Just like everything else, there are several Time Tracking systems on the net you can choose from. Some are free, some require a one time fee and some are billed on a monthly basis. They all come with different features and looks. Some are web-based while other are installed on your computer. Choosing the right one is really a matter of preference.

I’ve tried quite a few systems until I settled with myhours.com. I like it because of the simplicity of it. Input client, project, time started, ended, and voila! done! When it came time for invoicing my clients, every task was already broken down, all I had to do was copy the report into my invoicing program and send it out!

But today I found something even better and I can help but want to share it with the world. While it is quite new, it has loads of potential! Fruitful Time automatically > as in you don’t have to worry about clicking start or finish > tracks what you are working on based on the active window. I find this particularly interesting as it tells me how long I chatted with my husband on msn today! It tracks everything!

An awesome feature is the Tag Management. You can tag your documents, domain addresses you visit and msn conversation to each of your clients. And again, it only tracks the active time you worked on each (which is great since I tend to work on multiple projects at a time). This helps me be a lot more accurate on my time management. No more forgetting to stop my timer and then wonder how long I actually spent updating a website!

This software has a 30 day free trial. A business edition is suppose to be released this spring. I can’t wait! The downfall > the licencing key is only valid for one computer so I would need two: Desktop and Laptop.

Fruitful Time also offers a Task Managment software that seems interesting… I’ll have to look into that one next!

Edited to add:

Yikes > After writing this post, I closed my browser, along with my FFT dashboard. I have no stats after that. The window must remain open for the application to calculate your time. Since the icon is in my taskbar, I automatically assumed that it was running in the background! Now to go figure out my time LOL

Merry Christmas!

Part of the original plan was to grow Key Administration within the first 3 years and here we are 8 months within our launch and already we are booked solid! It is with excitement I post: We are in need of a bigger team!

Are you ready to join a dynamic business full of potential?

Key Administration is growing much faster than anticipated. What you see here on the website is only a small portion of the whole picture. 2009 is going to be exciting with endless opportunities.

We are currently seeking:

• bookkeepers
• project managers
• designers
• copywriters
• marketing specialists
• media specialists**
• and of course, other virtual assistants

Key Administration only works with the best. If you have skills and assets waiting to be utilized, we want to hear from you.

Simply go to http://www.keyadministration.com/blog/contact-us/team and follow the directions carefully. You will hear from us within 48 hours.

I thank you for your precious time. I’m looking forward to speaking with you soon.

Chantal Livingstone

** Media specialist are urgently needed for a special Key Administration project to be launched soon.

Wishing all of my American friends a wonderful Thanksgiving! May all of the blessings in life be yours in abundance.

C

As a Virtual Assistant, one of my responsibilities is to save my clients a few bucks while still maintaining high quality service. With the holidays just around the corner (40 days to be exact!!!) and our economical state on the downfall, we are all facing the same challenge; Christmas on a budget! Craft Central Station has compiled an awesome list of 101 ($10 or less) Stocking Stuffer ideas! Take a look:

