A Social Media Networking Faux Pas

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It is true, everyone has their own ways and means of going about how they communicate with the outside world, but as times have moved on, it’s quite intriguing to find someone who blatantly refuses to sign up to any sort of social networking website.  Some are even just petrified at the mere mention of the internet and the ‘World Wide Web’, let alone if it involves any sort of technology and social media – perhaps they have a valid point?
 
Some people will argue that the majority of social networking is for, and aimed at young folk, but a lot, including myself would beg to differ and say there are a lot of the older generation and successful business men, women and corporations etc. who regularly use social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn the list goes on.  Even my 92 year old grandmother being no exception!  We could collectively say, “Networking sites have made it possible for some of us to find and connect with old friends, family and business acquaintances.”  So yes, when used well, it’s great.  Other advantages include the fact that you can literally stay in touch with people on a regular basis, what with `like’ buttons and `comment boxes’, so even if you don’t want to speak to them, you don’t have to – well verbally anyway! But mind you the feeling might be mutual.
 
I’ve noticed however, that the one thing that people constantly get wrong when they register on these sites is that, they don’t actually take the time to read and make use of the `privacy setting’ feature thoroughly enough.  A lot of people (sorry, especially the not so young folk) tend to unintentionally leave themselves quite exposed that it is almost easy to pin point their exact location at any time.  Whether that be on their way to the airport for a much needed break or by openly advertising what time they’re due back from the shops.
 
Earlier on this week, whilst I was doing some company updates on Facebook, I noticed a friend of a friends status update which basically read, “The doctor has confirmed my little boy has got ‘Hand, Foot and Mouth”.  Along with a few comments from friends empathizing with the situation, others had just decided to be Facebook’s very own Dr Remedy, with comments on how it happened to them before, to what the best cure was.  Thank god she was only a friend of a friend and I have no direct contact with her I say! Scarily though, later on whilst speaking to my friend I found out that half the people who had commented on the post weren’t even on her friend list – her `status’ had been set to `Public’- ouch!
 
Though there are many benefits to social media networking in terms of mass communication of service messages, marketing, digital sales and the like’s one must always remember that it can also be pretty intrusive too, and once information gets into the wrong hands, we all know what could potentially happen from there.  So the moral of the story is, be careful on social networking sites, do it well, be thorough and most importantly keep safe and check your settings – often!
 

The Importance of Time Management

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It’s vital for each individual to understand the importance of time management and its overall effect on their success. A time management skill is a journey that may begin with this guide, but with attempts and practice can make you a highly proficient person to work with, help to reduce stress and boost productivity.  Deadlines compel our hand and force us to action.  It’s also about paying special attention to time management and gratifying your responsibilities to secure client approval.  Time management is an essential tool to getting the most out of your work, and it can have quite an impact if you’re not doing it right. Find out just how much of an influence time management can have.
 
What is Time Management?
 
Time management is the effective management of the right amount of time used for the right activities. Ideally, it allows people to allocate specific slots of time to activities based on their importance, and makes the best use of time given its limitations. Time management involves setting objectives, goals and deadlines, effective planning, prioritizing activities based on each one’s importance, delegating responsibilities, and spending the correct amount of time on the right activities. For effective time management, you should know which activities need to be prioritized and, which can wait to be done at a later stage and, how much time should be allocated for each activity.
 
Benefits of Time Management
 
Effective time management has a number of benefits for business, work and for life in general. Check out some of the benefits you can experience with correct and efficient time management.
 
Work smarter, not harder / accomplish more in less time. If you’re managing your time effectively, you may find that you can get more tasks done in less time. You will see how much work needs to be completed and what time you have to complete it.  Allowing you to effectively plan and complete projects more quickly.  Keeping a To-Do list will also help you work out your priorities and timings.
 
Remain on track. It keeps you on track and helps you to remain focused on your day-to-day work, long term projects, plans and personal goals. Time management allows you to have your goals visible and your time allocated sufficiently in order to meet them.
 
Keeps the balance. Time management creates a greater sense of balance in your life, as you know what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and how to correctly spend your time completing your tasks. By adopting this type of work ethos you not only remain in control and focused, you also allow adequate time for important breaks (lunch, tea) away from your desk.  Studies have shown that “As a general rule, taking at least 30 minutes away from your desk will help you be more effective upon your return” as, “You’ll come back to your desk re-energized, with a new set of eyes and renewed focus.”  Planning your day with breaks will also help you to break your work up into more manageable chunks.
 
