How can a Virtual Assistant deal with Procrastination?

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” - Edward Young (1683-1765)

We all have been willing victims of procrastination at one time or another and may still be from time to time.

Virtual Assistants are no exceptions.

Procrastination: the act of putting off doing things

As one blogger puts it, procrastination is like dealing with a 7-headed dragon.

 It's not enough that you cut off its head because it will just regrow and multiply.

Just like if you don't deal with problems or finish a task right away and keep putting it off  for the next day and the next, your difficulties will regrow and multiply.

The only way to deal with it is to treat its neck with fire just like what they do in ancient times according to legends.

In real life, you have to look for the source or the reasons why you're procrastinating and start from there.

Here are the common causes of procrastination that I've come up with.   
 
Feeling Overwhelmed - A virtual assistant may have miscalculated and taken on too many projects at once or she may have many things on her plate at the moment and will be swamped with work that he or she will feel overburdened.

She may feel frustrated and discouraged and will resort to delaying tactics.
 
Fear -We may feel that our skills and knowledge are not up to the task at hand and we're afraid to deliver a less than perfect output and embarrass ourselves and disappoint our client.

We may even fear success and think that if our client likes our work, we'll be handed more tasks and responsibilities.    
 
Expecting Perfection - This is somehow connected to fear of failure. We set such high standards for ourselves and when we fail to meet those goals, we feel disheartened and it may dampen our enthusiasm.  
 
Unpleasant task - We may feel uncomfortable doing a task and rather than tackle it or inform our client, we put it off for as long as possible and turn to more pleasant activities like updating our Facebook status or tweeting, turning on the TV, surfing the net, making personal phone calls, checking emails and hanging out with friends and family.
 
Overestimating the Time - Some of us have unrealistic expectations of how long it will take us to finish a task and we tend to leave it to the last minute not allowing for interruptions, unexpected snags and the degree of difficulty that it involves.

Before you know it, it's the end of the working week and you find yourself rushing to finish the job resulting in a sloppy job.    

Lack of Energy - You may be feeling tired after a night out partying with friends or staying up late watching reruns of your favorite movies.  
 
Busy - It's great to be working at home and be with our loved ones but they can also be a source of distraction to us not to mention the basket of laundry or the piles of dirty dishes that we feel needs our immediate attention. 

It really isn't a comfortable feeling when something is nagging at the back of our minds.

If you find yourself playing catch up all the time, then it's time to take action.

Being stressed out and pressured for time is not an ideal situation and can actually harm us in the long run.

What We Can Do
One common advice that I got from reading tips is to

1. Break down the task in smaller pieces.- With this method, the task won't seem like a huge undertaking anymore. Each accomplished step will slowly build your confidence and help you get the momentum that you need.

2. F.O.C.U.S. - I got this from Laughs Heal.com and it stands for:
        

    Finalize - visualizing the finished product or end result      

    Objectives - micro planning or setting goals within a reasonable time frame  
          Write it down. Writing your goals on paper or on a notepad in you PC make them seem more real.
          Make that smart phone work for you. There are apps that will remind you of tasks to be done.

    Can't - eliminating this word from your vocabulary and replacing it with the word "can"       

    U or You - thinking of ways you can remove yourself from negative situations           

    Self-talk - thinking positively and encouraging yourself

3. The Where - Try to work in a productive environment where there are no constant comings or goings, where there's some privacy, and there are no toys on the floor or clutter to distract you.

4. The When - Know the best time when you are feeling more alert and when you can be more focused and productive.

5. Just do it! - according to Nike.

Reward yourself 

For every small success like finishing an article out of the 10 that you have to do, you can have that scoop of ice cream or that bar of chocolate that you've been craving for since last week.

Just don't overdo it or you'll gain weight or have diabetes.

Do not expect a quick fix. Procrastination is a habit formed over time and it also takes time to break a habit.

Here's a video from YouTube that I found funny and illustrates some examples of procrastination.

Can A Virtual Assistant Work Without His or Her Own Computer?

Can he? Can she? Can I?

I don't know about him or her or you but ever since my PC gave its last dying breath after giving me all its got and complaining every other day on its last days, I've been working from an internet cafe in our village.

It's a good thing that I can run the Odesk Team Application from a USB flash drive so I can still track time.