1. Chocolate - any kind will do!
2. Mandarin oranges or exotic fruit such as star fruit
3. Lottery tickets
4. Lipstick - Lipbalm
5. Cozy mittens or gloves
6. Personalized or Christmas print coffee mug or tea cup**
7. Tire gauge
8. Picture frames - buy a plain wooden frame and wrap it with Christmas wrap, glue on Christmas ornaments, paint on holly leaves or apply Christmas stickers.**
9. Silly Putty - fun for any age!
10. Baseball, golf ball, rubber ball….
11. Night light
12. Christmas ornament - home-made or store-bought
13. Unique kitchen gadget like an egg slicer, grapefruit spoon, garlic press, etc.
14. Deck of cards - search for one with unusual artwork
15. Hair accessories
16. A book or magazine
17. Magnifying glass
18. Gum or penny candy - buy the stuff that takes you back to when you were a kid
19. Pot pourri - create your own easy sachet by placing pot pourri in a lace handkerchief, gather the kerchief and tie with a silk ribbon
20. Novelty shoelaces
21. Stamp pad and stamps
22. Batteries
23. Decorative wine stopper
24. Journal or diary
25. Modelling clay
26. Touque or a scarf - hand-knit or purchase in a store - you can add your own personal touch to store bought by stitching on ribbon, bows, buttons or beads
27. Yo-yo
28. Home made cookies
29. Wallet or business card holder**
30. Travel games
31. Coupons for fast food, or admission to museums or other attractions
32. Underwear or socks - be racy or pedestrian, your choice
33. Candles - and there are so many to choose from
34. Slinky
35. Popcorn seasoning or spices
36. Nail polish
37. Toothbrush
38. Airplane sized bottles of liquor
39. Packets of flavored hot chocolate or cider mix
40. Die cast metal car
41. Stationary or note cards**
42. Bath beads, bubble bath or scented soap - make your own or go shopping
43. A copy of the gift recipient’s favorite recipe - you can add some of the ingredients, too
44. Stickers
45. Pencil or pen - try a pen with purple ink, a giant pencil, a fountain pen, a twig pencil, etc.**
46. Desk or wall calendar**
47. Keychain
48. Soap dish
49. The hottest hot sauce you can find
50. Seeds - try heirloom seeds or native wildflower seeds
51. Fishing lures
52. Glasses case
53. Coloring book
54. Coasters
55. Incense
56. Paper pouches in novelty shapes
57. Craft supplies - paints, brushes, wooden cut-outs, embroidery thread, beads, doll heads, kits, etc.
58. House plant tools or decorative watering can
59. Sports water bottle
60. Vase
61. Mouse pad**
62. Exercise bands or hand weights
63. Snow globe
64. Cold mask (the kind you store in the fridge and wrap around your face to relieve aches and stuffiness)
65. Travel mug
66. Photos of the gift recipient as a child
67. Christmas theme costume jewelry
68. A tool - hammer, screw driver, pliers, etc.
69. Harmonica
70. Sewing, knitting, woodworking, needlework patterns
71. Poster
72. Kaleidoscope
73. Decorative bottle opener or cork screw
74. Silly straws
75. Flashlight
76. Address book**
77. Cedar balls for keeping closets and drawers fresh
78. Blank diskettes, cassettes, or CD’s**
79. Piggy bank
80. Kite
81. Jar of homemade jam or syrup or canned fruit
82. Decorative tea towels or hand towels
83. Hand held calculator**
84. Jigsaw puzzle or other puzzle game
85. Tarot cards - they only work if you receive them as a gift!
86. Small wooden trinket box
87. Small stuffed toy
88. Napkin rings
89. Model airplane kit
90. Personal radio
91. Sidewalk chalk
92. Personalized birth chart or horoscope book
93. Thermal lunchbag**
94. Sheet music
95. Film for the gift recipient’s camera
96. Gift certificate for fresh flowers
97. Paperweight**
98. Fridge magnets
99. Travel maps
100. Long distance calling card**
101. Bird feeder

A few extra ideas:

• makeup
• jump rope
• hacky sack
• frisbee
• shaving supplies
• jewelry
• watch
• nail clippers

Office supplies**

• Postage stamp
• post-it notes
• paper clips (fancy design ones)
• stain removing pen

Have more ideas? Feel free to add them in comments!

According to Wikipedia: 

Web 2.0 is a term describing changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and its hosted services, such as social-networking sites, video sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. The term became notable after the first O’Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users utilize the Web. According to Tim O’Reilly:

“	Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.

Now this got me thinking of the Virtual Assistant industry. Since many VAs have difficulties determining their elevator speech, it’s difficult to find a true VA definition beyond ‘we do admin from our own home office’ spiel. So allow me to coin the term Administration 2.0. To borrow the above description of Web 2.0, here’s my explanation:

Administration 2.0 is a term describing changing trends in the use of administrative technology that (…) aims to enhance creativity, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of business administration.

Administration 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based administrative services such as social marketing, publication, copywriting, and general administration management. (…)

Although the term suggests a new version of administration, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways entrepreneurs from around the world utilize administrative assistants.  

That pretty much sums it all up!

Welcome to the next generation of administration > 2.0!

While we are all busy throughout our day tending to our projects and client needs, it is easy to find ourselves under an overwhelming pile of paperwork, while our email inbox is overflowing with clutter and little bits of paper with important information find their way on the floor behind the desk! Among that paperwork, you recall a marketing or admin to-do list. You finish your day knowing that you should have spent some time organizing yourself but who has time??

There is a deceiving myth that hinders your productivity and that is believing you need to have HUGE blocks of time to make any progress with organising. That’s. Not. True!

Marcia Francois, an organising coach, lives by a simple motto:

“Small results, repeated consistently over time, produce huge results”.

