Related Posts
Starting pay for RBT’s in South Florida and NY?
Conversation Starter
Thoughts on XT?
Enthusiast
Additional Posts in EAs / Executive Assistants
Coach
Mentor
How’s everyone holding up?
Anyone an EA at Citadel? Do you like it?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Each morning when I get in, I check all emails and flag them. Then I work on them by the order they come in. Sometimes I get pinged in between to put out fires so I prioritize those. Obviously if a PPEDD needs a client call asap that takes precedence over expenses. My outlook also does this thing where it will block “focus time” I usually set that when I need to get things done w minimal interruptions. It helps me to keep a clean inbox, Flag important emails and keep them flag till completed. Once completed I put it in a special folder based on what the request was, travel, meeting, expense etc . I have folders for each partner.
Awesome! I’m glad it helped!
Keep a running pending list for your people. Send it to them and yourself before logging off so when you come back in your have an end/start point with anything needing still done listed right where you left off. It holds yourself accountable and also keeps your person looped in on your progress. When I first log in a look at calendars immediately to see what has changed from the night before. Clear cancelled meetings and color code/flag anything new.
Filter email by subject first, clear out old threads, leave yourself with the actual request or last email reply to work off of. Always bc yourself on action items so you have most recent master email to work from.
Once email is reduced go in and make note on your pending list what needs to be done then you can prioritize. I find it easy to first send out my important client meeting requests if needed and then reply to time requests next to quickly get them out of my email while I await replies.
Always account for pending / complete items.
If you have something pending, make a note of when you started it so you and your person has a visual representation if it’s been multiple days.
And if something is taking long call the person you need to reach, reprioritize the participant list for a meeting or ask your person for their direction.
Put weekly reminders on your on calendar for expenses, timesheets, contact management, and “house keeping” type tasks.
Firstly, if you’re having difficulty figuring out what to prioritize, always ask ask ask. When I’m given a new task and am uncertain with how urgent it is, I immediately follow it up by asking for when it is needed to be completed by.
For multiple people, I suggest using the “sticky notes” app on your computer. I leave a virtual sticky note on my desktop where I can add to my list for each person/group the task is for. This helps me visualize what each requires. This is helpful when you need to quickly note a task. I also take a wire bound top flip notebook to every meeting.
For long term, more comprehensive tracking, I use a Franklin Covey planner with a weekly bullet style list. Every morning I go through and add items to it from my notes and check things off as they are completed. I can also make quick categorizing notes to identify priority.
I also use what EY 1 does with emails and flagging. I tend to also write the task in my list as well, but flag the email so it remains very visible and easier to find to reply to. My outlook has a plethora of folders for “filing” away emails, I try to keep my inbox to 20 or fewer emails.
Specifically with expenses that you mentioned, usually accounting has a deadline that they like to receive expenses each month for the company CC and reimbursements. I’d ask them for that date and put in a recurring reminder in your calendar. Also, give your execs an envelope with a label for the trip that they can put receipts in whenever they have a business trip. They just hand you the envelope when they get back, easy peasy.
The planner I use: https://shop.franklinplanner.com/store/category/prod4800002/Planner-Love-Planner/Wild-Asparagus-Planner-Love-Weekly-Ring-Bound-Planner?RANsiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-19767Bx9ZtVs8L0l0cLx.A&ranMID=42036&ranEAID=2116208&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-19767Bx9ZtVs8L0l0cLx.A
They also make a wire bound version if you don’t want the bulk of a cover.
I just figured out how to use One Note. Love it!
For me what worked was picking one way to track my tasks and sticking with it. There are so many manual and electronic ways to track your to dos and projects, I ended up having lists and to dos in multiple places that always ended up getting lost. It really needs to be what works best for your method.
I have a planner I use for personal reminders, birthdays, to dos that are not work related, etc. My team got me this sweary one, which I LOVE, but it may not be your cup of tea =) https://www.amazon.com/2022-Came-cking-Conquered-Planner/dp/1728231396/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=i+came+i+saw+i+f+cking+conquered+planner&qid=1641916260&sprefix=I+came%2C+I+saw+I+%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1
For tasks and to-do lists I prefer the old fashioned notebook and pen. I love office supplies, so I pick a notebook and use this to write to do lists, take misc notes during discussions, etc. and I use post its for the random things that pop up during the day that I need to do quickly. I am a bit crazy and I like to rewrite my to do list when I'm feeling stressed. Something about re-writing the remaining to dos on a fresh sheet in my notebook helps me process the things I need to do a bit better.
I'm not sure if you're a google user, but I also love the stars function in gmail. I use a red star for things I need to read, an exclamation point for things I need to action on, and a question mark for things I've answered but am awaiting a response from a team member. Instead of taking every email as it comes, I skim the request and assign it one of those things, then head back to it later starting with the oldest request, much like another poster responded. It helps me organize my email on a Monday morning when everything tends to be on fire.