We all have dreams and aspirations that drive us forward in life. Goals give us purpose, motivation, and a sense of direction. However, in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it is easy to lose sight of those goals. As distractions, doubts, and unexpected challenges arise, our focus can become clouded, making it challenging to stay on track. In this blog post, we’ll explore the common reasons why we lose sight of our goals and offer practical tips to help us navigate the murky path to success.

1. The Lure of Instant Gratification

In today’s fast-paced world, the allure of instant gratification can be tempting. We live in an era of constant connectivity and immediate access to entertainment, information, and social interactions. As a result, we may find ourselves prioritizing short-term pleasures over long-term goals. The key here is finding a balance between enjoying the present moment and staying committed to our long-term aspirations.

Tip: Set small, achievable milestones that lead to your larger goals. Celebrate these mini-successes to keep your motivation high and reinforce your dedication to the ultimate objective.

2. Lack of Clarity

Without a clear vision of what we want to achieve, it becomes easy to veer off course. Vague or poorly defined goals are more challenging to pursue, and it’s easier to become discouraged or disheartened when we can’t measure our progress effectively.

Tip: Take the time to define your goals precisely. Write them down, create a vision board, or use any other method that helps you visualize your objectives clearly. When you have a well-defined destination, the journey becomes more purposeful.

3. Overwhelm and Procrastination

Big dreams often come with big challenges, and the sheer magnitude of what lies ahead can be overwhelming. When faced with an intimidating task, we may find ourselves procrastinating or avoiding it altogether, leading to a significant loss of momentum.

Tip: Break your larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks. Focus on one step at a time, celebrating the completion of each task. This approach will make the journey less overwhelming and keep you motivated.

4. External Influences

External factors, such as the opinions of others or societal pressures, can distract us from our goals. When we prioritize external validation over our own desires, we may end up pursuing paths that don’t align with our true aspirations.

Tip: Stay true to yourself and your values. Reflect on your passions and strengths, and remember that your goals should be meaningful to you, regardless of others’ opinions.

5. Fear of Failure

Fear of failure is a common human emotion and can deter us from taking risks to achieve our goals. The thought of potential disappointment or criticism may lead us to play it safe and avoid venturing outside our comfort zones.

Tip: Embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. Every setback provides an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. Shift your perspective on failure, and you’ll find the courage to persevere even when faced with challenges.

Conclusion

Losing sight of our goals is a natural part of the human experience. Recognizing that setbacks and detours are normal on the journey to success is essential. By acknowledging the factors that can cause us to lose focus and implementing strategies to overcome them, we can stay committed to our aspirations and navigate the murky path with determination and resilience. Remember, the most meaningful achievements often require perseverance and a willingness to push through the darkest moments. Keep your vision clear, your determination strong, and success will be within reach.

Becoming a Business owner has so much excitement and you want to share with everyone including your friends and families. As time goes on you find that your having to be cautious of what you can and can NOT post. Especially if you are providing services to other business that may trail back to your personal page. Or maybe a social influencer. The question is how much personal posting is too much?

Here is my dilemma. I own obviously JD Virtual Solutions, and I provide Virtual Assisting to several business. One of which is a Marketing Firm. Another a Antique Store in a Local town. And a couple others spread across the U.S. My name is associate with their Facebook posts or other social media pages because I am posting, sharing, and more. I don’t have the liberty to post about anything regarding what is going on in the world simply because it could effect my clients, and come back to me loosing clients. I have to maintain a professional looking page.

There is no rule that says you have to accept friend requests from co-workers, people you met while networking, and certainly not customers.

A few things to consider, Don’t use a shared page with a spouse. Share only photos your comfortable with strangers seeing. The rule of thumb is don’t share anything you wouldn’t share with your Grandmother. Kind of like “Think before you speak” except “Think before you post”. Don’t post anything that doesn’t boost your self presents. Don’t ask for advise on anything personal in your life. For example; Don’t ask for advise on how to get your kid to stop throwing a fit. You only open the door for criticism from those pesky keyboard warriors. try to keep your memes to uplifting quotes. Posting mems that would suggest your having relationship issues or family issues will only look poorly on your presents. And you don’t want to be the center of the gossip chain.

