5 productivity tips to make gmail more efficient

5 productivity tips to make gmail more efficient

  1. Make use of the Gmail Inbox category system - You can segment your incoming emails into different categories. There are 5 to choose from: INBOX, PROMOTIONS, FORUMS, UPDATES, and SOCIAL. This saves every single email arriving in your main INBOX and keeps it from getting overcrowded. You can create rules in your settings.

  2. Use labels to create specific folders - Creating folders for specific incoming messages or client emails/specific correspondence means you can keep your messages tidy and know where to find or allocate them. This clears up your main inbox of clutter. Another great feature if you like it visually appealing, is you can colour-code each label.

  3. Filter your incoming email messages - If you use multiple email addresses within Gmail, setting up a filter to send each email to a specific folder clears out your main inbox of all the clutter. You can also filter specific emails you receive from clients/enquiries etc to go straight into a specific folder.

  4. Set up email response templates - Creating and saving a template for standard responses is a great way to save time typing up an email you respond to on a regular basis. They can be created and named and saved for your most common responses.

  5. Use the Gmail mark as unread option - Marking an email as UNREAD (mostly after you have actually read it), means you aren't missing out on actioning it. An UNREAD email can be seen as the one you haven't handled yet and it eliminates the potential to let it fall by the wayside.

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5 ways you can use Gmail more efficiently

There's nothing more stressful than having 100's or even 1000's of unopened and unmanaged emails sitting in your inbox.

Check out my 5 productivity tips to make your Gmail more efficient below:

  1. Make use of the Gmail Inbox category system - You can segment your incoming emails into different categories. There are 5 to choose from: INBOX, PROMOTIONS, FORUMS, UPDATES, and SOCIAL. This saves every single email arriving in your main INBOX and keeps it from getting overcrowded. You can create these rules in your settings.
  2. Use labels to create specific folders - Creating folders for specific incoming messages or client emails/specific correspondence means you can keep your messages tidy and know where to find or allocate them. This clears up your main inbox of clutter. Another great feature if you like it visually appealing, is you can colour-code each label.
  3. Filter your incoming emails - If you use multiple email addresses within Gmail, setting up a filter to send each email to a specific folder clears out your main inbox of all the clutter. You can also filter specific emails you receive from clients/enquiries etc to go straight into a specific folder.
  4. Set up email response templates - Creating and saving a template for standard responses is a great way to save time typing up an email you respond to on a regular basis. They can be created and named and saved for your most common responses.
  5. Use the Gmail Mark As Unread option - Marking an email as UNREAD (mostly after you have actually read it), means you aren't missing out on actioning it. An UNREAD email can be seen as the one you haven't handled yet and it eliminates the potential to let it fall by the wayside.

Gmail is a great tool for small business owners, and getting to grips with how best to use it can not only make you more productive, but save you time and energy!

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SUP

Summertime And The Living Is Easy - With A Virtual PA

So it looks like summer is here at last … time for cocktails in the garden, taking the kids to the beach and revelling in the festival, right?

Or if you are a business owner, summer can mean juggling holiday cover and childcare challenges, never mind trying to fit in time to take a break yourself. Sounds familiar?

You are not alone. Enquiries and bookings for my Virtual PA services rise significantly in the summer months.

I fully understand that for self-employed professionals and small business owners, the summer months can be busier than ever.

The good news is I am here to help you survive - and yes, even enjoy - your summer.

How I Can Help Make the Living Easy this Summer

With a wide range of flexible, affordable Virtual PA services, I’m here to make summer that little bit easier.

Could you use a little help with any of the following?

Business Admin Services

  • Plan a weeks' worth of content in a scheduler for social media.
  • Tidy up your email inbox.
  • Proofread a document.
  • Format content for online social media.
  • Set up a meeting and send out invites.
  • Put together a powerpoint presentation.
  • Collate and sort expense receipts.
  • Source quotes for marketing materials.
  • Create an email newsletter.
  • Organise your contacts database.
  • Create some graphics for social media.
  • Put together a new client form for prospective customers.
  • Holiday cover.