I'm also fortunate that I was able to find clients who have given me flexible hours to work so I don't have to be online at certain hours of the day.

The internet cafe is only walking distance from our house, the owner is a friend, and it's open from 9 in the morning until 12 midnight. There are even days, like Friday and Saturday, when it's open for 24 hours to accommodate students who have no school the following day.

What are the drawbacks?

Well, for one, I can't work in my PJ's anymore.

I used to wake up early, like 5 am, and go straight to the computer, without even visiting the bathroom first.

Now, I have to wait for the shop to open before I can start work.

Then, I have to deal with distractions like noise and loud music. Although I don't really mind the music. In fact, I welcome it since it blocks the noise of the D.O.T.A. players.

I can't choose who sits next to me. So even if that person smells like vinegar or fish sauce, I can't do anything except grin and bear it or change place if there's one free. 

It's not cheap renting a PC compared to a subscription to an internet service provider since I am paying by the hour. Half of what I get from my online gigs goes to paying for the use of PC and internet.

I have to make full use of every hour since I'm on a limited budget.

Unlike before when I can study my collection of tutorials at my own time and pace, now I have to squeeze them in during work days. Or wait for Friday or Saturday night when the shop is open for its overnight hours and I can stay up late until the wee hours of the morning.

If the owner decides to close shop for the day due to maintenance or repairs, I can't do anything about it. If I want to have some work done for that day, then I'll have to find another internet cafe.

I'm totally dependent on the shop's opening, operating, and closing hours.

With all these roadblocks in my way, you'd think I would just like to forget about working as a virtual assistant. After all, what's the use of working from home if I don't have my own computer, right?

But, strangely enough, it's made me even more determined to succeed in my chosen profession. I see this as only just a test to see how determined and committed I am. 

I can't prevent unfortunate things from happening but I can control my reactions to them.

I can choose how to respond.

I can find ways.

It may not be an ideal situation but until I can save enough to buy a new computer, I'll make the best of it and still contrive to deliver excellent work to my clients.

So for the meantime, I'll continue to frequent my internet cafe cum office and just charge all these to experience as part of the exciting though unpredictable life of a virtual assistant.

Introducing a new social networking site: Google Plus

     I was surfing the net and I came across this article that did a review on Google's new social networking tool, Google Plus.

     I was like, "what?", "really?", "amazing!", "why didn't I hear of this before?".

     At first I thought the article was referring to the Google Plus +1 button which Google rolled out just recently, but upon reading further I found out it was really about a Google social network similar to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.
   
     The article mentioned that this tool was secretly developed by Google but many people already predicted that they will be rolling out something like this since Google Buzz was not successful.

     At the moment, it is only available by invite to a small group of people who are selected to help test it.

     Based on the screenshots that I've seen, the site looks cool and clean.

     One unique feature I like about it is it's way of letting users create circles where we can add family and friends. We can add them to specific circles like circle of best friends, circle of acquaintances, circle of co-workers, circle of neighbors, circle of virtual assistant friends, and many more. Adding a friend to a circle is as easy as dragging him or her to the circle of your choice.

      This tool is not yet available to everyone but it has already whetted my appetite. I can't wait to check this out and be part of a circle!

Sharing the Love with CommentLuv

     I came across commentLuv in my part-time work as a blog commenter.

     One of the client's instructions is to only comment on blogs that have commentLuv installed. At first I wondered why. Then I finally
understood as I continue to read articles about its good points.

     What is CommentLuv?

     CommentLuv is a plugin for WordPress and Blogger.com blogs.

     A plugin is a piece of software that adds certain functionality to a larger software application.

     How does commentLuv work?

     Well, here's my understanding based on the articles I've read about it.

     When the plugin is enabled on your blog, whenever someone leaves a comment and fills all the details in the comment form that includes the name, email, and URL, the plugin automatically pulls the latest post title from the commenter's blog or site and displays it as a clickable link below the comment. Not only that, there will also be a drop down arrow beside the link and the commenter can choose from several of his latest posts the most relevant to the blog that he's commenting on. So if other readers see the link and are interested, they'll be able to click on the link and visit the commenter's blog or site.