NOW there are ways you can post yourself freely without it getting intertwined with the general public.

On your Personal profile you can go to your settings and allow followers. Anyone you choose not to accept as a friend will automatically become a public follower and will only see posts that you post as public posts. They will not see posts you designate as friends only. The down side is remembering to make that privacy decision on each and every post.

If you’re like me and have the same people on your pages and your personal profile. It would take hours to sort through them all. One of the easiest options I have found is you can create a family group. Creating this group will allow you to post freely, anything you want. You can invite your friends and family into the group and they are the only ones to see your posts that you post in this group. Just make sure you set that group to Private. I have friends who share all their family photos there. These posts will only show up on your approved friends and families news feeds.

Personally I like the idea of creating a group page for certain friends and family. It allows me to post and share with those I approve only and I can continue to post on my personal page but more appropriate types of content that won’t have affect on my clients or myself.

It’s no secrete that we now live in a world where our lives revolve around Social Media and that’s where the “head” of marketing is right now.  It’s also known that our younger generations such as millennials spend most of their days on Social Media. We might find ourselves thinking its a good idea to let this Social Media generation also known as “friends or family” handle our businesses, Our socials presence, and branding for our own accounts. Hey, It makes sense to just let family members or even your children handle your accounts because they probably know more than you. You’re thinking it’s cheaper, They have the technical knowledge and one less thing for you to think about, Am I right?

You couldn’t be more wrong in your thinking. And here’s why.

Yes, we all know how to like, comment, share, tweet, etc. But a real social expert will have a formal and professional background on the magic.

While most of your family and friends may have seriously impressive strategies when it comes to Clash of Clans, they likely don’t have a clue about building and executing proper social media strategies.

The strategies are well thought through plans. The research is surrounded by questions like what are we trying to accomplish? Who’s attention are we trying to grab? Are we increasing business sales, popularity,  or branding, etc?

Unless you’re leaving these responsibilities with someone who has a background in marketing and understands what the algorithm in social media is. Then you might want to rethink what you’re doing. Ask your self if the person running your social media accounts knows how to get you analytic reports. Can they tell you how your most recent post compares to your prior posts? If you can’t answer these basic questions then you might want to regain control of what your social media presents means to you.

You can’t seriously think that these famous celebrities or brands you follow all do their own Social Media postings. Think about it. For example, let’s take Luke Bryan, he doesn’t do his own postings. Think back to the last post you saw of a Celebrity.   K, now were they behind the camera capturing, or were they in front of the camera talking? Guess what, it was their Social Media Manager handling the post for them. Putting the proper wording out there to grab your attention.

To hire a social media strategist isn’t expensive. It’s all in what you want your end result to be. Like the old saying, you have to spend money to make money.  If you are creating a business, then you need to draw in customers. If you’re trying to create a social following, then you need to know how to draw the crowd. If you’re building a brand, then you need to know how to draw the customer and build up your crowd.  No, it’s not rocket science but there is a science behind it. If you’re not consistent and your not powerful with your posts you will lose your followers. If you aren’t taking it seriously then why would they?

Ever wonder if your job accounting is accurate or if your losing money? Time is money, and time is more valuable than ever now days.  Time tracking for jobs and using unreliable time tracking systems is literally a billion-dollar problem to have. Some of the biggest time tracking mistakes is waiting until the end of the day, or end of a week. If you’re really, bad you wait until the end of the month.  I hear excuses all the time on why someone doesn’t use a time tracker to track their jobs. My favorite one is “it takes too many steps”.

Live time tracking will make employees more focused, accountable and more productive. You will be able to identify problem areas of the jobs and focus on the important part which is actual numbers instead of guessing. Let’s say for example you have an employee whose job is to create a contract for a client. This contract should only take about an hour. By the time this person gets a drink, uses the restroom, goes to the copier a few times, and socializes on the way you’ve just billed your job double the time. This is the reason for the time tracking. Use it to your advantage see why something as simple as an hour-long contract took several hours. You might be surprised by your findings. Maybe that dedicated employee isn’t so dedicated.

