​​This week, my partner has turned around his business.

As a music teacher faced with lockdown and the prospect of losing all of his lessons, I encouraged him to take it online.

To use Skype, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, Zoom - any platform that his students preferred - to take those lessons online and continue teaching.

To his credit as a teacher and a musician, almost every single one of his students have agreed to online lessons during this trying time and his first lesson (with his youngest student) yesterday was a resounding success.

I've seen so many other examples of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking in the last few days from Joe Wicks' online PE classes (yes, we're doing those too!), live zoo broadcasts, authors reading their books online, new podcasts and so much more. 

These are troubling times for many of us and I hope that you're feeling well and staying safe. 

This is a short update to let you know that Admin Angels UK is open and operating as normal. 

That being said, if you need any changes to your social media posts, blog articles or other processes, please don't hesitate to get in touch. 

For my indie author clients concerned about isolation and creativity, the fantastic Alliance of Independent Authors have worked hard to create an online, creative hub to encourage connectivity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch and I'll do my best to help. 

Without music, life would be pretty dull.

I'm listening to it right now (and I won't lie, it's a song from Frozen 2!) 

Why? 
​
Because I am almost ALWAYS more productive when listening to music than when I'm not.

We understand that you're busy. 

You're running a business, writing books and inspiring others. 

You don't have the time to read through a 3-5 minute long blog post. Let's face it, you barely have the time to skim through Facebook while enjoying your two-minute bathroom break. 

(Everyone does it, right?)

That's why we're making some changes to our blog. 

​From now on you can expect much smaller, to-the-point and informative posts that take less than 90 seconds to read. 

​Want us to answer a specific question on the blog? Let us know!

You don't NEED a virtual assistant. 

You also don't NEED to be able to put your feet up at the end of a long day and revel in the fact that all your tasks were completed on time. 

But it sure is nice, isn't it?

Over the 2019/2020 holidays, operating hours will change as outlined below:

We will close at 5pm on Monday 23rd December and re-open as usual at 9am on Monday 6th January. 

During this time, scheduled social media posts will continue as usual, unless you've requested otherwise. 

We will continue to monitor emails over the holiday period however, it may take us a little longer than usual to respond. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of our customers a very Happy Christmas and New Year!

​I look forward to working with you in 2020! 

I recently read, and shared, an article claiming that ‘Nearly 1 in 10 small business owners haven’t taken a holiday in 5 years.’

What about you? When was the last time you took a holiday?

Do you fit into the above statistic?

I do.

I haven’t taken a ‘holiday’ from my business since before I started Admin Angels UK back in 2013! That might sound a little extreme but it’s what suits my lifestyle, and my business, right now. I don’t take block holidays, but I do enjoy A LOT of days out with my family. I’m also a stickler for taking breaks over the holidays and on birthdays.
​
So, while I haven’t found the time for a week or two’s vacation in 6 years (eesh!), I do find other ways to avoid burning out and I’m here to share my top tips for those of you who’re running low on steam. 

​How many times have you uttered the words, “it’s easier if I just do it myself.”

We’ve all been there, whether it’s something as simple as helping your child get dressed in the morning when they’re refusing to do it themselves or writing a new blog post for your website because the idea of handing the task to someone else is a little terrifying.

There are usually two main reasons people choose not to delegate:

“I can do it myself. I don’t need any help.” – Translation: “I don’t want anyone to think I can’t manage. I don’t want to feel like a failure.”

“I’d rather do it myself.” – Translation: “What if they get it wrong?”

Both are understandable mindsets, and trust me, as a business owner and especially as a Virtual Assistant who’s used to being delegated to, I still find it difficult to let go of certain tasks and responsibilities to someone else.

​While rows of cubicles and corner offices are still the first associations we get when we think about office space, the knowledge of what boosts our productivity in the workplace has changed to better fit the needs of both the employees and the company, as well as the satisfaction of their visiting clients. Although closed doors and cubicles were created to keep all the distractions away and employees focused, teamwork and active communication were limited to staff meetings, thus lessening the odds of the employees' cooperation.
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If you are thinking about ways to manage your office space in order to increase productivity and cut costs, here are some ideas you should consider

​When it comes to productivity, you’re your own best friend.
 
The things you do now will ensure your future self is as productive as possible, and all it takes is a little foresight and forward planning.
 
I’m always helping my future self be more productive and, while it isn’t always 100% successful, I feel far better knowing that I’m doing whatever I can to keep on top of my ever-growing to-do list.
 
Here’s how to increase your own productivity levels by planning ahead.