      I got interested enough that I decided to install commentLuv on my blog. I believe using this plugin is a great way to show your love and appreciation to your readers who care enough about your posts and articles and take time out from their busy schedules to leave a comment or feedback by also providing them a way to show visibility for their work. You and your readers will both benefit because you'll be attracting more visitors to your blog and they'll be getting traffic to their blogs.

      Isn't this a nice way to share love on the blogosphere? I commend the creator for thinking of this.




    

Now Showing: Google Plus One +1

     Google recently released its new feature, the Google +1 button as an answer to Facebook's Like button.
  
     For those using the blogger platform like me, the button is automatically installed to their blog. But if you have a self-hosted Wordpress blog, you'll have to go to Google's +1 code page to get the code.

     Once you're on the code page, you can make selections for the button size, select a language (although it says there that currently only  English is available) and to count / no count on the button. There are two snippets of code: one for your blog's header, and the other for where you want the button to show up on your posts.

But what does this button do, you might ask?

     Well, when you surf the web or shop online and you find something you like like helpful tips from an article or blogpost or an ad on a website and you want to recommend it to your friends, just click on this +1 button and you will let others know about it anywhere on the web. But first you will  need a public Google profile before you can use this feature. Likewise, if you're the one searching for something on Google, you'll be able to see which comes recommended by your friends.

     Also, by displaying this button on your blog or site, you're allowing your visitors to give your site their stamp of approval and the more popular your blog is, the more it shows up on Google's search page.

How will this button affect bloggers and website owners?

     There are rumors that this button will be replacing Google Page Rank, although they're just that, rumors. But in the meantime, showing Google that your blog is popular by having many plusses may affect the SERP ( Search Engine Results Page).
     There are concerns that many will try to game the system just like buying Facebook likes but let's hope Google has worked out a method to catch these cheats.

     Now, with these new feature, not only will people be asking others to like them on Facebook but also to +1 them with Google.

4 Mouth Watering ways I can spend my first odesk earnings

     Take a look at this screenshot.

     That's my very first odesk earnings! And that's equivalent to 4 hours of work. Not bad, huh?

     Now, I'm contemplating on how I should use this money. I can think of several but here are for me the top mouth watering ways:

1. Treat myself to a coke float from McDonald's. I'm sooo dying to have one. Ok, I'm gonna treat my kids too.

2. Buy a half-gallon of Selecta Ice Cream Hershey's Kisses that Carmina Villaroel and her family are promoting on TV. ( Do they get a year's supply, I wonder?) That should be enough for five of us at home.

3. Summer is over according to PAG-ASA and I have yet to make my Chowking halo-halo-with-1 scoop-ice cream dream into reality.

4. Why don't I just satisfy my craving for a piece, ok 2 pieces of grilled spicy and juicy pork chops?

     On second thoughts, maybe I should just put this amount to good use and save it to pay for my internet.
  
     What do you think?

From Zero to Heroine

It wasn't that long ago, I was one of the newbies in odesk looking for my first freelance job.

     Everyday without fail, I will look through the jobs posted for virtual assistants, personal assistants, administrative work and data entry. By now, I've already learned how to spot and ignore posts that are scams and these are cancelled by odesk.
     I remember the feeling of anticipation everytime I log-in to odesk to see whether I've been picked for an interview, and disappointed that I was not.
     I visit the community forums often to read and sometimes participate in the discussion threads. And I see the same uncertainty felt by fellow odesk newbies, the same question that runs through our minds.
     When will we get that first elusive odesk job?
     But now, I've crossed the bridge. I'm on the other side. Because, two weeks ago, I was hired as a virtual assistant! It's only for 4 hours a week doing blog commenting, but for me, it's a start and I'm so thrilled!
     It was also a pleasant surprise for being unexpected. I didn't have all the skills the client was looking for but I sent my application anyway. After all, what's the worst that could happen? And when I checked odesk again, I was already hired. Isn't that something?!
     I'd like to think that it's all because of me but I know and I believe that it's because of God's grace.
     In His eyes, I deserve to be a heroine.

Breakthrough!