Lifestyle Services

  • Organise your diary.
  • Personal online errands.
  • Send gift cards or e-gift cards to your friends and family.
  • Prepare a daily schedule, including actions.
  • Schedule personal appointments.
  • Plan your shopping list.
  • Online selling of unwanted items.
  • Organise online food shopping.
  • Source and book a gardener.
  • Book activities.
  • Personal shopping.
  • Household admin support.

Adventure Planning Services

  • Research travel options for an upcoming trip.
  • Organise packing list.
  • Source and book accommodation.
  • Road trip itineraries.
  • Route planning.
  • Booking and researching activities.
  • Pricing travel options.
  • Book transport.
  • Create a customised itinerary.
  • Help plan your bucket list.
  • Research reviews based on where you want to go.
  • Arrange outdoor activities.

If there is something you need help with which isn't listed above, please just get in touch to discuss your requirements and I'll take care of it - simple! Whether you need help taking your business forward, or just getting the festival tickets you wanted, a Virtual PA is your ultimate summer accessory. With effective planning and superb organisational support, people in business can also have an easy summer.

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beach

Outsource Your Admin To Grow Your Small Business

Have you ever thought about outsourcing your admin?⁠

Outsourcing admin is an efficient way for small businesses to lighten their workload without having to employ permanent staff. And at an hourly rate that won't break the bank, it's something you should really consider if you're struggling to run and grow your business.

⁠If you're looking for scalability and flexibility, especially when your workload gets busier - outsourcing your admin to a Virtual PA is one of the best ways to do this.⁠

⁠Admin tasks you could outsource:⁠

  1. Managing your email inbox.⁠
  2. Calendar management.⁠
  3. Organising online filing.
  4. Creating documents.⁠
  5. Schedule appointments.
  6. Update social media schedules.⁠
  7. Proofreading documents.⁠
  8. Creating reports.⁠

plus many, many more business admin related tasks…

Hire a Virtual PA to take over your admin so you can get on with doing more business!⁠

  1. Offers you flexibility when you are busy - you can hire a Virtual PA on a needs-led basis, or specific projects and tasks.
  2. Frees up your time - giving you the freedom to focus on what you do best in your small business..
  3. Increases your productivity - admin is always there! You may as well increase your productivity by outsourcing the tasks that hold you back from focussing on your more important jobs like running and growing your business.
  4. You can set a budget for the cost of outsourcing - a great way to add value to your business without massive overhead costs.
  5. Lighten your daily workload - general daily admin can impede on your core business activities. Hand it over to someone else so you can focus on doing your job without interruptions .
  6. Proactive support - a Virtual PA will take on the business administration jobs that you are not best placed to do whilst you devote your time to your core competencies and capabilities.
  7. Reduces stress - having someone to help shoulder the responsibilities in your work, can have a positive impact on your stress levels helping you be more productive and make more money!

Small business admin can be a big energy burden on your small business - why not outsource your admin to a Virtual PA today.

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7 ways to simplify your workday

Do you start your workday with good intentions to get on with your tasks but can become easily distracted?

Here are ways you can maximise productivity and get on with your work, by adding these 7 easy strategies to your workday:

  1. Create set response emails
    If you regularly send out emails with similar content, create specific email response templates. It will save you time replying and editing each one.

  2. Keep your desk clear
    Keep on top of your paperwork, filing & general cleanliness on your desk area. Keep everything in a place - making it easier to find stuff & keep it ordered.

  3. Have boundaries with social media & emails
    Switch off app alerts, and only log in at specific times to check for messages, etc. The best way to get things done is to be unreachable.

  4. Plan your day the night before
    Plan in advance so you know what you have to achieve the following day. It will give you more control over your schedule and help save you time.

  5. Delegate work
    Get some things off your list, by delegating tasks to others. Choose the right person for each task. This frees up your time to focus on the more important stuff.

  6. Batch similar tasks
    By batching all your similar tasks together, you can reduce the confusion of switching from many unrelated tasks. Constant switching can make you lose focus and become unproductive.

  7. Take little work breaks
    Every hour or so, take a wee breather. Do some stretching, go for a walk, make a cup of tea, or even do a short meditation to release some tension and freshen your mind.

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7 ways you can use Google Calendar to make you more productive

As a small business owner, you need to be organised, and one of the top tools to keep track of your time and workweek is to use Google Calendar.

