Productivity in Relation To Lighting & Temperature

I'm going to bring out my inner geek today and share a blog I found regarding how lighting and temperature effects productivity and happiness. Why? Because as a transplant from Phoenix to Dallas, the last 10 days of cold, wet and dismal days has had an impact on me. I notice that although I am productive when it comes to work, I have found that the weather effects my motivation and my mood. I have always noticed that but I wanted to learn more about how and why from a more scientific perspective. I am a VA with a geeky science streak so bear with me :)

http://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-how-room-temperature-and-lighting-affects-our-productivity

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Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC
Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

10 Reasons Why Working From Home Is Awesome

1. COFFEE. Of course you can get coffee anywhere, but when it's free, high quality (because we all love powdered creamer and instant coffee crystals - bleh!) and is in continuous supply whenever you want, yeah, that's awesome. 
2. As a follow up to #1, THE BATHROOM is close by! And you don't have to share it with 50 other people! 
3. SLIPPERS & YOGA PANTS! Yeah, I rock those 
4. LUNCH BREAK trips to the grocery store when it's quiet. This comes in handy in order to avoid the long lines and stressed out people who just want to hurry home and down a few drinks to shake off the day. A large majority of which are parents who have just picked up their distressed toddlers from daycare and both parties look like they have just been through the apocalypse or took an unintentional stroll through a tornado.
5. A PURRING CAT in your lap. There's nothing quite like dissecting a disaster of a statement reconciliation with a small warm bundle of fur in your lap to take the edge off 
6. SIESTA! Need I say more!
7. DJ AWESOME IS IN THE HOUSE! No more being stuck listening to something that your nearby cubicle jockey or even worse, corporate, has decided is "good" but if you were offered the option to get paid to listen to it you would sooner claw your face off or run with scissors on purpose.
8. NO COMMUTE! This is self explanatory, yet I feel like rubbing it in. My commute is about 20 steps from the shower door, and about 25 from the coffee maker. Saves on gas, and more importantly sanity while raising the level of your personal safety astronomically. Telecommuting workers should be offered a significant discount on life insurance rates, just sayin'.
9. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL. No more freezing your a** off because your co-worker is deep in the throes of menopause and needs her own walk-in freezer, or your office is experiencing budget cuts and they decide that cutting costs by "reducing the carbon footprint" is a great place to start. After all, you can always put on more clothes and who wouldn't want to perform long hours of monotonous data entry while wearing a parka and beanie.
10. ENTERTAINMENT during a bout of INSOMNIA. Can't sleep at 2 a.m. and feeling annoyingly productive while your mind is in the throes of a rampant inability to grasp the simplicity of normal human nocturnal behavior? Get up and work for a few hours, focusing particularly on basic data entry. That will put you right back to sleep 

Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC

Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

What Can You Delegate To Your Virtual Assistant?

Implementing delegation can be a boost to your business of course, yet it can also be a huge boost to your morale as well as your sanity. Effectively communicating delegated tasks, and letting go of having complete control over the task allows you more time to manage your business as well as establishes trust with your VA. Sometimes as a business owner it can be hard to let go of tasks that you have always had full control of. With letting go, you will find peace of mind when you are working with an experienced, professional VA.

A lot of small business owners are not sure which tasks to delegate to their VA when they are new to using virtual assistant services. My first suggestion is to start small. Start with the task that you just do not enjoy doing, something simple. Do you dislike filing? Become annoyed with repetitive data entry? No time for website updates? Organization falling through the cracks because you just don't have time?

As trust and rapport grow with your VA, you will feel confident delegating more complex tasks to them over time. Long days completing bank reconciliations, editing large documents, keeping track of inventory/staff/clients, creating spreadsheets for more efficient operations will now be a thing of the past! Your time will be spent seeking new clients and growing your business as well as maintaining the client base you currently have!

Here is a few ideas of tasks you can delegate:

• Data entry - Spreadsheets, documents, database, software.
• Bookkeeping - Invoicing, paying bills, reconciliations, tax calculations, budget tracking & reports.
• Digital Filing - Do you have piles of paperwork everywhere that need to be scanned in and organized electronically? This is very time consuming without the right equipment or time to tackle the task!
• Website Maintenance 
• Editing - Documents, transcription, etc.
• Organization - Email cleanup, in-office, files, etc.....
• Marketing - Material creation, ad posting, social media.....

The list is endless based upon your needs and the skill set of your chosen VA and the tasks your specific industry requires! 

Happy delegating!

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Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC
Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

Cost Comparison Video Highlighting Using Virtual Assistant Services vs. Hiring A Traditional Employee

Please watch our new video highlighting the cost effectiveness of using virtual assistant administrative support services vs. hiring a traditional employee. You would be surprised at the amount of money you can save! Liking and sharing is caring!