     Everyday, I keep telling myself I will be making a breakthrough soon. And it was true. I did. I've gotten two odesk interviews. Nothing came out of it but still I regard it as a sign that clients are starting to take notice. It won't be long now before I finally get my first client.
     My first interview was in the form of a test given by a buyer to several applicants. I was instructed to go to a website, find at least 5 errors in spelling and grammar, document them in a word file and submit. Since I'm not always online because my kids also use our one and only PC, it was only several hours later that I was able to do the test and after submitting it, it was also only several hours later that I found out that the buyer was not able to open the attachment. And by the time I was able to correct it, the buyer had already chosen his provider. A lesson learned. Now, even if my kids are using the computer, I make sure odesk is up and running.
      My second interview was with a lawyer from California. He requested a video interview but since I don't have a webcam ( can't afford one for now ), we settled for an audio interview. It went well. At least I think I didn't make any major, major boo-boos and the client asked for some proof of identification. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to provide one of his requirements so I had to let this client go.
      Now, I'm back again to checking the latest job posts in odesk. But now there's a difference. I'm more hopeful and more confident because I know that that first client is just around the corner.

Thank you, Kim Tak Gu!

Eversince I started on my journey to becoming a virtual assistant, a constant source of inspiration for me is the lead character of the hit Koreanovela Baker King, Kim Tak Gu. It's not because he's good-looking  ^ - ^,
although there's that, but because of the qualities that he possesses. The trait I admire most about him is his positive outlook in life. Fans of this show will know what I mean. He is always smiling and ready to give a helping hand. And despite seemingly insurmountable odds and overwhelming obstacles that would have broken a lesser man, he is always able to rise above the challenges that life throws at him without losing his sense of fairness and his innate honesty. And he is humble, ready to accept his mistakes and learn from them.

     Those who come to know Kim Tak Gu whether in the show or fans like me, have their lives touched and changed in one way or another.

     He is truly an inspiration especially to an aspiring virtual assistant like me and one of the reasons why I eagerly get up each morning so that I can continue my lessons to add to my skills and become a phenomenal virtual assistant.

     The show has ended its run on GMA-7 but the lessons in life will linger and I promised myself  I will buy a copy of the show to remind me...

waiting period

       It's been more than a week since I first started sending my applications to job postings in odesk and during that time, I've had 4 or 5 applications declined, and 2 interviews which turned out to be scams. I'm still awaiting results on the others. I began wondering if it usually takes this long to land a job so I visited the community forums in odesk. And what I've read so far from the discussion threads were sort of discouraging. Some contractors have been applying for weeks and even months and haven't landed their first gig yet. I started having doubts myself  if  I will ever get that first job but the stubborn part of me just refuse to believe that all my hard work, persistence, perseverance, determination, motivation, desire, and belief will amount to nothing. Who was it who said that "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"? Or is "Kapag may itinanim, may aanihin" more apt?

       Then yesterday evening, I participated in a live Q&A with a virtual assistant which was organized by Jomar Hilario. The guest was a Mr. Marvin Macatol, who was a va, among other things, and a student of Jomar. Marvin talked about his experiences as a VA, his previous jobs before that, how he started as a va, his first interview, his first gig, etc. and we learned that it took him 4 months after the Virtual Assistant Seminar before he got his first job. So! All hope is not lost after all.

       It was an enjoyable session. I had fun participating in the chats with the other participants, and with Marvin talking in the background hehe. And Jomar promised that he will have another session next month, every month in fact if  he's not busy.

       So in the meantime, I will continue to study one application/program everyday which is what I've been doing after sending my applications. I'm preparing to take another free test in odesk to add to my skills in my profile. It's really very important for a virtual assistant to have a varied set of skills because a  prospective client is always looking for someone who can help with a variety of tasks. And also, in this way, a virtual assistant will not be limited to data entry jobs.

        Fellow VAs, the only way to go is forward.

keeping my fingers crossed

Hi! As I've mentioned in my last post, I will be busy and for the past few days, I was; following Jomar's tips on making my resume better and taking more odesk tests. And now it's Monday and this morning I mustered my scattered courage, perused the more recent job postings in odesk, drafted my cover letter and when I was satisfied with it, submitted my application. I sent 4 of them. And now I'm keeping my fingers crossed. ^ - ^
And everyday, my plan is to submit at least 5 applications until I get my very first online freelance job. And everything else will follow...

busy as a bee

Hi, everyone! I'm proud to announce that I...finally submitted my va assignment yesterday morning. I asked Jomar for some feedback and he kindly gave me tips and pointers on how to improve my work and make my resume shinier. So for the next several days, I will be busy, busy, busy as a bee again. Clients clamoring for my excellent services will have to
                                                     wait some more. ^_^

Ready to Graduate!