If you haven't already been using Google Calendar for your professional and personal life - then you really should. It helps you keep track of your time, lets you focus on your priorities, and helps you spend your time doing what really matters.

Here are my top 7 ways you can use your Google Calendar to make you more productive:

  1. Create different calendars for different areas of your life - you can use multiple calendars for different areas of your work & life in Google. You can colour code each one to keep them organised.
  2. Share with others - this is a great feature to share your calendar with family and colleagues, to keep track of what everyone is doing. You can set permissions, like allowing someone to make edits.
  3. Create custom views - this is a great way to select how you prefer to use or view your calendar. You can choose a week, month year options and hide or show weekends and events, etc.
  4. Add specific meeting locations - a great feature that integrates with Google Maps. You can type it into the location field with a clickable link for directions.
  5. You can add attachments to appointment entries - this is a great feature for when you add people to a meeting entry. You can upload documents people might need for the event ensuring they have the information required in advance.
  6. You can add recurring events - such as weekly or monthly meetings, gym classes or the kids after school activities.
  7. Add Google Meet to an entry - if you work remotely, you can link in a video call right in the calendar entry for each participant to login to.
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Blue green bowl

36 Things a Virtual PA Can Do In An Hour

Using a Virtual PA can help you achieve the things you need to, whether it’s for business, lifestyle or adventure planning services. A Virtual PA can help boost your productivity, offer you strategic support when you need it most and be your go-to when things get on top of you.

A Virtual PA can perform a variety of tasks, freeing up your time to do the things you need to. Check out the 36 Things a Virtual PA can do in an hour below:

BUSINESS

  • Plan a weeks' worth of content in a scheduler for social media.
  • Tidy up your email inbox.
  • Proofread a document.
  • Format content for online social media.
  • Set up a meeting and send out invites.
  • Put together a powerpoint presentation.
  • Collate and sort expense receipts.
  • Source quotes for marketing materials.
  • Create an email newsletter.
  • Organise your contacts database.
  • Create some graphics for social media.
  • Put together a new client form for prospective customers.

LIFESTYLE

  • Organise your diary.
  • Personal online errands.
  • Send gift cards or e-gift cards to your friends and family.
  • Prepare a daily schedule, including actions.
  • Schedule personal appointments.
  • Plan your christmas shopping list.
  • Online selling of unwanted items.
  • Organise online food shopping.
  • Source and book a gardener.
  • Book activities.
  • Personal shopping.
  • Household admin support.

ADVENTURE

  • Research travel options for an upcoming trip.
  • Organise packing list.
  • Source and book accommodation.
  • Road trip itineraries.
  • Route planning.
  • Booking and researching activities.
  • Pricing travel options.
  • Book transport.
  • Create a customised itinerary.
  • Help plan your bucket list.
  • Research reviews based on where you want to go.
  • Arrange outdoor activities.

So, what now?

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stones held in hands

8 Ways In Which You Can Manage Your Time Better

Do you fly off the seat of your pants? Decide a course of action as you go along, using your own initiative and perceptions rather than a pre-determined plan or structured aids.

Answered ‘yes’ to the above?

It might be time to manage your time better.

From when you wake up in the morning, to when you go to bed at night, guaranteed you will always be thinking about what you have to do.

We are living in a space where people are time poor and having a spare moment is a serious luxury we can’t seem to afford. We only have so many hours in a day, and to make the best use of this time, it makes sense to structure your day or week to alleviate the pressures of what you’re not achieving.

Time is the one thing that is unchanging, we all have 24hours in a day, what we can change though, is how we use our time.

Here are my 8 top time management tips below:

  1. Keep a firm grip on the daily schedule is instrumental in making your week run as smoothly as possible.
  2. Learn to set limits by finding out where your time-suckers are, figure out if you need to spend time on those things, then eliminate things that do not serve you.
  3. Sit down on a Sunday evening and get a feel for how your week looks and keep your planner up to date.
  4. Outsourcing tasks is a great way to add value to your day or week. This help can come in the form of a Virtual PA who can help just take the pressure off when you need it.
  5. Limit your interruptions. These come in the form of app alerts, email messages, and social media. Eliminate these for pockets of time and focus on your tasks at hand.
  6. Learn to delegate. Delegating to others makes good time management sense.
  7. Batch your tasks into similar groups. It can help to complete jobs faster if they are similar.
  8. Find your productivity domain. Identify when you work best to get maximum results and plan your most important work for that time.
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laptop

Benefits Of Hiring a Virtual PA

While some tasks in your business may seem quite straight forward, by offloading them to a Virtual PA, you can focus on your more specialised tasks.