As a Virtual Assistant, I use Hours Tracker. It’s easy to use and the app goes right on my phone. I can put in as many jobs as I want and I can add task and notes to each job. You simply just click the clock in and clock out on your phone. At the end of the week, you transfer your report and you have real-time accounting.  There are many different apps you can get. Some go on your phone only, and some have interfacing with your computer. The best part is most of them are free. You can make it as simple or as difficult as you’d like.

You might be interested in an article that Forbes wrote called “20 Of The Best Time Tracking Tools To Increase Your Productivity”. In their article, they call out the best time tracking apps from 2016. Just think of how many have been created since then. Like mentioned above I like Hours Tracker it’s very user-friendly and easy to use. Yes, the hardest part is getting used to it, but once you see the value in it you sure don’t forget anymore.

 

 

Written By: Jennifer Payton

JD Solutions, LLC

1/26/2018

 

1. Build a routine

Even though you’re working a few feet from your bed and kitchen, you still need to develop a daily routine. Get ready for your day just as if you would if you had a job to go to. You will feel better about your day and you are allowing yourself “ME” time in the morning. This doesn’t mean you put on dress clothes like you’re headed to the office. This just means do your normal routine, grab some shorts and a shirt, have some breakfast, maybe through a load of laundry in and be ready to work.  Establishing your routine will help you for day to day planning.  Sometimes friends of mine will ask if I can watch their kids or maybe go with her for a mid-morning walk. I know this is possible because I know what my schedule looks like for the day and I know what needs to get done first.

2. Take Breaks

Don’t think that because you’re working from home you’re not entitled to taking breaks. You have your routine, you know what your day to day looks like now. Get out of the house, go to the park. Go for that walk with your friend. Run to the store, maybe do some household chores that aren’t too consuming. This will all depend on your daily work load though. Don’t just sit in front of your computer pounding away at the key board all day. Before you know it, the day is gone and you haven’t a clue what your making for dinner.

3. Stay Hydrated.

It’s important to stay hydrated. Like I mentioned above don’t sit at your desk all day. Get up and fill that bottle of water. I don’t drink enough water if it is in a cup. So, I keep a Bottle with a straw full of ice water. I like to add Lemon to give it some flavor as well. During your breaks get up and walk around, change the laundry around and fill your water before you sit back down.

4. Keep your motivation up with music

Listening to music has all kinds of bonuses, one being that it is a good motivator. Have fun with your day. Just like when you’re in the car and you hear a song that make you turn up the radio and dance around in your seat. Do this at home, it’s a motivator, and an energy booster. When we were living in our house I would just turn the music channel on just for back-ground noise. Now that we are in the RV I have a portable Bluetooth speaker that I play off my phone.

5. Healthy snacks and meals during the day

You don’t need me telling you to eat healthy or coaching you on healthy food. Just like working in an office, heavy foods will make you tired and not energetic. In this line of work, you need the motivation and the energy to stay with it. If you can help it stay away from those energy drinks filled with sugar. My husband and I just started taking pre-work out drinks, they help keep me motivated all day without the crash.

6. Dedicate a workspace for yourself

Create yourself a space to work, this could be a desk in a corner or a fully designated room for your office. This will be where you can transition from day to day life to working. This can be a struggle being under the same roof. If you have the option to have an entire room to yourself for work, make it fun. Use bright colors and decorate it in a way that fits you. Being in the RV I sit at the kitchen table. It’s not much but I have plants by the window and a calendar on the wall. That’s really about all I need to work.

7. End your day at a reasonable time.

Working from home provides flexibility in schedule so don’t overdo it by doing late night tasks or answering emails.  Cut off at a reasonable time. When I started, I thought the expectation was I worked whenever I got an email. I learned quick that I need to cut off at 5pm. It’s hard to say no when your client has a three-hour time difference.  Make sure you clients know what time zone you’re in and what your end of day time is. Working from home does not mean you signed up to be a work-a-holic.

