by VA Connect | May 7, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
I’m sure we are all fed up with hearing about the virus and what we can and can’t do and what we should be doing today and what we would have been doing on Sunday, Mother’s Day. There will be no restaurant reservations, professional pamper spa days, cards made at school, school visits for moms and granny’s and the faithful quick ‘grab-a-gift’ moment late on a Saturday afternoon.
But it is not all doom and gloom. Dads, soon-to-be-dads, sons and daughters, it’s time to get creative. Here are a couple of ideas to help you along.
Yaymaker
You may or may not know about paint night. It is an awesome evening out with your mom or your girlfriends, you drink wine, eat good food and paint your own canvas. The ladies of yaymaker have been super creative during this period and taking full advantage of the virtual world. For Sunday they are selling tickets at R95 per household, all you need is a couple of household or easily bought items from a Pick n Pay or Spar, a stable internet connection account and you are good to go.
Visit https://bit.ly/2zWUHwU and purchase your ticket now.
Netflorist
We can go with the good old faithful, Netflorist, where you can select from a wide range of custom/personalized gifts, flowers, gift baskets, etc. You definitely cannot go wrong here but be sure to place your order soon to get it in time.
Make a card
Grab some paper, crayons, scissors, stickers, anything you can find lying around the house and get creative with your little ones. I’m sure they will be able to steer you in the right direction.
Some great Mother’s Day wishes you could use that have actually been said by toddlers:
- Who needs a warm bed when you have a warm mommy
- Mom you may be forty but you can boogey like your fourteen (this one is adaptable for all ages, you may be thirty but you can boogey like you thirteen, see where I’m going with this)
- I am like a flower that is raised with love by you. You help me grow up big and strong Mom, thanks for all you do.
- If Mothers were flowers, I’d pick you.
Visit Blissful Domestication for some inspiration https://bit.ly/3c9qbOu
Spa day
You’ve seen the bags of nail cleaners, nail files, nail polish in the cupboard, grab these out and treat mom to a spa day. Cut up some cucumbers for her eyes and buy a face mask (from any local supermarket). The little ones can paint moms’ toes. Be sure to add in a cup of coffee/cocktail – depending on the time of the day – and breakfast in bed and you are sure to be the favorite for the day.
Vouchers
Vouchers are always a good idea. This could be from moms favourite clothing store, or shopping mall. Or even a spa voucher for when we are out of lockdown, some of my top picks are Mangwanani, Life Day Spa, and Sorbet, but this could be from any spa you know mom has enjoyed visiting in the past. A voucher from moms favourite restaurant that can be enjoyed after lockdown – a great idea to support local.
A picnic in the garden
This one is always a winner and thank goodness for our local stores. Dads can pop out on Saturday and grab a couple of favourite treats for the family that can be easily enjoyed outside in the garden, think chips, dip, cake (always a good idea), sandwiches, samosas, wraps, bagels, croissants, cold meat, various cheeses, and don’t forget the plastic cups and paper plates to make cleaning a little easier. And should the weather not be great this can always be enjoyed in the lounge or any open area too.
A photobook voucher
This is one we have heard every mom talk about, and how they wish they had the time to put a photobook together. One of my favourite is Burblepix. Their desktop or online creator tool is simple and easy, anyone could use it, and their products are amazing. This one will give mom something to do – in the very little spare time she does get – that will warm her heart and your home. You can choose from a photo book, a calendar, a canvas, a diary, etc. Visit https://bit.ly/2WsA97i for more information.
A family photoshoot
This is one you definitely can’t go wrong with! There are a number of photographers offering Mother’s Day specials. Some of the great ones I have seen are offered by Laura Clair Smith Photography, Kate Rankin Photography, Bianca Smit Photography, Jo Stokes Photography Cape Town, Adore Photography, and D’amor Photographer, to name a few.
Some photographers are embracing remote photography such as Kist Photography, where you can do a remote Mother’s Day shoot. Visit them at https://bit.ly/3c5JJUc for more information.
Online Make-up Tutorials
Another great option for Moms who love make-up or have mentioned that they would like to go on a course. Erin Smylie, one of the best make-up and hairstylist in the industry, is offering online make-up tutorials. You can purchase a course by visiting her website at https://bit.ly/3c5JJUc.
As a reminder – Mother’s Day is on Sunday the 10th – yes that is this coming Sunday – so get planning, be creative and show Mom that you appreciate everything she does.
by WP-Dev | May 5, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
Self-awareness is essential to developing as a person because it allows you to do things mindfully instead of settling for whatever comes your way and personal development consists of conscious actions that one undertakes in order to become the best version of one’s own self. It’s an ongoing process of self-improvement either in your career, in your education, in your personal life, or in all of these areas. It is about setting goals for yourself and putting plans in place to reach those goals.
