36. Build a custom spreadsheet.
37. Research venues to visit on your trip, along with directions to get to them.
38. Format and submit your article(s) online.
39. Create a fill-able form.
40. Organize a stack of files, label, and ship back to you, ready to drop into your file drawer.
Virtual Assistant
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Money Saving Tips
Pay cash to avoid overspending; it is more 'personal'. By using cash instead of a credit card, it becomes a more emotional event and therefore you are less likely to spend your money frivolously. For large purchases, sleep on it, tell yourself you'll come back and buy it later in the week, if for the next 2 or 3 days, the item keeps 'calling your name', and you have the cash to buy it, go get it.
Limit your purchases to to the cash you have on hand or better yet; what you have budgeted. Use envelopes to store the money and/or receipts that have been budgeted for groceries, gasoline, personal items and blow money. I must contradict myself here, since I am very uncomfortable having so much cash on hand, I don't put the cash in the envelopes; I have the amount budgeted on the envelope and use my debit card only. Then the receipts go in the correct envelopes and I keep a running total so I know, at a glance, where I am in my budget.
For more tips on saving money and becoming debt free, check out Dave Ramsey.
Limit your purchases to to the cash you have on hand or better yet; what you have budgeted. Use envelopes to store the money and/or receipts that have been budgeted for groceries, gasoline, personal items and blow money. I must contradict myself here, since I am very uncomfortable having so much cash on hand, I don't put the cash in the envelopes; I have the amount budgeted on the envelope and use my debit card only. Then the receipts go in the correct envelopes and I keep a running total so I know, at a glance, where I am in my budget.
For more tips on saving money and becoming debt free, check out Dave Ramsey.
#31 - #35 One-hour Projects
31. Request and follow up for hard copies or files of recent print mentions.
32. Follow-up research on a client, prospect, applicant, or competitor.
33. Book your flight, hotel, and/or rental car reservations.
34. Delete spam from your e-mail, sort, answer, or redirect remaining messages.
35. Convert document files to PDF format.
32. Follow-up research on a client, prospect, applicant, or competitor.
33. Book your flight, hotel, and/or rental car reservations.
34. Delete spam from your e-mail, sort, answer, or redirect remaining messages.
35. Convert document files to PDF format.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
#26 - #30 One-hour projects
26. Select and schedule 15 individual handwritten greeting cards for delivery.
27. Design a graphic advertising banner.
28. Create a customized, detailed Google business listing with images.
29. Research best features & price for a needed service, technology, or item.
30. Order a shopping list for home or office delivery.
27. Design a graphic advertising banner.
28. Create a customized, detailed Google business listing with images.
29. Research best features & price for a needed service, technology, or item.
30. Order a shopping list for home or office delivery.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
#21 - #25 One-Hour Projects
21. Enter calendar deadline reminders.
22. Filling and submission of grant applications.
23. Design print-ready company letterhead.
24. Add a press page to the company website.
25. Set up a blogging account add the link to the site menu.
22. Filling and submission of grant applications.
23. Design print-ready company letterhead.
24. Add a press page to the company website.
25. Set up a blogging account add the link to the site menu.
Home Health Procedure
A home health nurse contacted me about designing a process to improve her efficiency in her work. This particular nurse is highly educated, loads of credentials and years of industrial nursing experience, but new to Home Health Nursing; I'm honored that she chose me to assist her.
Here were the problems:
1. A big, backpack size, heavy bag of supplies and small equipment only some of which are to be used at every visit, the others must be readily available.
2. The forms; numerous forms for different situations; opening a case, closing a case, referral for other services, basic visits; some forms are used at every visit. There is also Mrs. C's Daily Activity Log; mileage between patients, the date, patient's name and time & length of visit.
3. Where to put a small number of office supplies: pens, post-it notes, paperclips, small stapler, staples, tape, etc.
4. Mrs. C also requested a form designed to leave with the patients that lists all of their medications and when to take them so the patient can reference it as she sees a need to help the older patients remember the proper times and dosages of their medication.
5. Notes were being taken on the back of a form and then later entered in the appropriate one, in an effort to save time.
6. Client files containing medical information, information which by law (HIPPA) has to be safeguared, but Mrs. C needs accessible if she needs to refer to something.
Here are the solutions we came up with:
1. We got a small, zippered, clear make-up bag for the supplies that are used at every visit and can be kept inside the bigger bag; after every visit Mrs. C re-stocks the small bag to have ready for the next patient.
2. We picked up a clip board, file folders, labels and a plastic 'milk-crate' that we made sure the file folders would fit in. We labeled a folder each patient's name and Mrs. C put the forms in the order she knew was necessary. The forms each got their own labeled folder and all folders were put in the crate, alphabetically with the patient files behind the forms' folders. There are some forms to be used at every visit, so we paper clipped one set for every patient she was scheduled to visit the following week and put them into their own folder at the very front of the crate, all she has to do is reach in and grab one set before she gets out of her car. We also put one set on the clipboard and used dental floss to attach an extra pen. The Daily Activity Log is kept on top of the clipboard (it hides the medical forms below it) and is filled out immediately upon arrival at the patient's home and immediately before leaving the patient's home.