If you have some tips or habits that help you stay on track and productive, feel free to share them.

Are you looking at becoming a Virtual Assistant but not sure where to start? You must realize that it is not all cherry’s and berry’s, it’s hard work and sometimes you want to throw in the towel and walk away. This is a business; you are your own boss and you are responsible for providing services to others. You own a business which means you have double duty yourself between building your business and handling your own books as well as the tasks that your clients ask of you.

You can’t do everything in this business you should dig into what you’re good at. Sure, you could offer everything under the sun, but are you really interested in doing all of those things you’re asking. The real money lies with the things your good at. Take for example I love marketing and building new things but the idea of handling someone else’s blogs, and web design gives me major anxiety. So, I stick to the things I do best, I market myself while providing my skilled services to my clients, like form building, powerpoint presentations, accounting, and data entry.

Take some time and think about all the things your good at and what you don’t mind doing. Make a list of things you know how to do, but don’t necessarily want to do on a continual basis.  Example: You are good at building spreadsheets and forms; this would be something you would list on your strong side. Another example is, you don’t mind making phone calls, but you don’t want to do it all day every day. This would be something that you don’t want to market. Once you have an outline of where your strong skills lie, then you’re ready for the next step.

Now you need to align your strong tasks with the desired market. Think of a business that would need your services. Maybe realtors, web designers, small businesses, book writers, doctors, nurses, teachers. Remember to stick to what your good at to ensure you put your best foot forward. You want your clients to love your work. If you don’t love it, neither will they.

I always recommend you start with a Facebook page and a web page. You don’t need to spend money on web design just yet. Start small and work with the free pages. Build from there. Your lists of skills you offer will change all the time, it’s important to stay on top of your updating. Keep in mind that my examples are based mostly on the types of skills I offer. There are all types of Virtual Assistance out there you should find what fits for you.

 

Written By: Jennifer Payton / Owner of JD Solutions LLC / Virtual Assistant / https://jdsolutionsllc.wordpress.com/

 

The whole meaning behind being Virtual is the fact that you are a physical person behind the internet. Your office is the cloud. You don’t need that big fax and copy machines to do your job. How many of us look at those annoying pictures of social media of the girl sitting on the beach enjoying her beverage and her laptop on her lap and think “yea right, as if”. Here is the sickening truth though, you can do it too, you can be just like her. She just simply chose a career path that allows her to go anywhere and work from anywhere. Recently my family and I decided to move into our RV to save up the money to purchase our own home. To learn more about what it’s going to be like living in an RV, I joined a full-time RV’rs group on Facebook. You would be astounded by the number of people who work from their RV’s while traveling around the world. Some sell products and some sell services. At the end of the day, all they need is their internet and their computer. If you come from an office setting your most likely asking lots of questions at this point like where do they scan and send documents, where do they file important paperwork, what about making fax’s and copies, etc. I am going to explain how the Virtual business works.
You can find Free Wifi service at almost any restaurant, Hotel, and RV Park which is included in their monthly rent charge, If not there are other options. Cell phone providers like Verizon and AT&T offer data plans with their phone plans that allow you to use the hotspot from your phone to connect to the internet. The downside to that is if you get a phone call or need to use your phone a lot, it will cut off the internet while on the phone. Those same providers you can get a Hotspot box. This is a little box you can carry with you anywhere and connect to it for the internet. This is the piece that lets you work on the beach, just like that picture meme you seen on your Facebook page this morning.
Email is your direct line of communication, well other than a phone obviously. Chose the right email structure that works best for you. I love Google because it has a calendar, email, document storage, and much more all in one account. Nothing worse than remembering all those accounts you set up where. Google docs have a lot of nifty programs that help with keeping your business on track like document scanning, document storing and sharing. If your computer doesn’t already have Microsoft word, Google offers alternative programs that have all the same functions as Microsoft programs like word and excel and powerpoint. All within the Drive is Google docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, etc. One feature I use often is the remote desktop. This allows me to go to the store and log into my computer from my phone. You don’t always want to take the Laptop with you especially if you’re going out to eat for a couple hours.
At the end of the day, all you need to run a virtual business is the internet, smartphone, and laptop. You can do anything you put your mind to. You can go anywhere now. This is your time to relax and enjoy the fresh air. I’ll save you a seat in the sand.