As you develop self-awareness you’ll find that it will help your personal development journey as well. The more you understand yourself and why you think, feel and do certain things, the more power you have to grow and succeed.
Keep in mind the following steps to personal growth:
- Establish the goals you want to reach in all areas of your life
- Look for the weaknesses that need improvement in order for you to reach these goals
- Identify the different opportunities to develop the weaknesses
- Set up your plan of action for improving the weaknesses
- Make time for nurturing your strengths
- Record the outcomes of your development
- Evaluate your outcomes against your goals
Keep learning
The ability and desire to learn are powerful skills that can have a positive impact on many areas of your life. Learning can take place in a traditional sense through reading or studying, or in a more interpersonal sense through listening. Either way, it’s a crucial aspect of personal development.
Evaluate your life
Self-awareness is a key aspect of personal growth, so it’s important that you take some time to do a full evaluation of your life.
Why is self-awareness so powerful?
Because it helps you set and achieve your goals, make sound decisions, improve your people skills and relationships, and cultivate a sense of inner peace. Self-awareness can help you get anywhere you want in life as long as you know how to use it to your advantage.
As a self-aware individual, you will better understand your own thoughts, beliefs, motivations and emotions. Furthermore, you will better understand others. You will recognize how others perceive you, your attitude and your responses. Sometimes their views will surprise you, and in the business world this can be enlightening. If there is a discrepancy between how others perceive you and how you want to be perceived, you can work to rectify the problem.
In a nutshell
With our busy schedules it might be difficult to find time to think about who we are, our strengths and weaknesses, our drives and personalities, our habits and values. Besides, many of us just aren’t inclined to spend much time on self-reflection. Even when personal feedback is presented to us, we’re not always open to it, because honest feedback isn’t always flattering. Consequently, many of us have a pretty low level of self-awareness.
The journey of self-improvement is an ongoing process of constant learning. It gives you the opportunity to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and to work on them.
by WP-Dev | Apr 28, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
Covid-19, the most discussed and disputed pandemic of our generation and the reason toilet paper has become a precious commodity in 2020!
Jokes aside, I have to start by saying how proud I am of how our President Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa has handled the Covid-19 prevention strategy in South Africa. He has made some tough decisions like implementing and now extending the national lockdown, that unfortunately has had some less than ideal impact on businesses and individuals BUT the consequences of not doing so would be far greater.
The positive side of Lockdown
There is always a silver lining in every situation, you just need to look for it sometimes. Lockdown has been amazing in so many different ways, individuals have been given the opportunity to take the time to slow down and have some time for self-care, families are actually spending time together and where they are not able to do so, the appreciation for one another has grown tremendously. Parents have been forced to be present in their kids lives and appreciate the amazing work our teachers/nanny’s do on a daily basis and businesses have realised the opportunities and possibilities of increases their productivity and expanding their market through going digital.
Without realising it, many of us have been given such an amazing gift through all of this – the gift of time! Time to relook at what is important to us, time to practice gratitude for what we have, time to tackle better ourselves and work on reaching or adapting our goals. I personally have decided to use the time I have between the cooking, cleaning and looking after my boys (Lets be real, lockdown has also brought some chaos into our households) to focus on upskilling myself in areas that I feel would benefit my business and clients.
There some amazing institutions running specials on various courses but there are also some awesome FREE courses that can be done on platforms like Udemy, LinkedIn Learning and Google. I will actually be focusing on some of the google courses that are available.
Growth through learning
Irrespective of what sector or role you are in, learning a new skill is always a win. The reason I will be focusing on the courses available on Google is because they have some amazing online courses that are practical, up to date and won’t take more than a take than a couple of hours of your time. Learndigital.withgoogle has over 126 courses to choose from, these four are on my current to do list:
Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals:
Gain an understanding of search engine algorithms and how they affect organic search results and websites. Building on this knowledge, you’ll learn the key elements for creating an effective SEO strategy, including how to select keywords and perform keyword research; consumer psychology and search behaviour; and how to conduct on-page SEO analysis to identify opportunities to improve a website’s search optimisation.
Course time: 13 hours
Marketing in a Digital World:
This course examines how digital tools, such as the Internet, smartphones, and 3D printing, are revolutionizing the world of marketing by shifting the balance of power from firms to consumers.
Course time: 30 hours
Understand Customers’ Needs and Online Behaviours:
With just some basic web analytics skills, businesses can easily measure how well their online marketing is working and get even better results. Start our free course to find out how you can easily measure your activity and understand customer needs and their online behaviours.
Course time: 1 hour
Business Communication:
Business writing is any written communication used in a professional setting. It could be an email, memo, presentation or report. In this free course, you’ll learn some tips and guides to help you make your business communication direct, clear, and designed to be read quickly.