One of the biggest benefits of hiring a Virtual PA is you can free up your time to focus on the more important stuff like running and growing your business or creating time to nurture a better life/work balance.

A skilled Virtual PA will fill in the blanks and areas where you may not have the expertise and help you grow your small business without the commitment of hiring full-time staff.

By embracing a fully remote work structure, you & a Virtual PA can work effectively and efficiently, without having to have an actual office space. Working from home is fast becoming the new normal, and a Virtual PA is proving an obvious solution to those small business owners who don't have space or the budget to hire an employee but still need work completed.

Here are 10 reasons why you need to hire a Virtual PA:

  1. Increase flexibility and work/life balance - by hiring a virtual PA to take on the time-consuming business tasks, you’ll achieve more, free up time and create greater flexibility in doing the things that matter most.
  2. Take routine admin tasks off your list - how often do you put off a task and never seem to get to it? Just hand it over to a Virtual PA - JOB DONE.
  3. More free time for you - delegate time-consuming admin tasks that take up big chunks of your time.
  4. Reduces operational costs - you won’t have to pay for extra office space, equipment, rent, etc.
  5. You can upscale your business - Virtual PAs can work alongside you, keeping your momentum going. Getting work done whilst helping you grow your business.
  6. Eliminates the need to hire an employee - you may not have a massive budget to hire a full-time admin assistant but by outsourcing such tasks to a Virtual PA, you eliminate the need to pay employment costs.
  7. Increased productivity - Work can be taken off your plate, and a big weight can be lifted giving you the space to be more productive.
  8. You only pay for the time you need - meaning you can budget per project or use services on an ad-hoc, needs-led, flexible basis.
  9. Help streamline your business operations - while some tasks may seem quite straight forward to you, by offloading them to a Virtual PA, you can focus on your more specialised tasks.
  10. Someone has got your back, a Virtual PA wants you to succeed - we become part of your business and a great sounding board, bringing new ideas to the table, and supporting you on your journey.

When do I need to think about hiring a Virtual PA?

If you value your time, and you can’t keep on top of your work then now may be a great moment to hire one:

  • You are overwhelmed with your current workload and you have little time to get to your admin tasks.
  • You have a backlog of tasks as long as your arm; such as emails to send, content to manage, data entry, or filing to fulfill.
  • You want support on an ad hoc basis.
  • You find you don’t have the expertise nor the time to complete tasks effectively.
  • You need to use your time much more effectively.

Having someone you can delegate tasks to gives you peace of mind and keeps you sane! Isn’t that worth it?

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Bringing the jigsaw pieces together

7 Pointers for Building & Maintaining Great Connections in Business

Take the time to meet people at every opportunity you have - you never know who you might meet.

Building relationships for business is key to creating awareness, but it's also important on a personal level (especially if you're a solo business owner), to have people you can connect with over coffee or chat business with. Not just for your own gain, but for helping connect other business owners with each other.

These 7 pointers below can help you find the best ways to build your business through great connections:

  1. Create great online awareness with your social media, website and blogging - Online presence plays a significant role in staying connected with your network. Face-to-face connections are great (I love networking personally), but so much of our business is done online nowadays. Cheer on and support your online connections. It creates awareness of your business and shows support of theirs.

  2. Keep a contact list of people you meet - Create a little black book of contacts. Not just for yourself but if others are needing an introduction to a fellow business connection. There's nothing better than seeing a referral work out.

  3. Build trust & a reputation - People do business with people they trust. Trust is the one thing that builds strong relationships, and if you invest the time, you’ll reap the rewards with a great reputation.

  4. Offer to help others when you don't need help yourself - Share your talent, by offering to do a business-related favour. By offering to assist someone, you are seen as helpful and positive in encouraging others to succeed.

