For one of my clients, I have been working as his time manager:

1. I create his daily/weekly/monthly calendar,
2. I read his emails and create a priority list of what he needs to deal with, and
3. I take care of little tasks, such as returning phone calls for him.

The training I received when I started with Secretary in Israel, plus with my previous experience in managing my own time, has enabled my client and me to create a plan to keep him organized and to manage his time better.

VOICEMAIL

I manage my client's voicemail and return all of his calls. Since my client does not have a business that involves him sitting in his office most of the time, to answer the phone, every few hours I check his voicemail. I type up a summary of any messages for him and send them to him via email. This way he can just read the content of the information and does not need to try and listen and write it down himself.

CALENDAR

Since both my client and I are Mac users, we were able to set up access to each others email addresses, address books, and calendars through Entourage, the Microsoft office for Macs program that works similar to Outlook.

We use Entourage to manage my client's calendar.One cool thing we do is include pertinent information in the notes section of the appointment prior to the appointment. This way, my client can get hold of the information just by looking at it and does not have to search for it in his emails or written notes.

When my client completes an appointment he either types up himself or calls me to dictate the details of what was done at the appointment and what follow up steps need to be taken. I then put this information into the notes section of the client. I also put the person's contact information into his address book. This way, all of the information from every appointment is together in one place.

EMAILS

As I became more comfortable in understanding the work my client does, I slowly learned to help him prioritize what emails and messages needed to be responded to, and what could wait. Each day, every two hours, from 9 am to 6 pm EST, I check my client's emails and decide what is pertinent for my client to respond to immediately, what could be dealt with later, and what really does not need his attention at all.

When I am done I send him a summary email of his emails, messages, and tasks that need to be done. I only include the name of the person who the email or message is from and a one sentence summary of what the message is about. If something needs to be done right away, I make sure to emphasize it in some way, usually through a color change and bold font, so it sticks out from the other notes. This method allows my client to manage his time better, by not having to read each and every email that comes to him, and it allows him to see a priority list of what needs to get done.

Finally, there are some emails that I respond to for him. If anyone needs to set up an appointment, or needs a summary of the recent work he did for them, I don't even bother to let my client know about the email, I just respond to it myself. This way my client can focus his time on serving the needs of his client, while I take care of the little things.

MORE ABOUT NAOMI

Naomi graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland at College Park. She was also awarded the School of Health and Human Performance’s Fraley Award for most Outstanding Graduating Student.

As a college graduate, some people have asked me: "why do you like working as a virtual assistant?"

This may sound silly, but I love to help others keep themselves organized. I truly get a thrill from it.

Plus, I am currently studying for my Masters at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and like all university students, I needed a way to pay for my schooling. Jobs in Israel are very low paying. To have the opportunity that Secretary in Israel provides, for me to have a job with an American salary, doing something I truly enjoy, is quite the treat!

MORE ABOUT NAOMI

Naomi graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland at College Park. She was also awarded the School of Health and Human Performance’s Fraley Award for most Outstanding Graduating Student.