At last! At long last. I'm done with my 10 presentations. For a while there, I thought I won't be able to finish them within 2 months. But I did! with still a few days left before deadline. hehe. Of course, Jomar Hilario, our mentor said it's okay if we're a bit late but still it's a nice feeling to be able to meet a deadline.
Now, I can breathe easier. My presentations may not be much compared to professional standards but I did spend considerable time and effort in doing them. I sacrificed sleep for them. hehe. And in the process, I discovered something about myself. That I can be committed and motivated. Good qualities of a VA. There has never been a boring day since I started on this assignment. At the end of the day, I always feel a sense of accomplishment. So thank you, Jomar for giving us this training.

How to Use SLIDE

Here's    a  great   website   for  creating  photo  slideshows that   you   can   share   with  family   and   friends on   your   social           networking sites.

                                         


Discover your artistic side.  Try SLIDE!





Ma.theresa_How to Use Slide

http://www.flickr.com/photos

How to use Carbonmade

Here's a great website for building, displaying, and managing an online portfolio. 

Carbonmade.  

You can use carbonmade to show off your design, illustration, art, or any other type of creative work.









Ma.theresa_How to Use Carbon Made

How to use Google Calendar

Keeping track of schedules too much for you?
Here's how you can make them organized. Google Calendar!
What is it? It's a free online calendar offered by Google that lets you create events, track them, and share them with others.
Let's check it out!


Ma.theresa_How to Use Google Calendar

How to use Billing Boss

Can't do the math?

Let Billing Boss do it for you.
Billing Boss is a free online invoicing application which allows Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) to create and send invoice immediately.

With Billing Boss you can replace your manual invoicing process and create invoices online using your Internet browser.

You'll be able to stay on top of your cash flow by knowing who owes you money, how much, and by when.
It's free and accessible 24 hours a day and 7 days a week throughout the year.




Ma.Theresa_How to use billingboss

How to use Google Analytics

Looking for a different kind of traffic?

Want to know your website's performance?

Google Analytics is just the thing for that.

It is a free web service from Google that lets you analyze website traffic and performance.
It provides enormous amount of information about who is visiting your site, what they're looking for, and how they're getting there.  

Let's take a tour.

Ma.theresa_How to Use Google Analytics

How to use roboform

What's that password again? It must be this or it must be that. Help!

With so many applications on the web, and different log-ins to remember, it's really hard to keep track of all of them. Good thing there's roboform. What is it?

RoboForm is an automated password management, storage, and web form filler program developed by Siber Systems, Inc. It keeps all your various log-ins in one place and with just one click, it automatically logs you into your favorite websites as well as fills-in web forms for you. You just have to remember your master password and roboform will do the rest.

Its safenotes features lets you keep notes of your ATM PINs, lockbox combinations, frequent flier number, and software activation codes in encrypted and password protected format. It also has a password generator that creates ramdom secure passwords making them difficult to compromise. Roboform keeps all of these information but promises not to tell. Shhhhhh!
Ma.theresa_How to Use Roboform

How to use Evernote

Evernote is one program I got excited about when Jomar Hilario discussed it on our VA seminar. This is one tool that I really need 'coz I'm kind of forgetful, that's why I have my kid's old spare school notebooks always on hand so that I can write down my notes. I have separate notebooks for my to-do-list, recipes, activities for the month/year, reminders, things to buy, etc. It's a hassle sometimes finding the right notebook especially if I'm reading and I come across some interesting and informative articles.

And then comes Evernote! With Evernote I can capture and make note of everything and Evernote will keep it all safe.
It works like a personal digital assistant and can help you remember, organize, and find things.

And it's free! You can use Evernote to create notes, clip interesting web pages, store PDFs, snap photos, grab a screenshot, share notebooks with other Evernote users, and these can all be available on your PC, phone, other mobile devices, and on the web and can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection. It even recognizes notes in images and hand-written scribbles and makes them searchable by keywords, notebooks, and tags. It works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and other browsers. It is a truly great tool to make Virtual Assistant's lives easier.