  5. Be authentic - Let people get to know the real you. Be as you are. It's all too easy to create online personas. I'm an advocate for networking in person so you can build a natural connection and a feel for the personality of that person, and vise-versa. In most cases, YOU are YOUR business..

  6. Recognise the importance of connections - Follow up with people you meet. Make your follow-ups meaningful and timely. Stay in touch but make sure you have reason to.

  7. Maintain your relationships - Whilst it's important to create new connections, it's also important to nurture the ones you already have. The network you have created could be the key to signing up a new client, the source of a new job, or being introduced to a new useful connection.

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handover

8 Steps to Initiate The Services of a Virtual PA

Have you ever thought about working with a Virtual PA? Well, if you haven't, now might be the time.

It's a simple process to start using a Virtual PA, and I've listed 8 steps below to help you better understand the initial stages of engaging in Distinctive Assistants' Virtual PA Services:

  1. Get to know one another - after initial contact, I'd usually have a one hour free online or phone conversation with you, but I am also happy to meet over coffee and chat about what your requests would be.
  2. Sign up - after an initial meeting and work discussion, I would create a small brief of the work discussed, send a booking form including my T&C's, to be signed, and after this is received, work can commence.
  3. Preparation is key - for speedy handovers, make sure you have all the tasks you need doing sent over with a brief and timelines. Be clear on what it is you need to be done with your Virtual PA.
  4. Handing over process - we can use a productivity tool (I like to use Trello), or simply send an email with instructions and I can keep a shared calendar/list of your tasks. You can also send files, or shareable links to online files and folders, giving me access and authority to make a start on your work.
  5. Take it slow - it takes time to figure out how both client and Virtual PA can work together. Be patient, you'll soon realise how easy it is.
  6. Set regular catch-up time - weekly is usually best, but if you prefer to create tasks online and just fire them over, that's also ok! We understand - you're busy.
  7. Be friendly - it's nice to have a trusting working relationship with each other, but it's great to be friendly and approachable, and keep building that relationship.
  8. Keep communication channels open - communication is key. I'm not a mind reader, but in having said that, as time moves on I can become more proactive as I better understand how you and your business work.

Hand over what holds you back! You’ll wish you’d done it sooner.

You have 24 hours in your day, it’s not about how much time you have but about how well you use it. A Virtual PA can help you make the best use of your time.

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10 Tips to Keep Your Business Going in a Downturn

For those of us who run a small business, the way in which we work has been affected greatly by the coronavirus situation over the past few weeks.

We need to think about how we can find a new direction and map out ways of maximising our time best.

We have had to look:

  • at the way we work.
  • at how we can keep ourselves going in the downturn.
  • at how to keep ourselves out there and present online - keeping up appearances.

Work may be slow or diminished completely for a lot of us. You may be left thinking about what to do with your extra time. How to make things work for you and your business in a positive way.

I thought it would be useful to list my Top 10 tips on the ways in which you can keep your business ticking over and map out some ways you can best use this extra time.

  1. Use your existing contacts base. Reach out to old clients, key contacts and friends. Let them know you are still around for work.⁠
  2. Get involved online and get into the habit of commenting on threads on the social media channels.⁠
  3. Have a look for networking groups online, and keep an eye out for future events.⁠
  4. Work on a batch of social media content, including planning posts.⁠
  5. Write some blog content, or look at becoming a guest blogger.⁠
  6. Email your existing clients and request some testimonials for your website.⁠
  7. Redecorate and sort out your office and desk space.⁠
  8. Read up on your industry trends.⁠
  9. Learn new things. Upskilling when you are quiet is a perfect way to increase your knowledge.⁠
  10. Offer your services free of charge, or look at volunteering your services. ⁠
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stone stack

Balancing Act

Do you ever wake up on a Monday morning after the weekend and have that Monday Morning feeling?

What if you took a step back, re-evaluated your balance and tried to adjust things to a more manageable, easily adaptable routine?

I personally try to live my week on this principle and live a life more simplified.

It’s about living a lifestyle and achieving a balance where your work becomes less about living to work and more about working to live.

It’s inevitable, you need to work to have a life, but at what expense? Do you spend your whole week trying to keep your work balls in the air, to let your life balls drop?