Today she provides us with the following simple ideas for when you have a spare 5 or 10 minutes:

1. Connect with an old client.
2. Delete some of your contacts, especially if you can’t even remember who they are.
3. File or delete 10 emails.
4. Enter some business cards in your contacts.
5. Make a list of things to update on your website.
6. Go through your RSS feed reader and organise your blogs.
7. Go through your cell phone and delete old messages.
8. Plan your projects for the next month.
9. Go through the bookmarks on your computer and delete those you don’t need.
10. Compress and crop some photos

My challenge to you is to print out the list and aim to do one of these tasks every day for a week. And then I want to hear how this worked out for you? Were you able to give your business a little 5 minutes today? Did you plan it ahead of time? Did you attempt it first thing in the morning, last thing before leaving the office, or maybe right after lunch?

Ready? Set? Take 5 >> Go!

Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You’ll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

Before launching my own Virtual Assistant business myself, I made sure to work with other VAs and get educated on the industry.

Before jumping in with both feet into a new business, I tested the waters and realized this industry is growing at a rapid pace.

Before doing anything else, I watched many VAs stretch out on their own only to find it difficult to find, or keep, clients and give up within a year.

So I knew ahead of time, that I had to approach this whole VA business idea differently. I had to learn from everyone else’s mistakes and be extremely wise.

Number one mistake I saw over and over again was a poorly designed website. Unprofessional, sloppy design with HIRE ME written all over it. Now as I learn more and more about website design and how to word copy to attract your audience’s attention, I realize that it’s not something that comes naturally to most people. Yet, instead of hiring someone to do the job right, we VAs feel we have to do it all ourselves, manage every aspect or our business because that’s what we promote right?

WRONG!

We promote that by delegating, your business becomes a tad bit easier and in the long run, more successful.

So why aren’t VAs taking on their own advice? That’s mistake number 2!

But what really gets to me, are the VAs that simply offer general administrative services and complain about the lack of clients.

Calling all Virtual Assistants:

If you are in this industry, you must know and realize that technology is growing on a daily basis.

You must know and realize that people, especially entrepreneurs, are busy.

You must know and realize what entrepreneurs need today and tomorrow.

You must know and realize that it doesn’t matter if you can type 75wpm, if you know how to manage emails, or if you can do data-entry. What you need is to know what other entrepreneurs are looking for. And in order to do so, you have to be ready and willing to keep learning.

Mistake numéro trois! Limited knowledge without the urge to go out and learn more.

I realize there are many online courses that seem to ask for an enormous amount of money. As a VA who is just starting out, funds are normally limited and paying $700 for a 6-week course is simply impossible (been there, done that)

However it is crucial to your business survival! If you don’t have the skills people are looking for, if you’re not staying one step ahead of the game, you simply won’t survive in this industry!

After turning a client away because I couldn’t provide the services she needed, I knew there was only one thing to do. Learn and learn quick! However I didn’t beat myself over it because I’ve been busy learning so many other things. This new skill was added to my ever-growing list of things to learn. And that my friends, is the key to grow your VA business.

I can insert another common mistake made by several VAs here: not having, or keeping to, a certain niche but that’s a whole other story…

Have you heard the buzz around Virtual Assistance but don’t know where to begin?

Are you struggling with the idea of outsourcing administrative tasks to a Virtual Assistant?

Do you find yourself dealing with control or trust issues?

Let me introduce you to the Mini Outsourcing Bootcamp.

In the month of September, Erin Blaskie will be hosting two Mini Outsourcing Bootcamps. These bootcamps are designed to teach entrepreneurs the ins, outs and then some of working with, finding and hiring their perfect virtual assistant.

President and founder of Business Services ETC and  The VA Coach, Erin is a leading VA in the industry and assists some of the top internet entrepreneurs and business owners with their administrative and technical needs. She is excited to be spending two hours per day for three days with entrepreneurs to teach them about outsourcing. These jam-packed sessions WILL help you understand how to take your life back and get at least 2-3 hours of work off of your plate PER DAY.

So don’t delay, visit the Mini Outsourcing Bootcamp now!

But wait, that’s now all! Erin is generously giving each participant access to her exclusive VA Matchmaker portfolios, featuring amazing virtual assistants that you’ll want to hire onto your team, as well as a copy of the 30 Days of Delegation ebook and so much more.

Join her in September to get over your fear of working with a virtual assistant and move into a place of freedom, flexibility and focus!

Mini Outsourcing Bootcamp

Hope to see you there!

Chantal Livingstone
Key Administration