The Virtual Wire

Suffering from social networking overwhelm?

I've found a great blog article, and want to share it with you today.  Its title says it all:  "How to Manage Your Time with Social Networks."  

I've come across many "experts" advising me how to use the various networking sites.  In fact, I'm tiring of their advice. 

This post from Meryl.net, however, hit the mark for me with her short list of tips and solid, practical concepts.

My favorite tip is her first one: "Tell yourself that no one can keep up with it all."  (I guess I simply needed the reminder.)

And ... I appreciate her summary:

"Don’t let social networking overwhelm you. You’re the boss of your time and very few can be all over the place on a regular basis. Instead, take a step back and prioritize. Having a profile is better than nothing. Besides, you can point to where people can find you."

I've been re-thinking and rearranging work schedules and commitments in my own business and daily  activities -- a type of life management exercise.  It's a skill that continually needs attention, I've found. Determining what is most valuable and understanding then what can be left out is not necessarily easy.  It is, though, critical - avoiding overwhelm can be achieved! 

What have you found that helps?

Business ownership and moms

I've written here about Women Business Owners a couple of times, and each time I read through the statistics, I'm amazed. 

As we approach a day set aside here in the USA to honor a special group of women, Moms, it's a great time to recall these facts about women who own and operate businesses. 

Many of these women mentioned in that report are moms, too.  The term "mompreneur" has sprung up as a result of that growing number of mothers operating their own businesses.  That's a big deal!  Receiving that kind of PR and recognition for the role women who are mothers and business owners play in our society today is astonishing to me.

If you're reading this and you are playing the role of business owner and mom -- why not take a moment (okay, more than a moment, if you're able) to reflect on your wonderful and amazing achievement!  Not only are you loving and nurturing a child (or grandchild), you're nurturing a business, too! That's huge!

Something to celebrate, don't you agree?

Listening between the lines

One of the most interesting things I find in both my career worlds (virtual assistance, and teaching) is nuance and subtlety. I think of myself as a fairly aware person most days, but still catch myself saying "what just went by?" sometimes. Was I listening carefully? And don't I tell my students ad nauseum (okay, maybe not that much) to 'pay attention'?

People can say an awful lot in a very few words. And people can hide (secrete?) a deeper meaning in a well crafted sentence or two.

Recently, I had a conversation with a good friend. Everything was going well until, on my asking her for clarification, she revealed the 'world'--forward and backward through time, and many nooks and crannies never before fully explained--in two or three sentences. She hadn't intended to do that (in my opinion); it was simply a very honest exchange. I haven't stopped thinking about that conversation...

One of my VA clients is a woman of few words, sometimes, and often says a lot in a few words. On occasion, I struggle to ensure that I caught everything that was said: even in the unsaid. Ultimately, I'll ask for clarification if I need to.

I've gotten into the habit of thinking that when someone seemingly casually mentions something, well, it was only the mention that was causal. They want that thing! This is either me being proactive, or me being psychic (don't get reimbursed for that, but it helps), or a bit of both. And using the time honoured technique of echoing back, I can usually find out if I was right. In any and all cases, if I read something that might be there, I began to prepare for that eventuality.

Most intelligent, thinking people listen between the lines. It shows that they are listening. It shows that they care. It shows that they're fact gathering, ready to ask questions, and/or ready to act.

Knowing when to learn, what to learn, how to learn and what to spend on learning??

Earlier in the year I discussed what I thought were good places to spend my learning budget on this year.  But I realized that to make my final decisions I had to ask myself the 4 questions above:

1. When to learn?
   Looking at my schedule I looked at how Q1 has panned out for me, and what availability feels comfortable to fit (this changes periodically), i.e. do I have free time in the mornings, afternoons or evenings, when it is more natural and productive for me to be doing my client work, when does my brain feel open and susceptible to learning new things, in the morning, afternoon or evenings.
   For me I actually realized that right now, morning and evenings are my most productive work times, so there is flexibility in the afternoon, and that is when my brain tends to be in learning mode, as that is when I naturally look for new things, and play (which is my definition of learning). 
   So classes need to be between 2pm-5pm GMT.
   
