Welcome to February folks!

By now I expect the following things to have happened:

• New Year’s resolutions have been broken
• Those of you who endured ‘Dry January’ might possibly have had a headache
• Remembered why you had that “No drinking on a school night” rule
•  Your Tax returns will have (hopefully!!!) been submitted
• In response to the previous point you will probably have all vowed to never leave it that late or be that disorganised again!

So I refer to my blog title:

New Year, New Organised you.

If the word organised or planning brings you out in hives then this blog is for you – yes you with the inbox the size of a small continent. It’s time to put down that dusty old shoebox full of receipts and pull up a pew!

Have you ever found yourself saying “If only there were more hours in the day” or “I wish I had another pair of hands”? Well now you can!!

This blog is going to be a short, sharp insight into some of the many tasks a VA could take care of for you. Leaving you to look and feel like an organisational Rockstar as you tick off the last item of the day’s ‘to do’ list with enough time to enjoy that cocktail with the friend you’ve promising to catch up with since what feels like forever.

So let’s get started…….

1.  Expenses data entry for your tax return

This is a massive one and could revolutionise your January’s for years to come!  A VA could sort all those receipts you’ve got lurking about into piles and enter them at the end of each month into an Expenses Spreadsheet. Then when it comes to January it’s all there ready to go – BOOM!

This is called Income and Expenditure Smugness and is being perfectly demonstrated below in visual form with the help of none other than Mr Obama.

2.  Income data entry for your tax return

See point one but replace the word ‘expenses’ with the word ‘income or invoices’  The same Income and Expenditure Smugness still applies…….

3.  Sorting out email folders

Having a VA create some marvelous folders to sort your inbox could be a real game changer. That way when emails come in that you need to keep or make reference to in the future can be filed away and easily found again. This is not to be confused with ‘gaining control’ of your Inbox as that has to come first but the two step process will help stop that dreaded ‘overwhelmed’ feeling when your check your Inbox

4.  Sorting out dropbox/google drive folders

This is similar to point three but may need a bit more input from you. As your VA we could work together to create an efficient filing system suited to your specific needs. Remember the person who knows your business the best is – YOU!  A VA is there to assist and facilitate your creativity – so if you have those ‘extra pair of hands’, use them!

5.  Time Management

This is extremely important to every person who manages their own business and the delicate balancing act can prove tricky. On one side you don’t want to leave large periods free in your schedule (twiddling your thumbs generates both friction and heat but sadly not income!!). Equally if you try to squeeze too much in it can have a detrimental impact on the reputation of both you and your business.

You may already feel like you have Time Management under control and a ‘to do’ list consisting of multi coloured post it notes that are strategically plastered all over the office and possibly your home works for you however everyone is different and if your to do list fills you with dread or is indeed non existent then read on….

I have worked with several clients on a To do list strategy to help them conquer that fear. Taking the time to discover the ‘way you work’ can seem like a hard mountain to climb but it is both possible and beneficial. Who knows in doing so you may realise the way you have been doing things (post it notes or otherwise) is not working! This too can be prove difficult as old habits are hard to break but as the old saying states “a problem shared is a problem halved”

So there they are, the ‘Fantastic Five’ ways a VA could be that additional ‘hour or two a day’ or the ‘extra pair of hands’ you’ve always wanted.  

What are you waiting for?

Happy Creating……….