There is a difference between people who are busy and those who are productive. You know those people you see sprinting across the office like a crazy person saying things like, “I can’t deal with that right now, you have to wait.” A busy person tends to put off meetings or double book themselves and always cancelling on someone, or has a tenancy to not return calls. A busy person puts off large projects by working on their small “to-do” list thinking it will save them time in the long run. We have all been there, it’s the old saying of work smarter, not harder.

Productive people view productivity different. A productive person is someone who has an actual checklist and doesn’t focus on mental checklists. Busy people concentrate on the completion aspect of duties while a productive person will embrace the perceptive of measurably contributions. Example to this is a Busy person is worried about checking off as many items on the list as possible, while a productive person is handling business in the sense of “what’s going to provide the biggest bang for the buck.”

Productive people focus on tasks that matter. If you find yourself multi-tasking through a conference call, this isn’t being productive, this just means you shouldn’t be on the call. Don’t spend your time on time suckers. Some of the biggest time suckers in business are Interruptions, unproductive meetings, and conference calls. Have the courage to stop wasting time on behaviors that get no return investments. You won’t find productive people sitting through conference calls that don’t add value to their day.

Productive people don’t let email dictate their day. It’s important to remind yourself that email is a tool of communication. It is not a checklist of what needs to be done throughout the day. If you have the ability set yourself specific times throughout the day to sit down and check your emails. Doing this all day throughout the day is eating up your time. Consider hiring a Virtual Assistant to go in and you’re your emails, so at first glance you know what emails are requesting a reply or a task.

Productive people don’t over schedule and know how to say no. Ask yourself is it urgent? Can it wait another day? Is there someone who can sit in on a meeting for you? Is the meeting necessary to you and your business? Don’t feel guilty for saying “No”. Your time is money and you are the only one responsible for it. Do you get calendar requests for meetings all the time? Utilize a Virtual Assistant to manage these. They can reschedule just as well as you can. Learn to delegate these types of tasks. Allow others to help you shine.

So, would you say you are you a Busy person or a Productive person? Here are a couple small tips to help you become a productive person or help you improve your productivity.

1)Hire a Virtual Assistant to triage your emails and flag by importance.
2)Set up an additional calendar called “do”. This will hold your tasks that need to be done and by when. This is just for you, not for you to invite or share. On this calendar, you want to include blocks in your day to check and respond to emails, also include time to review the next day’s schedule so you’re ready.
3)Set up Calendly Calendar. This links to your calendars and shows others when they can book time with you without them seeing your calendar. Add the link to your signature footer in your email. Calendly provides a conference number for you and the other party to use and you can do screen sharing as well.
4)Set up an instant messenger account so you can quickly communicate with your team and staff on the go. Yes, it’s like text messaging, but simpler and you can keep your team together and your messages don’t get lost with others. I recommend Slack for this.

Remember measure twice, and cut once. Examine what is being accomplished and what you are wanting to achieve.

Technology today makes our lives so much easier and puts clarity to the everyday working world. I have found several applications that will help you and your Virtual Assistant work more efficiently.

1. Google Account
Using Gmail has the most options for entrepreneurs / business owners. The Google app online and on handheld devices offers many options. Gmail allows you to use your own domain name to maintain the professional presents. You can then create another email account for your VA and delegate your email account to them without providing them your password. This works great if you are having a VA manage your email box. Using the google account also provides you with a document center where you can share and hold documents that you and your VA will utilize.