Course time: 1 hour
I hope you find these interesting and helpful but if not whether you find something of interest to learn or even read about on the various platforms available online make a decision to step outside your comfort zone during lockdown and learn something new, make the most of this time, you will thank yourself later!
Most of all please stay home, stay safe and stay grateful!
by WP-Dev | Apr 28, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
Working remotely is fast becoming the norm. For those of us who have been doing this for several years we have mostly fallen into routine. Though even some veterans of virtual work are still not where they should be when it comes to mastering this dynamic.
Due to the recent COVID-19 lockdowns more and more companies are turning to remote work. For many this involves a massive change in working routine especially because you now need to separate work from home, while in most cases working from your dining room table. There is also the factor of family and other responsibilities we may have.
Pre COVID-19 it was difficult enough but once the children had gone off to school and your spouse had gone to work, we were able to settle down for a good few hours of productive work whilst they were gone.
For many the dream of working virtually has turned into a nightmare. Working in your living space is not as idyllic as it may sound. Many of us are confined to houses or apartments with family members, children, or roommates who have their own work or school demands. You are trying to navigate your way around the different tools that are required to continue a smooth flow of productivity and not having the resources you are accustomed to at your fingertips.
Here are a few tips to help you in your transition:
Designate Your Workspace
You may be fortunate enough to have a space that can be created for the sole use of your work or you may not.
- The most important thing is to separate your “home” from “work”. So by this it means, don’t work from your bed or in a space that is used for family time and relaxation.
- Create a separate corner in your home, however small, and set up a workspace from there. Even if it is the dining room table. In your mind this is the space that is used for working and not leisure.
- If the space is needed after working hours then make sure that your tools required for work are moved into a separate corner at the end of each work day and set up again the next day. This might sound like a mission but is actually good practice for your routine.
- As wonderful as it may sound to have your children and/or spouse all sitting at the same space and working together, this is not realistic. You each need to have your own space to work with no interruption.
Create Routine
- Get up at a reasonable time, the same time every week day.
- Get dressed, don’t sit and work in your pajamas.
- Start and finish work at the same time every day. Do not go back to your work desk after hours and try to catch up. This tends to be unproductive and you will end up burning out. It is imperative to separate your work from leisure and ensure you switch off from your work and have time to relax.
- Have a plan for your day. At the end of each work day set aside 30 minutes to create a task list for the following day. Make sure to follow this as best as is reasonably possible. At the same time, don’t be too rigid.
- Try not to overschedule yourself – make sure to include breaks. So have your breakfast before you go into your workspace, take a lunch break in the garden away from your work space. Even go for a short walk to clear your mind.
- If you have children who need attention or assistance with school work, this can be worked into your schedule. You can also create schedules for them.
Don’t Get Distracted
- Save your social media and social calls with family and friends for after work time. It is very easy to get distracted and when you look again you have spent up to an hour, if not more, on this and it is then very difficult to get back into the mind space you require for work.
- Try not to worry about how the house needs to be cleaned, washing done, dirty dishes etc. If you are working from an office this normally waits until you get home. Try to keep the same mindset and put all of the housework as part of your after-hours schedule.
Use Your Virtual Tools
There are many tools available to ensure smooth workflow and help to keep you focused while working virtually.
- Use a time keeping tool so that you can see exactly what you have been working on each day.
- A scheduling tool is essential to ensure that you know exactly what needs to be done each day and mark off when it is complete.
- Communication with your colleagues is still imperative. There are many apps out there which enable us to communicate and share our information virtually to ensure that we are still in communication and there is nothing falling through the cracks.
Make time for healthy habits
- If you find that you are constantly back and forth to the kitchen for food and snacks, set up a routine for eating.
- Have your breakfast before you start work.
- Pack a lunch for the next day and only eat that.
- Keep a water jug on your desk and make sure to stay hydrated. If you are going back and forth to the kitchen for water you will be tempted to grab a snack while you are there.
- Include exercise as part of your daily schedule.
- Take a walk after lunch.
- Set your exercise hour for straight after work, so say 4pm, shut down your computer, get dressed and do your exercise. If you don’t do this you will get distracted with chores and other responsibilities and you will be too tired to exercise. It also creates a great break between work time and leisure time.
- Your mental health is also extremely important.
- Try to meditate for 15 minutes in the morning and again in the evening before bed time.
- Do not stay up late binge watching TV. Make sure you are getting enough sleep.
- If you live alone ensure that you do spend time with others.
Yes the initial transition is difficult that is for certain. But it is possible and can ultimately be incredibly rewarding and freeing if done in the correct way.
Don’t expect perfection in the initial stages but continue to work on your routine and eventually it will be perfected. You need to give yourself time to adjust and figure out your schedule. If you keep up your good habits, you will never look back.
by VA Connect | Apr 23, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
Having worked from home as a Virtual Assistant during the national lockdown, I have been locked in mortal combat with my fridge and snack cupboard. From this point on they will be known as Enemy Number One. We have been locked in an all-out war that shows no sign of stopping. Day in and day out we lock horns and do battle.
