"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn"
Maya Angelou
We never stop learning, nor should we, especially in our role as an EA. Just because we have our routine with our Manager down pat, doesn't mean there isn't better and more efficient ways of doing things. Sharing methods between fellow EAs is a great strategy for learning, and often enough you'll find yourself having that 'light bulb' moment when you think, 'oh I never thought of that!'.
I don't proclaim to be the Messiah when it comes to being an EA, but I definitely do have a lot of tips to share, from both my own experience and from also discussing different methods with my peers. So moving forward, every Wednesday (Hump Day!) I will share with you my weekly 'Hump Day Hint' on ways you can work better. I think by Wednesday we are ALL looking for a bit of mid-week motivation! I'd love to hear your tips too, so feel free to share with me in the comments your tips on what makes life easier for you as an EA.
Hump Day Hint 1 # - Ensuring you're always on call
Most of us are set up with an iphone as a standard tool of the trade and similarly most of us probably wouldn't know where we would be without it, especially when it comes to doing our job. Having the ability to be able to check your bosses calendar, email and even access their contacts remotely means you can do your job anywhere and at anytime. But with that privilege comes the expectation that you should/can be on call at any time of day or night. There is nothing worse though than missing that all important call or text from your boss, especially at night or on the weekend when you may not have your phone attached to your hand. And if you've worked for bosses like mine who are real 'night owls', sometimes its necessary to either put the phone on silent or switch it off so you don't have to listen to the constant 'ding' of emails coming in all night.
With the below simple tip though you can silence that phone when you need to but still ensure you don't miss a beat (or a call!).
1. List your boss (and anyone else significantly important) as your 'Favourite' contacts.
> Go into the Contact > select 'Add to Favourites'.
2. On weekends, or in the evening when you want to 'switch off'', set your phone to 'Do Not Disturb' instead and activate the setting to allow your 'Favourites' to still be able to call or text.
> Settings > Do Not Disturb > Push 'Manual' OR 'Scheduled' (and enter time range) > Under Allow Calls From select 'Favourites' > Push 'Repeated Calls'.
3. Also give your boss (and anyone else significantly important) a different ring tone and text tone so you can differentiate who's calling/texting you when you're distanced from your phone......it might incentivise you to run for it faster if its your boss!
> In the Contact > select Edit > under Ringtone select a unique ringtone from the list > under Text Tone select a unique text tone from the list.
With these simple little steps you'll never miss that urgent call in your down-time.
Labels: Hump Day Hint
