Clock In The Right Time Zone: Booking Meetings in Microsoft Outlook

Do you need to book meetings for your manager(s), but most meetings are all over the country or even internationally? Do you have trouble trying to figure out the time zone for each meeting in Microsoft Outlook?

I am currently in the process of doing this for one of my managers. I need to book meetings for him to travel to firms all over Canada. Since Outlook only allows for one time zone to be added to the person's calendar, this makes it a little difficult.

The best way I could find accomplishing this task is by having to change the time zone information each time I need to add a new meeting. I also have a time zone map open in an internet browser, so I can make sure that I am choosing the correct one.

To add or change a time zone in Outlook, follow these simple steps:

1. Right click on the area marked in the picture below, then click Change Time Zone.
   
   
   
   


2. Click on the check box for Show an additional time zone, then use the drop down arrow to select the particular time zone you wish to use. At this point, you can flip to your internet browser to see which time zone is the correct one.
   
   
   
   

Now you can see by the picture below that the new time zone has been added. You can now add in the meeting details for this time zone.

Note: Make sure to add the time in the meeting schedule (for example: Meeting with client, 1:00 pm Calgary time), so the manager knows that this is the correct time to meet with this client. There have been instances where people would get confused as to whether the meeting was booked on the manager's time zone or the client's time zone.

Subscribe to The Professional Assistant feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you today.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!


Post from: Administrative Assistant

Continue reading...

Racing to Productivity

This is the second year that we had a “Fun Day” at our workplace. We did the same thing as last year, which was our version of The Amazing Race.

In a nut shell, our entire department of about 30 gets divided up into equal groups. Each group must then pick a team leader.

We then meet at a specified location in the morning and each group’s team leader has to pick up an envelope with their first clue. Each team leader receives their envelopes and opens them at the exact same time, just to keep things fair.

We are advised that there are 5 clues; each one leads to the next. We have to figure out the riddle and follow the instructions to get to the next clue. There is, however, one obstacle that we face. When we come to a particular location, we are advised that we have a choice of yielding the next team behind us to take a 10 minute penalty or we can carry this forward to another location, so we have to choose wisely.

The first team to get to the last clue wins. The prizes were small, but very thoughtful. We also were treated to lunch, which was a great gesture, especially for running all around the city for about 1 ½ hours.

The point of this story is that you can work hard at work, but you need to have some time off to enjoy yourself and get to know the people you work with. Productivity can be increased quite a bit, as you “vacation” from work for one day out of each work year.

And yes, even the managers and one of the Vice Presidents showed up and were part of the rat race!

Subscribe to The Professional Assistant feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you today.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!


Post from: Administrative Assistant Tips

Continue reading...

Extra Frequent Flyer Points?

It's great to be back blogging again. I apologize to everyone that I've been on "vacation" from blogging for quite a bit of time now. I just felt that I had to take a "break" for a while.

 

I recently had to book a trip for two staff members. The problem was that I had to book both people on one person's credit card. This part was easy, but when it came time to add the "Frequent Flyer Program" number into the extra person's profile, I hit a small snag.

 

Now, please note that I do not endorse this in any way, shape or form, but you can try this at your own risk.

 

I was not able to add the "Frequent Flyer Program" number to the flight, but was able to add it to the hotel. I contacted the travel website that I was booking through and they explained that only the person with the "Frequent Flyer Program" can add their number. But strangely, I was able to add it to the hotel portion.

 

You can try this, if you wish, but remember that you are doing this at your own risk.

If you have any articles that you would like to contribute, please e-mail me.

Subscribe to The Professional Assistant feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you today.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Post from: Assistant Tips

Continue reading...

Top Reasons for Working in Large and Small Companies

Do you work in a large company? A small company? Do you find that you prefer one over the other?

 

I have worked in several jobs where the firms were large and small. I personally have a preference for larger corporations, but do like the feel of a smaller business.

 

Here are my top reasons for working in each type of company.

 

Small Firm:

 

• You have more of a “second home” type of feel. 

