interests are diverse and I really enjoy hooking people up with new ideas and solutions to thier problems. This blog is my way to extending that curiousity into cyberspace. Hope you find something useful here.
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