   
2. What to learn?
   Shall I learn how to grow my business, or how to develop my business? 
   Actually this is an easy one for me because I know that I am technically gifted and love the technical aspect of my business.  Also learning business development works better for me in practical, forum type discussions rather than theoretical learning.  I need to hear and learn about the nuances of communication, making the wrong or right decisions and how this has impacted the business and life, but for technical skills theory and practical are both suitable – I just love this stuff.  So with technical being the leader the main thing was what is relevant right now.  Through our referral system, and my own experience with clients, I often see people asking for shopping cart, ezine services, website development and social networking skills.  I am by no means saying this is an exclusive list of present requirements, far from it, these are the technical skills I am already strong in and therefore appeal to me when I see a request.  So rather than learn something totally new, it makes sense to develop these skills further.
   So for me I want to learning shopping cart, ezine services, blogging applications, website development and social networking skills.

Start At The End

How do you approach a goal, project or task? One helpful way to accomplish anything whether in business or life is to start your task from the end. What does that mean?

It means looking at what you want to accomplish as if it were already completed. Picture your business from the date of December 31, 2009. What do you see? Have you met your financial goal? Have you met your weight loss goal? Have you kept your promises to colleagues, family and friends?

When we start at the end, we can clearly define what success means in different aspects of our life. The key is outlining the steps that are needed to meet the challenges that you have created for yourself. It is true, completing any goal, project or task on time is challenging.  But when we start at the end, the finished product is a prize that we strive toward. Starting at the end allows us to keep focused through any setbacks or mental blocks.

How do things look for you at the end of 2009? Capture in your mind the images of you celebrating because you have met your goals. What is more, capture your images, feelings and results on paper. Why put them on paper? Writing down your end results will make your goals real.  If they stay in your mind it is just a dream. Dreams are dreams until you write them down. Then they become goals.

Here is a quick outline of how to start at the end. Imagine setting a goal to update your contact list by the end of May.  You have 200 business cards sitting on and around your desk and you have to type each one into your database. Start at the end.

May 31st is the deadline. Two-hundred contacts entered into your database is the goal. Break this down in to chunks that will suit your schedule.

This is just a simple example of how to begin with the end in mind. Set your goal. Map progressive steps from the end result today. Picture yourself celebrating your success. Stay focused.

You will experience more success if you start at the end!

Resolutions (or not)

Last year, I joined a team of wonderful, creative virtual assistants. Every week, each blogger for The Virtual Wire puts together her (or his!) thoughts and reaches out to an ever-growing community that includes virtual assistants, clients of virtual assistants, and many others. So I’d like to start my first post of the year by saying a sincere thank you to my fellow bloggers, and a huge thank you to Stacy Brice, who gave me my opportunity to be a more visible face in the AssistU community. Happy New Year, to all of our readers, to you Stacy, and to all of you who share this wonderful task with me every week!

As 2008 rolled to a close, I had a familiar conversation with members of my family and a few close friends. It was on the question of whether we made New Year’s resolutions.

As a year concludes, I find myself applying 20-20 vision resulting from experience and hindsight. It can be a brutal process. In being quite resolute in my ruminations, I allow myself to see what did or didn’t work well, what I should keep in my life, and in some cases, what I should let go. It’s an admittedly self-centered process which, while allowing for the ‘bad’ to be examined, also allows me to celebrate what was ‘good’ or what went well. It allows me to re-affirm parts of my professional and personal life that had—someway, somehow—confirmed their validity throughout the year. For example, in the last few days of 2008 I re-examined the degree to which I was involved in AssistU and other virtual assistance communities, and the degree to which I felt I could continue on the same path.

Well; I am ramping up for a wonderful year ahead. Here are but three examples of my commitment and re-affirmation:

• I’ve already signed on to facilitate a workshop at FoVA 2009
• I am continuing to blog for The Virtual Wire (hey, I’m here on the first Monday of the New Year)
• I have recently been helped by, and have revisited and renewed my friendship and bond with some good friends (colleagues in the virtual assistance field)

Okay, so the unofficial word is that I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. But I do renew some of the commitments (personal resolutions?) I had made some time ago.