At some point, something has to give and more often than not, it’s your health, wellbeing and family life. Trying to get off the hamster-wheel of work, can be a hard task in itself, but if you try to make small weekly changes to your routine, you may see slight changes to your daily life.

After all, wouldn’t you rather be able to master that art of juggling without dropping those balls?

Work and life will merge at times, it’s about constantly adjusting and being happy with what balance you can create.

At the end of the day, Life is about having fun!

10 tips to help maintain a healthy life and work balance:

  • Have set work hours, and stick to them.
  • Make sure you allocate personal time in a week.
  • Manage your time in the short-term as well as the long-term.
  • Understand your peaks and troughs and make them work for you.
  • Understand your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Prioritise your time, between urgent and non-urgent tasks.
  • Make sure your workspace is organised.
  • Do something you love.
  • Take lots of mini-breaks.
  • Take time to make time!
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Woman writing in journal

Create More Space in Your Life

What if you were able to create more space to enjoy being more creative, spending more time with family & friends, taking time to appreciate life's many adventures?

We're so used to being busy, having never-ending to-do lists, lots of responsibilities and tasks, that we forget to stop, and enjoy just 'being'.

The space you manage to create may be big or small, but at the end of the day, creating space in your life opens doors for new things to enter, such as people, opportunities, and more importantly YOU.

Remove things that no longer work for you, and let go of what you do not need or do not have time for.

Declutter your schedule and make it happen

After all, wouldn't you rather be able to create more space in your life for the things that really matter?

Take a breather, re-evaluate, look at ways to help you manage your time better, so it frees you up to do more of what you want to and enjoy.

Hiring a Virtual PA can help give you time back, freeing you up to do the things that matter. Creating space for you in your professional and personal lives so you can focus on the things that really matter to you.

A Virtual PA can help you maximise every hour of your day, whether that's to achieve more, live more or play more.

5 Tips to create more time in your life

  • Outsource your life tasks

    Such as your ironing, cleaning or personal admin. These time-consuming life tasks can eat into your well-needed headspace and downtime with your family, or take you away from getting to the gym to exercise.

  • Feel good

    If you feel better you work better…literally! Take stock of your approach to your health. Read up on ways to eat better, learn to meditate, get regular exercise or simply get more sleep. Shake up your routine to make sure you put your health first.

  • Delegate tasks & chores

    As a mother, especially a working mother, find ways to make your day easier by getting the whole family to pitch in. By spreading the jobs across the family you can free up some time in your day.

  • Take time out for you

    Sometimes you need to be a little bit selfish (with your time, that is). If 'you' don’t work, more than likely things will fall apart. Give yourself a treat every now and then such as a relaxing massage, or even a simple walk on the beach. These will do you good!

  • Create a plan

    …and stick to it. Writing down your weekly or monthly plan can give you a better idea of where your balancing needs are best placed. Get the family to help if need be and take stock of the things that need to be done 'together'.

You have 24 hours in your day, it's not about how much time you have but about how well you use it. A Virtual PA can help you make the best use of your time.

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Woman looking over mountains

Get Back to Business and Achieve Your Goals in 2020

There’s nothing like a New Year to make a fresh start - and for entrepreneurs, that means getting 'Back to Business.'

But instead of falling back into the same old routine, now is the perfect time to set exciting new goals and think about working ON your business, not just IN your business.

That’s where your Virtual PA can help - so let’s consider your goals, what targets we can set and where you are heading this year - let’s get Back to Business!

New Year’s Resolutions - the Cheat’s Guide

We all make New Year Resolutions for our business at this time of year, but with only so many hours in the day, why not enlist some help to ensure you achieve your goals?

The Fun Starts Here …

Where do you see your business going this year? What would you like to achieve if there were no obstacles? Setting goals is the starting point for achieving greater business success, and brainstorming is the fun part. Distinctive Assistants can provide a wealth of experience from working with a range of businesses, and offer a supportive ear to bounce ideas off.

Once you’ve set your long term goals, we can look at how to start achieving them in the short term. Make a list of the day-to-day jobs you can hand over, leaving you free to focus on the big picture. We’ll beaver away in the background and keep the wheels spinning, while you can look toward the future.