3. We bought a small, hard plastic 'pencil-case' to store all the office supplies and it sits inside the crate.
4. Using Word we designed a form to leave with the patient; the form has their name, a list of all medications being taken, the date and time of the visit and who to contact if the patient has questions about their medication. This took about an hour.
5. Instead of taking notes on the back of another form, we added that form to the paper clipped forms used at every visit, therefore Mrs. C is only writing the notes once. She has since told me it sure saves her a lot of time!
6. We solved most of this issue when we handled the forms, each patient has their own folder, labeled with last, first name only and they are stored behind the forms' folders. At the end of the day, Mrs. C takes the crate into her house for safe storage. She also spends 15 minutes double checking her supplies and forms to be ready for the next day. Mrs. C has remote start on her car so the heat or air can stay on for a while during the visits to help keep the temperature fairly even to protect the medical supplies.
This procedure, including the shopping trip & designing a Medication Form, took us 4 hours at a cost of $100. Mrs. C has since contacted me and said it is saving her approximately 1 hour a day, that she no longer feels like she forgot something and the investment of $100 for my time actually saves her $250 per week for the time she used to spend!
Here were the problems:
1. A big, backpack size, heavy bag of supplies and small equipment only some of which are to be used at every visit, the others must be readily available.
2. The forms; numerous forms for different situations; opening a case, closing a case, referral for other services, basic visits; some forms are used at every visit. There is also Mrs. C's Daily Activity Log; mileage between patients, the date, patient's name and time & length of visit.
3. Where to put a small number of office supplies: pens, post-it notes, paperclips, small stapler, staples, tape, etc.
4. Mrs. C also requested a form designed to leave with the patients that lists all of their medications and when to take them so the patient can reference it as she sees a need to help the older patients remember the proper times and dosages of their medication.
5. Notes were being taken on the back of a form and then later entered in the appropriate one, in an effort to save time.
6. Client files containing medical information, information which by law (HIPPA) has to be safeguared, but Mrs. C needs accessible if she needs to refer to something.
Here are the solutions we came up with:
1. We got a small, zippered, clear make-up bag for the supplies that are used at every visit and can be kept inside the bigger bag; after every visit Mrs. C re-stocks the small bag to have ready for the next patient.
2. We picked up a clip board, file folders, labels and a plastic 'milk-crate' that we made sure the file folders would fit in. We labeled a folder each patient's name and Mrs. C put the forms in the order she knew was necessary. The forms each got their own labeled folder and all folders were put in the crate, alphabetically with the patient files behind the forms' folders. There are some forms to be used at every visit, so we paper clipped one set for every patient she was scheduled to visit the following week and put them into their own folder at the very front of the crate, all she has to do is reach in and grab one set before she gets out of her car. We also put one set on the clipboard and used dental floss to attach an extra pen. The Daily Activity Log is kept on top of the clipboard (it hides the medical forms below it) and is filled out immediately upon arrival at the patient's home and immediately before leaving the patient's home.
3. We bought a small, hard plastic 'pencil-case' to store all the office supplies and it sits inside the crate.
4. Using Word we designed a form to leave with the patient; the form has their name, a list of all medications being taken, the date and time of the visit and who to contact if the patient has questions about their medication. This took about an hour.
5. Instead of taking notes on the back of another form, we added that form to the paper clipped forms used at every visit, therefore Mrs. C is only writing the notes once. She has since told me it sure saves her a lot of time!
6. We solved most of this issue when we handled the forms, each patient has their own folder, labeled with last, first name only and they are stored behind the forms' folders. At the end of the day, Mrs. C takes the crate into her house for safe storage. She also spends 15 minutes double checking her supplies and forms to be ready for the next day. Mrs. C has remote start on her car so the heat or air can stay on for a while during the visits to help keep the temperature fairly even to protect the medical supplies.
This procedure, including the shopping trip & designing a Medication Form, took us 4 hours at a cost of $100. Mrs. C has since contacted me and said it is saving her approximately 1 hour a day, that she no longer feels like she forgot something and the investment of $100 for my time actually saves her $250 per week for the time she used to spend!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
#16 - #20 One--hour Projects
16. Type handwritten notes from a seminar.
17. Edit and post multiple blog entries.
18. Monitor and forward info from multiple sources of client industry news.
19. Create PDF's for numerous company documents, whitepapers, charts, etc.
20. Gather info on grant opportunities.
17. Edit and post multiple blog entries.
18. Monitor and forward info from multiple sources of client industry news.
19. Create PDF's for numerous company documents, whitepapers, charts, etc.
20. Gather info on grant opportunities.
Friday, February 6, 2009
#11 - #15 One-hour Projects
11. Research travel, hotel and meeting facilities.
12. Update web site content.
13. Article or blog or press release submissions to 5 sites.
14. Update and manage your online calendar.
15. Research for specific projects.
12. Update web site content.
13. Article or blog or press release submissions to 5 sites.
14. Update and manage your online calendar.
15. Research for specific projects.
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