Disguise Your Downtime!

One of the biggest mistakes an assistant will make is not going the extra mile. Downtime is inevitable, however, what you do with your downtime can make or break your career. Below are helpful hints for turning your downtime into production time.

Stay on Your Toes

Nothing impresses an executive more than a person who takes the initiative to do more than is asked. Here are some questions to help brain storm potential ways to be more productive.

• What would help the executive(s) to remember things?
• What would help the executive(s) be more prepared for meetings?
• What would help the executive(s) stay on task?
• What would help the executive(s) find answers quickly?
• What would help the executive(s) have more time to spend on more important things?
• What would help the other employees get things done faster?
• What would help train other employees?

The solution to these issues should not only be easy, you should find that they will be well received by your executive as well as the employees around you. Next, I will try to answer some of these questions and offer suggestions to keep your downtime minimal and your boss' happiness, maximized.

Simple Solutions

Once you have determined the issues within your office, start thinking simple. The needs of your office change over time and the procedure for doing things within it need to change as well. Don't try to invent the next revolutionary office tool, simply reinvent the procedures already in place. Don't try to invent the next revolutionary office tool, simply reinvent the procedures already in place. Here are some general solutions to some of the problems stated above:

What would help the executive(s) to remember things?

It would help the executives if you remembered the things they forget. Try setting alarms on Microsoft Outlook to alert you when they have an appointment or anything else that needs to be remembered. You and they can share a calendar making it twice as difficult to miss something important. If you don't use Microsoft Outlook in your office, try setting alarms on your cell phone.

What would help the executive(s) be more prepared for meetings?

Using your calendar or cell phone alarm, you should always know when a meeting is scheduled. Make sure all materials for the meeting are photo copied, any data is processed and displayed correctly using Microsoft Excel or other programs, make sure arrangements have been made for refreshments if your office is hosting the meeting, make sure you make confirmation calls prior to the meeting and most importantly, make sure your office representatives are on time.

What would help the executive(s) stay on task?

Most likely, unnecessary interruptions are the cause of most executives' inability to stay on task. Everyone in the office must learn to differentiate between important interruptions and unnecessary ones. Everyone wants to get a piece of the executive(s), and they all think it's urgent. You must screen their calls and visitors even if they have not asked this of you. Most people don't want to be rude when visited or called by someone, and your boss is no exception. Guess who has to be the bad guy? Find out the nature of every call and every visit when you know your boss is focused on their work. Only let people through who are relevant to the task at hand.

What would help the other employees get things done faster?

Throughout your time spent at work, you will undoubtedly come across procedures that are completely ineffective and cumbersome to your office. You're probably not the first to notice, however, most people keep their mouth shut in order to not step on anyone's toes. This is a good idea for flying under the radar, however, if appropriate for your office, many ideas and suggestions will be embraced by executives. Inform your executive of your observations and formulate solutions. Your boss will most likely be impressed and let you run with your ideas.

What would help train other employees?

Many companies provide training for their employees, such as technical training and sales training but the training is rarely for assistants and other office administrators. This is a perfect opportunity to show off your skills. Create training manuals for office personnel and implement your new procedures. You'll be surprised how quickly news of your manual will spread and besides the recognition from executives, you will gain a writing credit as well.

For anyone who's not afraid to put a little work into their job, there's a bright future in office administration and assistance. Executives appreciate initiative and find it lacking in their typical office staff. Using these suggestions will not only impress your boss, but you will get much more satisfaction from your position and the hours will melt away, floating you into the weekend.

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