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Thoughts on Spring
**post is taken from the Halo Secretarial newsletter, you can subscribe through the link in the right sidebar if you like!Spring in Alberta is not a pretty time of year. In fact, my backyard is still almost entirely covered in snow, and in the few spots that the sun has penetrated, there is nothing but mud! Trees have yet to bud and flowers still lie dormant. Give us another month and we *might* be getting our spring on!
But still, regardless of the cool temperatures, the snow and the frost, spring is a great time of year in my opinion. It’s a time for growth, for planning and for organizing. Winter is a time for introspection and hibernation it seems, but spring is time to act and get moving.
This spring I’m going to try some new things – I think I’m going to finally get out my Flip camcorder and record a couple of videoblogs. I’m also entering my first triathlon this spring – appropriately called the Spring Fling Triathlon. I’m also stepping outside my comfort zone and pursuing new marketing avenues. So far I’ve stuck with social media and word of mouth referrals. Referrals are definitely the best, but they come slowly with time, and I’m ready to grow now!
So what are you doing to start this spring off right? Are you planning for growth, are you cleaning up and getting organized or are you striking out in new directions? Whatever this spring holds for you, I hope it is full of sunshine and just enough rain to make things green and bright!
Read MoreDo You Sit Too Much?
I definitely sit too much during the day. I sit at my desk, I sit in my car, I sit and I sit and I sit. Recently I began adding in regular exercise to my week (training for a triathlon!) but still I know that all those hours of sitting are hard to balance out without a lot of activity.
Then last weekend I read about treadmill desks (actually I read about them before, but never actually READ the articles, just glanced and moved on with my day). With a good 20 lbs of weight to lose, a wedding to be in this summer and general life to keep fit for, suddenly it made sense to me to try and incorporate even a little more walking in my days. So I put together a temporary desk to fit across the arms of my treadmill and having been logging a mile or three each day this week. Well, except for Wednesday – I was tired that day!
I have so far been able to type up dictation, review email, draft several affidavits, attend a web-chat meeting, and even conduct a quick phone call all while walking away on my treadmill. I was definitely worried it would be distracting, but it is proving to be a relatively easy adaptation for me. A friend of mine tried it out and wasn’t sure she could read lengthy documents easily, and since every person handles things differently it’s certainly no guarantee that you can tread-walk through entire workdays. I like having a portable work surface so that I can transition as needed. I also can simply stand and work, with the treadmill off, if that assists in accomplishing a particular task.
Most of the lawyers I work with, and the virtual legal assistants I know, sit at least as much as I do during the day. We seem to be tied to our computers don’t we? If like me you want to replace some of that sitting with some slow walking, look into treadmill desk options – or make your makeshift version like I did (pic below)! Obviously this is easiest if you already have a treadmill and you work from home, but I honestly think it would be worth an experiment in many offices as well. Most office workers get little movement in during the day – despite the knowledge that it is good for us. Deadlines and documents get in the way of even a short jaunt around the office space or a quick hike up and down the nearest stairs. Working while walking is a great solution I think!
Laurie, Halo Secretarial
Read MoreTo Do Lists
To do lists are a big part of my life. I have multiple lists – personal lists, work lists, long term lists and get it done today lists. My go to list is the very simple tasks list within gmail. That is my list for immediate and throughout the week to-do tasks, and I try to reevaluate it on a daily and weekly basis to stay on top of my priorities.
Some of my lists go into spreadsheets or word documents, like the list of things to do before I’m 40. That doesn’t have to be right in front of me all the time, but it is an important list (can’t wait to cross off “Compete in a a Triathlon” in May!)
To do lists are a very personal thing, some people want lists that can be easily accessed, some want all-inclusive lists and some want the ability to share their list. Some lists are very task oriented and some are more complex requiring more than a simple line and a checkmark. Recently I was trying to find a solution for a client who wants to track “to-dos” that are more project-like than simple tasks. It has been surprisingly difficult to find something that meets all the requirements: shareable, need to be able to fill in a fair amount of detail, needs to be very secure. If anyone out there has a suggestion I’d love to check it out!
And now, back to my to do list for today….
Laurie
Halo Secretarial Services
Read MoreLong Term Planning
January has been busy so far, but I’m still trying to fit in some decent long term planning. There are so many things to consider when you are planning out your year in business – marketing, holidays, client projects, school schedules. It’s important for me though and it’s important to my clients that I’m on top of my game as much as possible. In the legal world a lot of things may be known well in advance (big trial for example), although many projects are also very last minute.
2011 is going to be a very busy year for me personally and hopefully for Halo Secretarial in general. I am taking a couple of hours to block off time in my calendar and I like to notify my clients well in advance of any planned long absences (more than 3 days). I also of course remind them of such absences as the dates approach as well.
Do you set aside time for planning in January? The rest of the year? I find not only is it important to schedule some planning time right now, but there are recurring entries in my calendar for quarterly checks on plans and progress.
*Tip*
Finish off your planning by informing your staff, team and/or virtual legal assistant of your plans, especially if you don’t share a calendar with them. They may have reminders for you of things to add in, or just be able to help keep you on track. Also make sure to check in with them if they don’t inform you what there important plans are for 2011.
Read MoreHappy New Year!
1-1-11: Love it! Welcome to 2011!
Halo Secretarial has been enjoying a semi-hiatus over the holidays but we’re so excited to kick 2011 off and enjoy an even more productive and fulfilling year than we did in 2010.
We hope that you all have also enjoyed the holiday break – and if you are ready to start 2011 off with a little more help, make sure you get in touch!
Laurie
Read MoreGiving TeamworkPM Some Love
Depending on the needs of my particular client, I exchange documents, dictation files and tasks in a variety of ways. My personal favorite though is my project management site through TeamworkPM. Clients can log in securely, they can assign me a task, send me a precedent or a digital dictation file and click a simple little notify button and then they know that I`m going to get to work as soon as possible.
I have just learned that after a long wait Teamwork PM has an iPhone app available, making it that much easier to access when you are on the go. I definitely have clients who use iPhones, so this is a real bonus for them (and me) so I just had to shout a little love out to Teamwork today thanking them for getting their app up and running. I`ve just finished installing it and it looks great!
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