• Your co-workers are more friendly, since you are more closely knit with each other. 

• It’s considered a more family friendly environment. 

• You get to have more one-on-one contact with your clients. 

• You can voice your opinion more so, since there are few executive personnel. 

Large Firms:

 

• Your job is more stable, since there are more funds reserved, due to larger profits. 

• You have access to more resources, such as better technology and online learning (which is usually provided by the company). 

• You are more options to stay within the firm, but to branch out to other jobs. 

• You can travel more, whether it be to visit clients locally or internationally. 

• Leadership potential is quite different, since you can move up within the company quite quickly, as opposed to a smaller firm, where it might be family run. 

No matter which type of firm you choose, make sure that it’s a perfect fit for you and your employer. You don’t want to end up looking for another job. Trust me, it can be very stressful!

If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!


Post from: Administrative Assistant

 

Continue reading...

100 Resources to Keep You Productive When on the Move - Guest Post

Do you find yourself wanting to get work done while you are travelling? Are you looking for software or information on how you can help your company and staff members achieve this?

I recently received an e-mail from a fellow blogger asking if they could guest post an article on this site. I read their article and found it very intriguing. The vast amount of information that was provided on various ways to communicate with others via technology was astounding.

Take a look at their article entitled "The Mobile Productivity Toolbox: 100 Resources to Keep You Productive When on the Move" for more information. This article will provide some creative ways to communicate with your staff members and your office in short detail.

Just don't forget that you should never use your cellular phone or other hand held device while operating a vehicle.

You can also find more travel related articles here.

If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Would You Relocate to Avoid Traffic Jams?

Do you find yourself getting stuck in traffic each morning and afternoon? Do you feel that people should relocate to a closer home or find a new job?

Here's an interesting article I found about how most employees would rather get stuck in traffic jams rather than relocate to a new home or job.

Most people would rather commute for a longer period of time due to family reasons. I personally would prefer the same, since I've moved around to 9 different homes, within 3 different countries.

Here's another article on working too much:

• Working to Live or Living to Work?

If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Synch Your Hand Held Device

Are you looking for software that can synchronize most of your hand held devices?

Here's a free piece of software that was recently released that can do just that. You can find instructions to setting up this software here and the software download page here.

In the near future, Blackberries, Apple iCals and many different types of phones will be supported on this software as well.

If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Feeling Hot From Your Laptop?

Do you use a laptop at or outside of work? Does your manager? Do you or your manager find that keeping the laptop in your lap tends to feel too hot and need to keep moving it around?

A cooling fan for your laptop might be the answer. This laptop cooling stand is only for PC users. You plug it into one of your USB ports and away you go. The stand can even tilt you notebook's keyboard for better ergonomic ability.

You can find more information about this product by visiting the APC website.

If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Make Your Office Greener

Do you feel that you are not being as green as you can be at your office? Could you do a little more to help the environment, but not sure what else you could do?

Here are a few tips you can implement into your everyday life at the office and even at home:

• Use recycling bins (this is an obvious one) along side of your garbage can. I have an extra recycling bin just for confidential documents to be shredded by all my staff members.
• Leave the air conditioner/heat off before 8:00 am.
• Carpool with co-workers when you can and share the payment of gas, mileage, etc. or take transit.
• Send items to colleagues, printers, etc. with used oversized envelopes, since they don't need professional looking envelopes.
• Print on both sides of sheets or even print on the blank side of a used sheet if it's just for notes or your own files.
• Try asking your IT department to change your old monitors to flat screens, since they use up less energy and give off less heat.
• Resuse No. 10 envelopes for petty cash distribution and pay cheques that you receive in the mail, such as junk mail.

Follow these tips and you will be on your way to a greener working environment.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to click on the "comments" link below and leave some feedback. If you are reading this via feed or e-mail, please click on the title link and post your comment via web.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Online Operating Systems?

Are you having trouble trying to connect to your office's or home's computer? Do you want reliable speed and control (provided that you are using a faster Internet connection)?