2. LastPass
Password management program that allows you to share your login’s and passwords without providing your actual passwords. You set up an account and so does your VA. You share the sites that you use with them. You then share those links to their account and they can work in those sites as if they were you. If you ever run into problems, you just remove that VA from your list and they can no longer access your accounts. This is also great if you need to provide your information or credit card information. They can use the auto fill without getting any of the information.

3. Dropbox
Dropbox is a housing for documents much like Google Docs. You can upload, open, edit, and share from the drop box as needed.

4. Snagit
This application is for sharing screenshots with your VA with notes. Makes is easy to share what changes you want made rather than trying to explain in an email.
5. Sweet Process
This is a web-based software tool that allows you to document recurring procedures. It enables you to provided step-by-step instructions. You can add screenshots where needed for visibility.

6. Slackbot
This is a quick and easy application that allows you to communicate quickly with your team. It can be used on your handheld devices as well. Much like a messenger application, but only houses your team.

7. Wisestamp
Give your email signature a professional look for free to little cost.

8. UberConference
Uber provides you with a phone number for everyone to call into. You can also use it to hold a conference via computer and share screens. This allows easy training’s.

9. DocHub
This allows your VA to set up and send you documents that need to be filled out and signed by you. You just upload the document and assign who needs to complete what. Most of the time your VA is in another state. This allows you to complete needed docs with ease.

Working as a Virtual Assistant, and working with different clients every day has its challenges with everyone working differently. These are basic apps and programs that make the process easier on everyone. Even clients have taken a liking to these apps and are implementing them in their everyday work.

There is no doubt the best kept secret is out – working with a virtual assistant (VA) is now the most cost effective, quick, and efficient way to free up your time. If you’re constantly faced with recurring tasks that are sucking up the time in your day, chances are you need to look at hiring a VA. Your time is best utilized, focusing what drives your business forward.

Here are some tips for working with a VA for the first time.
1.Be realistic about your request. You and your VA are learning to work with each other. Start with one task at a time. This makes the working relationship and transition smoother.

2.There is no doubt that having a VA is a time saver for you. Leverage your time wisely make sure your getting the most out of your free time by being productive yourself.

3.Give clear directions, don’t assume they know anything about your request. As Henry Winkler once said “Assumptions are the termites of relationships”. He couldn’t have been more right about that. Spend the time to be clear and concise.

4.Work on building your trust level with your VA. Don’t micromanage their tasks. If your spending time micromanaging, how is hiring a VA beneficial? Learn to let go, they were hired to bring you solutions not problems.

5.Be realistic about the allotted time and deadline your providing for a task to be completed. Asking your VA to complete a task in the next hour is not realistic, unless you have cleared that with them already. Allow them enough time to learn a new skill if needed. Once they have done it once, it won’t take as long the next time they perform that task.

6.Have an open and clear relationship with your VA. Work out a way that you can communicate with them the quickest. Sometimes this is a phone call, text, or email.

7.Your VA is a subcontractor who is operating their own business as well. Provide payment to them on time. You want them to be focused your tasks, not the fact that you haven’t paid them.

8.Make sure your procedures are repeatable and don’t have constant changes involved. This takes up a lot of your time and their time. Have a process set, and move forward.

9.Respect your VA they are more than just your assistant. They are someone you rely on, and they rely on you as well. Treat them as part of the team, an important part of the team.

10.Give credit where credit is due. Providing positive feedback to them is encouraging. Working with someone that you’ll never meet face to face has enough challenges. Give them feedback even when something is wrong, but remember to also mention what they have done well for you. We are all human and we all like to be recognized.

Remember you are working as a team, you are helping them and they are helping you. Treat them with respect and confidence. Provide them with opportunities to learn and grow, just as you would as a business owner. Be sure to put your energy and efforts into a VA that is supporting you the way you need to be supported. After 30 days of working with a VA you should have a good idea of your working relationship.
Written By: Jennifer Payton / Owner of JD Solutions LLC / Virtual Assistant / https://jdsolutionsllc.wordpress.com/