So are you ready to have a superhuman memory? Join me and let's discover the wonders of Evernote!
Ma.theresa_How to Use Evernote

How to use doc2pdf

Ma.theresa_How to Use Doc2pdf

What is a PDF?

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format developed by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange.
It is used to easily transfer documents via the Internet.
PDF files are protected from changes and retain the exact elements of a presentation thereby avoiding problems like missing fonts or broken layouts.

One great website where you can convert your word, powerpoint and excel files to pdf is DOC2PDF.NET. It's free! Let's try it.

How to use skype

Ma.theresa_How to Use Skype

I must have skype!

Hi, here's my second presentation: skype!  It's a must-have tool for a VA.
What is skype?

It's a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet.
It is the most popular voice communication service in the world.
What can you do with skype? With skype, you can make free skype-to-skype calls, make calls to
landlines and mobiles at low call rates,
do conference calls, video calling, screen sharing, instant messaging, and even send files, photos and presentations.
It is great for personal and business use.

Dropbox, finally!

I can't believe it's nearly two months since I attended Jomar Hilario's VA seminar and I haven't posted a single presentation but it doesn't mean I haven't been working on my VA assignment. It's just that I keep learning something new along the way that I also keep revising my work. But finally, I'm almost finished with nine of my presentations. I only need one more. For now, I'm going to post only one to see how it looks on my blog. So here's dropbox for you.

Did I mention I like dropbox? Here's an incident that made me appreciate dropbox even more. My 5-year-old neighbor did something to my powerpoint presentation while I was at the neighborhood sari-sari store. Because when I returned, 8 slides were missing. But before I went into panic, good thing I remembered that dropbox can restore deleted files. So thank you, dropbox!

Ma.Theresa_How to use dropbox

What is Dropbox?

Hi! So now I'm ready to start work on my assignment and  I chose Dropbox for my first application since I'm already using it. I visited the site, watched the video, and studied the features to refresh my memory.

From the seminar, I learned that one quality that a va must possess is organizational skills.

Organization is key to success, satisfaction, and productivity. And one great tool for a va to develop his/her organizational skills is to learn and use Dropbox.

So what is Dropbox?

Dropbox is likened to a magic pocket where you can put all your stuff and have access to them whenever and wherever you are.

In the computer world, it is a software that provides online backup service using what they call cloud computing technology (software and data are stored on servers on the Internet and can be accessed through a web browser).

Dropbox functions as an online storage service that focuses on synchronization and sharing. It enables users to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet and across many computers and even mobile devices. Users can drop any file into a designated folder in one computer and Dropbox will instantly and automatically sync it to any other of the user's computers and devices. Sounds great, right?

Dropbox also keeps a history of every change you make so that you can undo any mistakes and even undelete files. Files deleted from the Dropbox folder may be recovered from any of the synced computers. Better and better.
And if you're like Dropbox's founder Drew Houston who kept forgetting his USB drive which led to the creation of  Dropbox, not to worry 'coz Dropbox has solved that problem for you.

The next thing on my to-do list is to create a presentation on how to download, install, and use Dropbox. I'm gonna consult my bestfriend Google for that. Stay tuned!

VA Seminar

Hi, Everyone!
      Finally, I was able to attend Jomar Hilario's Virtual Assistant Seminar last Saturday, Feb. 5. It was good to be there. Exciting. Fun. Seeing Jomar in person and being in the same room with like-minded people. Most of them professionals with backgrounds in IT, real estate, online tutoring, sales, etc. A bit intimidating for a simple stay-at-home single mom like me but then I remembered that we were there for the same reasons and that is to be able to work from home, earn additional income, learn new skills, and spend more time with family.

                                      http://www.flickr.com/photos/

      So this beautiful monday morning, the first thing I did was to open my email and download the copy of the presentation from the seminar which Jomar has kindly sent us participants. I'm now reviewing the lessons and requirements and for the next severals days and weeks even, my time will be occupied with completing the assignment Jomar has given us to be able to graduate with flying colors. I am confident that I can finish the assignment within the 2 month time frame.Looking forward to learning new skills!