Here's a new solution that a few firms have come up with - Online Operating Systems!

All of your information is kept online, just like Google Docs, except you can actually either replicate your own desktop or create a new one with all of the same software and features. You can receive 1GB of space for free from most providers. If you want more, it will cost you and that depends on which service provider you choose.

Here are some of the links to these providers:

• www.goowy.com
• www.desktoptwo.com
• www.eyeos.org
• www.glidedigital.com
• www.youos.com

If you decide to use any of these services, let me know how it works out for you (advantages and/or disadvantages).

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to click on the "comments" link below and leave some feedback. If you are reading this via feed or e-mail, please click on the title link and post your comment via web.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Microsoft Office Communicator 2007

Are you looking for software that can communicate via voice, Instant Message (IM) or video? Microsoft has come out with the new Office Communicator 2007. Here is a quick rundown of the features:

• Has the ability to provide access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Groove, SharePoint Server.
• Integration of existing address book and corporate directories.
• Has an incorporated calendar as well as an out of office assistant to provide clients with the best method of communicating with you.
• Receiving an e-mail message through Outlook 2007 can enable the user to receive this information and be able to communicate in real-time with the client, without switching applications.
• When working with a document in Office 2007, the user can connect directly with the people that are involved with this document.

If you don't have any use for this product, you might want to recommend it to your boss, since they usually are on their blackberries. This would definitely help with their productivity and you would even earn some brownie points with them on your next annual review.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to click on the "comments" link below and leave some feedback. If you are reading this via feed or e-mail, please click on the title link and post your comment via web.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Using Your Phone in the Washroom?

Have you ever walked into a washroom and noticed that someone is either talking on their cell phone or checking their e-mail on their Blackberry?

I find this quite unusual, but it's actually quite commonplace to see this more and more often. People are so busy with their lives that they can't even go to the bathroom without having to do some sort of business with clients or chat with their friends. This mentality will get people's stress levels higher and higher, which will cause major health problems.

One word of advise - let the phone ring, get to the e-mails when you are out of the washroom! It also annoys people that are in the same room as you. Have some common courtesy for others.

What do you think of this scenario? Do you check your e-mail or chat on your cell phone in the bathroom? Send me your comments on this by clicking on the "comments" link below.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Office Trends of the Future

Telecommuting is actually not a trend that most people seem to take advantage of, but most seem to like the fact that they have an office to go to 8 hours a day (more or less). Most people actually prefer to work in an office setting.

I on the other hand, would prefer to work from home, if I had the chance, since it would cut down on my commute each day. The only downfall is that if you have a meeting to attend, you can't exactly hold it in your own home (you could via video conferencing, but not in your PJ's).

Another positive for being in the office is holding meetings/presenting materials to clients, since you want to provide a professional atmosphere to them, showing that you are part of a serious business.

More and more people are using cafés, restaurants and other areas with WiFi access to get their work done, since this helps people get out of the office setting for a while and be more productive. Having access to their Blackberries and other electronic devices also helps as well. You have your entire office in your laptop, access to network drives, network printers, etc.

This shows that staff are not chained to their desks any longer, like it has been in past years. People are more free to work where they feel more comfortable, but have the office setting for client meetings at their disposal.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to click on the "comments" link below and leave some feedback.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...

Travel Plans

Looking for some tips on travel planning? One of the best ways to do this is to search for information on websites such as Travelocity or Expedia. Once you have figured out where you want to go, what you want to do, etc., write down the airline, car rental, etc. information on a piece of paper (or you can always use the trusty-old Notepad that comes with Windows).

Here is the trick to saving a bit of money:

Go onto each company's website, such as Air Canada, etc. and put the same information into their websites. Now you will notice that there usually is a price difference (usually lower on each individual company's website).

Book your flights, car rentals, hotels, etc. this way and you will notice the savings each time!

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please feel free to click on the "comments" link below and leave some feedback.

Until next time,

Take care - of your clutter!

Continue reading...