Hold on let me back up a bit. I have two clients that I work with. The one client requires me to stretch my grey matter on a daily basis. I have a small open plan home and my work is done at the dining room table every day. The Enemy is situated about ten meters away from my workspace. Now all my life I have been told that in order to have a healthy brain, you need to feed your brain. I am convinced that the Enemy has been listening to my conversations and is using psychological warfare to win at all costs.
Across the enemy line
I mean it seems to know just before the hour strikes for me to sit down at my desk and work. It uses the firing up of the computer as a call to draw up arms and strike. Battle lines are drawn, and just before I log on for the day it fires the first shot, ringing in my ears that the grey matter needs to be fed. On many occasions I have fired up my computer about twenty minutes earlier as I am almost convinced that I will lose the battle for the day and put my hands up and walk across the Enemy line.
Once the Enemy has won that battle and has me in its firm clutches, it does not stop there, it continues to torture me. You see standing there in front of the Enemy, I have a choice to make, do I open the fridge door to get something healthy like a fruit and a glass of water, or do I open the snack cupboard for something sweet and tasty like a rusk and a cup of coffee. I mean how cruel can it be, psychological warfare at it’s very best I tell you!
How to outsmart the Enemy
Knowing that this daily battle will happen, I have realised that I need to stay fit, not only to help my grey matter and keep me strong but also to try and outsmart the Enemy. There are days when willpower wins the day and I am able to ignore the constant sounds of the Enemy trying to lure me into battle, on those days the Enemy is defeated, however when this happens, the Enemy normally intensifies the battle to see how strong I really am.
Character building
Being a Virtual Assistant during lockdown is not for the faint hearted, it builds your character up to become competent and strong and tough as nails to outwit and win against your Enemy each and every day.
Tell me, do you have an Enemy in your kitchen?
by WP-Dev | Apr 16, 2020 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant
It is no secret that these are uncertain and unprecedented times that we are living in and living through. And it is certainly a time where we as VA’s can really use our skills to their highest level and show our clients and business the love that they definitely need and deserve right now.
As a virtual assistant it is easy to get caught up in the chaos sometimes and lose our way a bit when it comes to what we do for a living as well as how we assist our clients. It is easy to lose focus when circumstances throw a curve ball and when that happens – many things can fall through the cracks and deadlines fall behind, and so it snowballs. That is why I have certain tools which I make use of regularly that help me to show my clients business love to help us both be successful, no matter how challenging things may seem.
Below I will discuss a few of them and how I have found they help me in my day to day dealings with client work. But before I get to those technical things ….
Gratitude
This could possibly be the most important tool to use at this present moment in time. It may be the only thing that gets us through the day, most days.
I am extremely grateful to be able to do what I do on a daily basis. I am grateful that I have developed so many useful skills, and still developing because every day presents a learning opportunity.
I like to express gratitude for the clients I have that allow me to be a virtual assistant. I am grateful that I am healthy and of sane mind (most of the time) to be able to create and collaborate and learn and be productive.
Being grateful and showing gratitude daily is possibly one of the biggest way I show myself, my business and my clients some love. If I am in a state of gratitude and feeling at peace and happy with life, it will show in the work produced, it will show in the fact that I try to go the extra mile whenever possible, and it will show in the end result.
Now let’s get to the more intricate tools out there.
The tools to success
I know that staying organized and on top of the tasks at hand is the key here. It helps me stay focused and it helps me provide my clients with what they need, when they need it.
Below are some tools for time management, project planning and scheduling which I have taken the initiative to get and use in order to help me and my clients.
Hootsuite – A social media scheduling tool. It is super versatile and allows me to schedule out content weeks in advance. It allows all platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram amongst others. Using this tool means that my clients get their business in front of social media audiences at the right time and in the right place.
Toggl – To keep me on track. This is a timing tool which allows you to add projects and clients and you can keep track of time spent and how productive you were in the various tasks. It allows me to streamline things and also shows the client where the time is being used.
Canva – This is my favorite and the one I invest money in to ensure that I can work well with clients who need graphics designed and who perhaps would like me to collaborate with them via the team/folder share function of Canva. Canva also has a paid for version and has recently given PRO Canva subscribers access to over 6 million images, templates and more. You can even create animation and videos, the sky is really the limit with Canva. Even if you are not a pro at design, Canva will make you look like one.
To wrap it up
Although there are many technology based ways to show love to your business and clients, the most effective way is to stay true to yourself, show gratitude, feel grateful and feel the love.
Here is to us and overcoming challenges using the power of LOVE!