How Can we Help you Achieve your Goals?

At Distinctive Assistants, we can help you assess your business activity and how this fits with your goals. How can we help you manage your workload so you can hit the ground running in 2020?

Improving Your Business Operations in 2020.

We can help:

  • Update and streamline your administration process
  • Give you ideas to organise your office for a more productive, efficient working day
  • Help with ideas in developing a planner
  • Create a networking calendar and book events
  • Researching new sectors or prospective clients on your behalf
  • Update and manage contacts database so you can maximise on existing connections
  • Help to bounce off ideas and brainstorm
  • Suggest preferred suppliers to help you with different aspects of your business

These are just some examples of how a virtual PA can help you get Back to Business. Please get in touch to find out more about our wide variety of services or discuss how we could meet your requirements.

Distinctive Assistants understands the classic wisdom that 'success comes to those who delegate'. So let us help take some of the strain this year, so you can focus on the bigger picture and achieving your goals for a successful 2020.

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Two helpful elfs on a shelf

Give Yourself the Gift of Time with Your Own ELF HELPER!

Ah, Christmas. What does the festive season make you think of? Fun parties drinking mulled wine, exciting shopping trips, good times with loved ones … or stress overload!

For business owners, working parents and anyone juggling a lot of responsibilities, December can be the most demanding time of year.

With added business commitments such as organising lunches, sending cards to clients and completing year-end accounts, often combined with family events such as time off for the kids’ school show to gift shopping, some people may be forgiven for thinking Santa has it easy – at least he has his army of elves.

So this year, why not give yourself the gift of your own Elf Helper from Distinctive Assistants. With a whole range of dedicated seasonal services on offer, let Distinctive Assistants share the load and help you enjoy a stress-free festive season.

Imagine – you could enjoy watching the kids in their school show without worrying about what you still have to do at work or even find Christmas shopping a pleasure, knowing there’s someone to help you wrap all those gifts.

Who knows, with a little Elf Help and more time to breathe, you may find you enjoy the whole thing this year! Mulled wine anyone?

Seasonal Services from Distinctive Assistants can include:

  • Christmas card selection and purchase
  • Compile your name and address list
  • Produce address labels or handwritten envelopes for that personal touch
  • Fill the envelopes, fix stamps and mail cards
  • Gift purchasing for those special presents including a gift wrap service
  • Online gift research including sourcing the best products and prices
  • Order online shopping and organise deliveries
  • Picking up tickets and handling RSVPs to events.
  • Arrange a cleaner to ensure your house is ready for guests
  • Provide Christmas holiday cover for your business
  • Going away? We can help plan and book your journey.
  • Wrap gifts with specially selected paper and tags.
  • Clear all your personal & business admin to start 2020 afresh

Festive Ideas for Your Life and Business

  • Make your office look festive! Hang up some baubles, pop on some music and get into the spirit.
  • Order stock/necessities before everything shuts down for the holiday period. Imagine starting the New Year with stationary and stock all in place!
  • Ensure you have staff resources to cover the festive season so you get a break too. Outsource work to a Virtual PA if necessary.
  • Get cash flow in order – chase up late invoices and payments, make sure your own payments are up to date and shut up shop for Christmas knowing the business books are in order.
  • If you experience a quieter time over the holidays, this is a fantastic opportunity to revise your business plan, prepare a marketing plan or just get on top of paperwork so you can start 2020 with a spring in your step.
  • Don’t miss out on vital opportunities or leads over the holidays – ensure you have suitable call answering in place.
  • Christmas cards are a really nice touch for clients and contacts, but first, make sure that you have a comprehensive database with all contacts entered. Distinctive Assistants can help you get prepared!
  • Distinctive Assistants can also source your cards online, arrange to print, and then handwrite, label and event stamp the cards. Job done!
  • Can’t face the post office queues? Send your Elf Helper!
  • Help to choose Christmas decorations down to colour co-ordinations and sourcing best deals.
  • Why not create an album of your holiday pictures and special memories? Your Elf Helper will be delighted to assist with this.
  • Order prepared food or even caterers for your Christmas or New Year parties so you can just enjoy yourself.
  • Get glamorous for party season! Let your Virtual PA organise all your hair & beauty appointments.
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