VIP

Virtualize Your Business

Many of my recent posts have focused on great sites to help Virtual Independent Professionals.  Many of these I have found on my own but I've picked some of them out of THE most fabulous resource book for the virtual world I've ever seen.

Jean Hanson, a fellow Virtual Assistant, has gathered all the resources she has collected in her career and put them in this amazing book.  It's thoughtfully constructed, well-organized, and jam-packed with resources we all need.

I don't recommend e-books very often.  I've purchased more than my fair share and many of them are so poorly written or contain so little useful information I wouldn't consider recommending them.  This e-book is totally different!  If you only buy one book this year to help you find the resources you need, this is the one to get.

So, click the banner,  get this book, and enjoy!

Until next time...

Woe Is I

This is my favorite book for painlessly learning (or improving) grammar.  It's short, well-written, easy to understand, and isn't obsessive about the whole thing. 

I took my Virtual Assistant training through AssistU and this was one of three books that was required reading.  I had read it before but I learned even more when I read it the second time.  In fact, I'm reading it again. 

If you've been reading this blog with any regularity you know I'm a bit obsessive about how we present ourselves on paper.  I have a private list of the worst web sites I've ever seen.  I can't share it with you because it's not nice to make fun of people but I can guarantee you I would never buy anything from someone who can't write well enough to know the difference between there and their or its and it's. 

I admit, I make mistakes in this blog.  I have errors in both grammar and punctuation but this is written off the cuff.  That's the nature of blogs, right?  I still try to get things as correct as possible, even though it is informal.  My credibility as a Virtual Assistant is on the line.  If I can't write a cogent sentence in a blog, what might I do when working for someone else?  This is as true for any professional as it is for me.  If you have difficulty with grammar, read Woe Is I.  Work on improving your grammar and your credibility.

Until next time...

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

I don't think I've ever written a review of a book before I finished reading it but I'm about to do just that.  A friend recommended this book to me and I've been laughing my way through it ever since. 

First of all the official title of the book is, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Sero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.  Don't let the title scare you, though.  It's not only funny but instructional.  Lynn Truss, the author, lives in England so the book has British conventions but she covers that in the Forward.  There really isn't a huge amount of difference between British and American punctuation and even if there was, the book's a great read.

OK, so now you need the joke that goes with the title of the book.  I suspect it's buried in the book somewhere but I haven't gotten to it, yet.  Oh, dear, it just occurred to me that the joke I know may not have anything to do with the book title.  Well, never mind, it's a fun, stupid joke so I'll tell you anyway.

So, this panda bear walks into a restaurant and orders a sandwich.  The waiter brings him the sandwich, the panda eats it, pulls out a gun, shoots the waiter, and walks out of the restaurant.   woman sitting nearby turns to her dining companion and says, "Oh my gosh, what in the world is going on here?"  "Oh," said her dining companion, "he's a panda.  He eats, shoots, and leaves." 

Right, stupid, but I still love it.  So, read the book, have a good laugh, and learn a little about punctuation while you're at it.

Until next time...

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

David Allen has written Getting Things Done: The Art of Stree-Free Productivity for those of us who are too busy to get it all done.  It's more than that, though.  His book explains why we have all these little reminders popping up in our heads when we don't need them there and why they get in the way of what we need to get done.

I've read more books on organization than I care to admit (even to myself).  I've even taken a full-day class on how to use one of those organizer systems that weighs more than my purse.  I've set up systems on my own, read articles, talked to people who appear to be organized, and made list after list after list.  Now, along comes David and what does he do?  He tells me why all these systems have failed and then how to create one that works.  Yay for David!

I'll be the first to admit I haven't successfully applied the whole system but I haven't even finished reading the book so I'm cutting myself a little slack for the time being.  If I still haven't gotten it done in a month I may have to lock myself in my office with no distractions until it's completed.  I already know my life is less complicated than it was before I started reading the book, simply because I've started writing down absolutely everything I need to remember as soon as I think of it.  I then place that note somewhere I know it will end up on the appropriate list in my computer and review my lists regularly.  That's the whole focus of the book in a nutshell but it doesn't do justice to the thought and care involved in David's plan.

If you're still struggling with organization, give David a chance to show you how you can succeed this time.

You'll find the link for ordering David's book from Amazon in the left-hand sidebar.  Enjoy!

Until next time...

The Sequoia Seed

Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend a workshop presented by Karen Wright.  The home page of Karen's web site starts out with this:   "It is said that no encounter is accidental. That, whether known or unknown, paths cross for a reason — a reason that may lead to surprising treasures."

I agree wholeheartedly.  I believe the reason I met Karen when I did was because it was time for me to begin my journey as a Virtual Assistant (VA).  During the course of the workshop I identified my goals and how I wanted my life to look when I had achieved those goals.  Shortly before the workshop ended I was realized my dream was to become a VA.  I was terrified I couldn't actually achieve that goal but by then it had taken residence in my head and I was on my way to my life as it looks today and as it will look tomorrow.  By the way, Karen never doubted it would happen.  She knew I would succeed.  Her faith in me has always helped me see my way through the hard times to ultimate success.

Karen has written a great book, The Sequoia Seed, soon to be published.  If you head over to her site you can read an excerpt (try before you buy).  While you're there, don't forget to sign up for her weekly e-zine, "Waking Up!"  Karen shares her journey in a way that has inspired me to continue to seek my passion, to keep going when I felt like giving up, to live my life to the fullest--even when I just wanted to curl up and hide.

Do you have an exciting book to share?  Let me know.  I'll add it to my list and tell everyone about it as soon as I can.  If you've already reviewed it, share the link and we can all enjoy.

Thanks for visiting.  I look forward to seeing you here, again.

Until next time...