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Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC

Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

What Is A Virtual Assistant Video!

We have a new video up on YouTube about what a Virtual Assistant is, and what we have to offer! I love Powerpoint and Windows Movie Maker!!! We do offer this service for your small business as well! Let us create a commercial for your business to put on your website!

Enjoy!
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Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC

Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

Digital Detox Is Essential To Your Success, And Your Sanity.......

One of the hazards of working from home, being self-employed, and having a flexible schedule is the fact that it facilitates the potential for anyone to work too much! I admittedly work too much. It follows me everywhere! I can be waiting for a movie to start, bored with the previews and what am I doing? Checking email. Nice bubble bath and a glass of wine, phone in hand....checking email. Again. *sigh* Sunday morning isn't even off limits, although that will be changing as soon as possible!

I imagine this is what I look like occasionally!

Often when I am not working, I am still engaging in online activity. Be it Pinterest or YouTube, participating in hobby or business related forums, reading science and business blogs/articles, etc. I spend likely less than an hour on a normal day NOT online, with the exception of time spent sleeping.

After a particularly busy week, I took the plunge. Well, it was less of a jump and more of a prying motion. I shut down my computer *Gasp! The horror!* at 5:30pm, cooked dinner with the TV off and decided to listen to Louis Armstrong instead as my iPhone sat ignored locked in a desk drawer. Poor Siri....... My office door locked and avoided as if it held a black hole that would suck me in and dispense me into another world should I dare open it.

I chose to spend the rest of my evening paintbrush in hand, with the only sound audible being a snoring beagle and the air conditioning kicking on and off. It took great restraint but I did not even check email before bed *WooHoo! Go me!* Let me tell you something, I woke up the next morning absolutely refreshed and ready to take on the world! I was rapidly checking tasks off of my to do list like I owned the place (I do! Haha!)! Amazing. I was absolutely exhilarated!

The term "digital detox" has actually been added to the dictionary! And, believe it or not there is actually a website dedicated to and promoting digital detox. They even have an adult camp called CampGrounded where adults can go and unplug old school style! Love it! There's even an app for digital detoxing!

I know it's hard to do in this busy world, detach, shut down, turn off and interact with your surroundings but I highly recommend it. Start out in short bursts if you must, do whatever you have to do to implement this into your schedule. Your sanity will thank you for it and I guarantee you will be far more successful for it.

Ideas for things to do during a detox:

• Sit. Do nothing. I'm serious. Find somewhere comfy, and just sit. Stare at whatever interests you and try not to think about anything. It's okay to do this, I promise. The emails and Tweets will be fine until you get back.
• Pet your cat/dog. Remember them? Happily dozing at your feet while you are in a flurry of activity at your desk responding to emails, tracking down receipts, taking phone calls, furiously typing away. They love you and they miss you :) 
• Go for a walk. Anywhere (safe please!). Hike, wander, stroll, skip, frolic, whatever. Just move! No iPod, no phone, just go and take your beagle (or other just as awesome best friend) with you!
• Interact with people, face to face. Go have a cup of coffee with someone and leave your devices in the car, play with your kids, visit your aging neighbor. Volunteer. 
• Find a hobby! Puzzles, painting, gardening....something to keep you off your computer and interacting with tangible items. 

Here is a great video from Forbes interviewing the CTO of Cisco about digital detox:

As small business owners it is vital to the success of our company and our sanity that we detox regularly and take time for ourselves to enjoy life on a more natural level as well as enjoy those around us and the very planet that we live on! I know it's hard to do sometimes, especially when deadlines loom, the emails keep coming and the phone just won't stop ringing but remember to be your own best friend and remember that in order to be productive and efficient you must be rested and happy! 

Until next time, I am out of here, shutting everything down and shoving my phone into a drawer because my beagle and my son need "Mommy time" and the weather outside is absolutely amazing today!

Happy Detoxing!
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Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC

Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

Recommended Scanning App to Simplify Your Business Day!

One of my favorite iPhone apps is TinyScan. Wow! What a time saver and fantastic organizational tool! I have a client that travels frequently and this little gem is worth it's weight in gold! It will convert a snapshot of a document (be it a receipt, document, business card, etc.) to a PDF or JPG image which can be quickly and easily emailed from the application. I have suggested that he take snapshots of his receipts at the end of the day and then email them to me. When it is time to work on his books, voila! I have all of the receipts in one handy little folder, the receipts are digitally filed after being processed! 2 birds, one stone! Perfect! This cuts down significantly on lost receipts and saves time scanning for filing purposes. I very highly recommend!

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Blog created by Colleen Tapia - Owner and Manager of Innovative Administrative Services, LLC

Visit our website: http://www.innovativeadministrative.com

This is by no means an exhaustive list but is certainly a great start!

Let me know if you have found any outstanding apps that make your workday easier!