The Effect / Impact of Poor Time Management
 
Poor time management can have a great impact on your work and, thus, your success. Here are some of the impacts you may experience from poor time management:
 
Time Wasted. You could be wasting time that you otherwise could have used to work on your activities or tasks. This can happen by not ignoring distractions, such as non-urgent phone calls, low priority emails you don’t need to respond to or unnecessary breaks that you don’t need to take.
 
Poor Work Quality. The quality of your work can greatly suffer if you are not managing your time effectively, as you may be rushed to complete projects at the last minute, choosing speed over quality thus impairing the work produced as a result.
 
Missed Deadlines. If you don’t have a schedule that prioritizes your activities, you may end up in a rush to complete tasks with deadlines fast approaching, making missing deadlines much more likely. Failing to meet deadlines can be devastating and damaging for your clients and for your business.  Time is also vital in its association with creditors or staff (remuneration).
 
Unproductive Work Flow. You will find that you are less efficient if you don’t plan your goals and stick to them each day. It will lead to an inefficient work flow that isn’t very productive and can result in sloppy work output and more stress which can have an adverse effect on your health.
 
Overall, “Time is wealth”, time slides like water for the entrepreneur.  The obedience to work hard, accomplish deadlines and grow your business can only be made by you the individual.  Obstructions that infringe on your time will always be around the corner so plan accordingly and delegate if necessary.  Don’t get confused over the tomorrow or about what happened in the past, learn to manage your time productively now and remain focused.  Tasks that cannot be completed can always be outsourced to an affordable Virtual Assistant to ensure you remain on track and deadlines met.  Obtain that work-life balance that you strive for without your business or personal life suffering as a result.  Adequate time management is key in achieving this.

When to consider hiring a Virtual Assistant

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Thinking about hiring a virtual assistant may well bring dozens of questions to mind. After all, this will be another expense for your business surely? So, it is important to determine whether hiring a virtual assistant is not only worth the cost but also whether it benefits you and ultimately your business. Consider whether any of these thoughts have come to mind to determine whether the time is right to hire your very own virtual assistant.
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You’re having problems staying organised. If you find that you have trouble staying on track of daily / weekly tasks then, hiring a virtual assistant may well greatly benefit you. This additional help can provide a bit more structure to your daily routine, by making sure there aren’t any conflicts within your schedule and that everything goes according to plan.  Not only can they manage your email inbox & route emails to the relevant persons or departments, they can also provide diary management, ensure no calls go unanswered and pass messages on.
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You have too many time consuming tasks. It’s easy to get caught up in time-consuming tasks that may or may not be important and / or vital to your business but, these can hold you back from more financially beneficial aspects of your business. A virtual assistant can complete many if not all of these tasks for you, leaving you more time to focus and concentrate on other important areas of your business such as revenue. A virtual assistant can help schedule and confirm meetings and appointments, manage credit control, provide office administration and cover absent staff whether that be as a result of illness or holiday (vacation).  There are untold projects or tasks that can be managed for you therefore don’t underestimate the value of having a virtual assistant on board. Ultimately this can save you valuable time spent on mundane tasks, so you can remain focused on running your business or even busy household.
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You don’t have the money to hire additional staff. In this day and age it can be very expensive to hire staff (employees), whether it is full time or part time. When you hire staff, you are not only paying for the work they complete but also for their breaks, idle time and benefits that are usually associated with salaried staff, including medical, pensions etc. With a virtual assistant, you are simply paying for the work that is completed, not any breaks, private healthcare or holidays (vacations) which can save you thousands of pounds or dollars each year.  Can you afford to overlook this?
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You don’t have space for another on site employee. If you work in a tiny office or simply don’t have the room to add another employee in your office, hiring a virtual assistant is the perfect solution. You don’t have to worry about providing desk space or even moving your business to a bigger location thus incurring all the costs associated with this. Hiring a virtual assistant allows you to get the work you need completed done without any additional overheads or stress associated with adding a new employee(s) to your office space.  A virtual assistant comes fully manned with their own fully equipped office to support you in your business.  They are also fully responsible for their own software and hardware, so no additional IT costs for you.
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Your work-life balance is non-existent. If you’re feeling totally overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work required then it might be a good idea to consider hiring a virtual assistant who can help you make sure your business is running productively. A virtual assistant can help you with straightforward or complex tasks that you may find too time consuming, making sure you get everything done.  Thus providing you with more time to relax, enjoy your job again and provide you with more quality time for your friends and family.
If there is any doubt in taking the next step in hiring a virtual assistant (if you haven’t already done so) then why not hire one on a trial basis? Most virtual assistants would be happy to provide support for you on a trial basis to ensure that the working relationship is suitable.  With ever evolving technology the services of a virtual assistant is too good to pass up, after all we could all do with a helping hand, couldn’t we?