Blog

Strategy

The 3 E’s of Exceptional Service

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on The 3 E’s of Exceptional Service
The 3 E’s of Exceptional Service

I could write you a thesis about why customer and client service should be one of your top concerns. Instead, I’m going to boil it down to one succinct line.

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE = EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS

We all want to make money and have repeat customers. We want to live off referrals instead of sinking money into online ads and robust marketing systems. We want to see a return on our effort and spend the majority of our time focusing on what we love.

You can easily get there by designing exceptional client experiences that consistently deliver exceptional results. Just start with the 3 E’s.

Continue reading “The 3 E’s of Exceptional Service” →
Communication

3 Ways to Reduce Errors in Your Emails

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on 3 Ways to Reduce Errors in Your Emails
3 Ways to Reduce Errors in Your Emails

“I do my best proofreading after I hit send.”

Ain’t that the truth?! I see this saying pop up in various memes a few times a year, and it always makes me giggle. Only after we hit send, do we suddenly notice we typed “your” instead of “you’re” or that we didn’t include the information we said we would. Errors become glaringly obvious, and we wish we had spent just a few more moments reviewing. And that’s all it takes – a few more moments.

With these 3 tips, you will greatly reduce the most common email writing errors without dedicating a ton of time proofreading and editing.

Continue reading “3 Ways to Reduce Errors in Your Emails” →
Communication

How to Write an Effective Email Subject Line

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on How to Write an Effective Email Subject Line
How to Write an Effective Email Subject Line

Over my 15+ years as an administrative professional and project manager, I found one tool to be indispensable for getting the answers I need and crossing things off my list. And that is… using the email subject line.

For a lot of us, the email subject line is a redundant line of text while trying to send a message, but when used appropriately, it’s your best friend. With proper form, you can set clear expectations about the content of your email and the action needed from the recipient, cutting down on delays and confusion.

And it all comes down to a simple formula…

Continue reading “How to Write an Effective Email Subject Line” →
Communication

3 Biggest Mistakes Made While Writing Emails that are Simple to Solve

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on 3 Biggest Mistakes Made While Writing Emails that are Simple to Solve
3 Biggest Mistakes Made While Writing Emails that are Simple to Solve

Like it or not, email is still our default form of communication and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Sure, you can add in various collaboration and communication tools, but you’re not going to completely get rid of emails. So, for now, it’s our main way of working with others and unfortunately, our fast-paced world is fueling our email headaches.

Too many new emails. Too much back-and-forth. Too much confusion.

How do we fix it?

Well, start by steering clear of these three email writing mistakes that are actually pretty simple to solve.

Continue reading “3 Biggest Mistakes Made While Writing Emails that are Simple to Solve” →
Organization, Productivity

5 Steps to Becoming a More Productive Entrepreneur

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on 5 Steps to Becoming a More Productive Entrepreneur
5 Steps to Becoming a More Productive Entrepreneur

As a business owner, you’re frequently wrestling with the challenge of how to get all the things done. How do you balance client/customer work and business development? How do you set priorities? How do you stay on task? How do you keep track of it all?

I get it. As a fellow entrepreneur, I understand there are unique challenges as you try to balance being the Chief of Everything and the CEO.

I have to tell you – there aren’t any secret tricks or hacks that will make you more productive. Our ability to get more done without draining the tank or operating in a constant state of overwhelm boils down to one thing… creating a solid foundation.

These 5 steps will help you strip your productivity habits down to the basics and rebuild so that no matter what comes your way, you can manage all the things without losing your mind.

Continue reading “5 Steps to Becoming a More Productive Entrepreneur” →
Productivity

Top 3 Mistakes Made When Selecting a Task Management Tool

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on Top 3 Mistakes Made When Selecting a Task Management Tool
Top 3 Mistakes Made When Selecting a Task Management Tool

We’ve all been there.

We start getting overwhelmed by how much we have to get done. We decide it’s time to make a change. We google “best task management tools” and pick the one with the best reviews.

Things start out really well. We load in all our tasks, get all the labels/tags figured out, maybe link it to our digital calendars. Things are going to be different this time. This time it’s going to stick.