Holiday reflections

Every year as the holiday season swings into full gear, I bring myself to a familiar place. I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions (feeling that I can be resolute, or make resolutions, anytime). But I am one to revisit the year, and apply more than a little hindsight to what’s gone down. A lot has gone down this year.

This past year, a year in which I’ve seen a death in my immediate family, has been a year where I’ve also seen tremendous insight and growth. I’ve seen a maturity (recognition?) in humankind that I never thought I’d see. It’s as if the whole of most societies, worldwide, got together and agreed we need to tear down so many false underpinnings, and start over again. I’ve seen my own virtual assistance business undergo, in its own micro way, what has happened to the macro economy. It’s all ‘good’, in that it’s bringing refinement and focus. In my own family, I’ve seen three of four siblings (including myself) embark upon new and different business ventures. I’ve seen good friends come to an understanding of major changes in their lives—some not very pleasant—and I’ve seen them rise up and tackle the changes head on. Even E left the relative comfort of her employer’s fold, and struck out on her own; not an easy thing to do when Big Brother had been taking care of the details, and paycheques, for so long. The courage I’ve seen has been phenomenal.

I hope you take a moment to reflect on the people around you, and those who surround you. And I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and a great New Year.

See you all again in January

Moving beyond here

I was recently inspired by an AssistU VA that took the plunge and left her VA practice to pursue another dream. Way cool!

I love stories like this because they remind me to stop to look at myself, and take stock to see if I’m still on track; I am. I love what I do, and I love my clients. I am currently exactly where I should be.

Are you?

Leaders that Glow!

Have you heard about the "GLOW"?

This week I attended the showing of the "GLOW" movie.  I was moved by hearing business leaders reveal their successes and vulnerabilities, which reinforced what I've believed for some time, that vulnerability is intrinsically and ironically linked with being powerful.

They described what success is at the top and what it takes to get to the top.  Where is the top? What ever you have defined as success in your life; the top of your game, whatever that is.

Traditional success is defined by the corner office, and the title that is bestowed upon you.  However, have you ever noticed, that at times, some in that corner office don't "GLOW" and are not inspiring others to greatness.  This GLOW is paramount to success because you are sending out that energy and attraction.

As I listened to real world leaders describe the road to success, in their terms, a few expressions resonated with me, such as authenticity, attraction, and passion—that's partially how you know you've got the "GLOW".  You know  -- that inner knowing that you are living your life's purpose, tapping into your authentic self, being truthful about what your inner voice is saying to you and connecting with people in a positive way.  A person that comes to mind is Oprah – she's got the GLOW!  Do you have it?  Have you seen it or been touched by it?

Glow is unmistakable.  Either you've got, or you don't. You aren't born with it. Some find it as they emerge as leaders when rising above adversity (like Sheila Johnson – Co Founder of BET).  Some find it when they are still long enough to discover and follow their passion.

Glow is powerful.  Once you start to glow, you will attract that perfect client, build the practice you want, and have the courage to stick to your standards.

Do you want it?

I’ll take education for a $1, Alex

Recently, a poll was taken at AssistU to determine how much money VAs set aside for continuing education. Then again in Twitter the question was asked, “How much do you set aside for continuing education?” It occurred to me that this is one of those areas that business owners neglect.

When I worked in Corporate America, I loved that my employers sent me to training on a regular basis, and on varying subjects like: Career Counseling, Diversity, Managing Multiple Projects, and Mistake Free Grammar just to name a few. There was one class I sought out every year, a writing class of some kind to keep my writing skills sharp, and to stay on top of the most recent grammar rules. (Thanks to Dawn Goldberg for creating Write Well U, I now have an excellent trustworthy place to go for my writing refresher courses.)

I’ve observed that VAs do what they have to do to get their businesses started, and that’s it. Perhaps they’ve set aside funds for continuing education, but as soon as hard times hit they tend to kick personal and professional development to the curb. All of a sudden training is seen as a luxury instead of the critical piece that makes the difference between growing a successful VA business, and just staying status quo.

Developing and growing yourself personally and professionally becomes more important as soon as you start a business because your clients are looking to you to keep your skills sharp, your technology skills current, and to continue to grow in your industry. So what are you doing? How much money do you put toward continuing education?