Except, two weeks later, we have a rush of work, and life gets a little hectic, and that task management tool… ugh! It’s just more work to “catch up” tracking our tasks. So we stop using it.

Don’t worry – it happens to the best of us. However, if you’re tired of the cycle, you can break it by no longer making these three mistakes when selecting a task management tool.

Continue reading “Top 3 Mistakes Made When Selecting a Task Management Tool” →
Admin Tips, Administration, Business, Communication, Virtual Assistants

Maintaining Focus with a Parking Lot

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on Maintaining Focus with a Parking Lot
Maintaining Focus with a Parking Lot

Have you ever been in a meeting and while you do your best to focus on the content, you can’t help but think of all the other things floating around in your life? Or someone’s comment puts a thought in your mind and you find yourself stuck on it? Sure you have!

It’s always the most random stuff too. Did you ever hear back from that person? You’re out of laundry detergent. Someone recommended a book and it reminded you of that other book you bought and have been meaning to read.

While a simple concept, ensuring you always have a parking lot ready will capture all those random thoughts and keep you present where you need to be.

What is a Parking Lot?

Continue reading “Maintaining Focus with a Parking Lot” →
Admin Tips, Administration, Business, Strategy, Virtual Assistants

7 Tips for Reading More

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on 7 Tips for Reading More
7 Tips for Reading More

I wish I read more.

I think this a few times a week as I try to balance all the aspects of my life. I love reading and probably fall above average for my reading time, but still… I wish I read more.

Turns out, I’m not not alone. According to this article, Reading More is one of the Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions made by well-wishers. Whether we want to read more for professional or personal reasons, somehow we seem to be falling short of our desire.

How do we fix that?

Well, I have seven tips to increase your reading consumption without overwhelming your schedule.

Continue reading “7 Tips for Reading More” →
Admin Tips, Administration, Business, Strategy, Virtual Assistants

The Art of Creating New Habits that Stick

by Jen Lawrence1 Comment on The Art of Creating New Habits that Stick
The Art of Creating New Habits that Stick

Creating new habits is a struggle for almost every person on the planet. Have you ever met anyone who said, “I wanted to do this…and so I did. Boom! I’m perfect.”? No? Neither have I.

If you are this unicorn, I’d love to meet you!

For the rest of us, habit building is a constant cycle of start, joy, frustration, stopping, and restarting. Even if the new habit is small, like a skincare routine. Why?!

Well, because you’re rewiring your brain, that’s why! If changing or creating new habits was easy, we’d all be perfectly fit, kind, organized, productive, skilled, fabulous people.

However, there are two main reasons we fail on the path of creating or changing habits:

  1. We’re aiming too big/broad.
  2. We’re focusing on the end characteristic – not the behavior.

Let’s explore this a little more.

Continue reading “The Art of Creating New Habits that Stick” →
Admin Tips, Administration, Business, Productivity, Virtual Assistants

How to Handle Work Guilt

by Jen LawrenceLeave a Comment on How to Handle Work Guilt
How to Handle Work Guilt

Call it whatever you want – on some level we all experience some level of guilt around our jobs, especially if our work is particularly demanding. Today, there’s a focused emphasis on “Mom Guilt” but the reality is that dads experience it, caregivers experience it, married people experience it, single people experience it. Unfortunately, the guilt is real for most workers.

Why is guilt so prevalent in our society? First, it’s important to note that this guilt is nothing new. We’re just talking about it more – and making more memes about it. However, due to the climbing cost of living, we have more people in the workforce who are working longer hours to make ends meet, which is resulting in less time at home with our loved ones. Also, technology, while wonderful, is keeping us perpetually connected to both work and home, stretching our attention to full life awareness at all times. We’re hyperaware of all the things we aren’t doing and all the people we aren’t spending time with.

Work Guilt can be overwhelming and lead to emotionality, rash decisions, and mental breakdowns. While you may not be able to change the circumstances around the core of the work guilt (if you have to work, you have to work), there are ways we can manage how we feel.

Continue reading “How to Handle Work Guilt” →