Virtual Option

Make Time To Relax

Marion Tripp — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:43 +0000

I love what I do! Owning my own business is very rewarding. However, the reward brings with it responsibility. The responsibility brings stress. The second quarter of this year has been especially hectic with travel, business conferences, support for clients and the list goes on.

I am sure the same is true for you. You have work, family, life… it is so easy to get caught up in it all. Since this weekend is a holiday, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you, (and me!) to take a moment to relax.

“In our day –to-day lives, stress is inevitable. But when it’s left unmanaged, it can wreak havoc on our mental and physical health.” writes Jessica Taylor, blogger The Daily Muse, in her article Easy Ways to De-Stress When You Don’t Have Time. Be sure to read her suggestions for ways to de-stress if you have 5 minutes, 15 minutes, an hour or half a day.

Catch your breath. Relax. Enjoy the Victoria Day holiday.

Need time to relax? Let VIRTUAL OPTION support your business. Hire VIRTUAL OPTION for all your association or business administration, virtual assistance and social media support. Contact VIRTUAL OPTION for a consultation.

Increase Productivity-Organize Your Home Office

Marion Tripp — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:44:56 +0000

color:gray;">Today, it is more common to find a place in a home dedicated as an office space.

How do you keep the space clutter free? To run an efficient home office, what organizational tools should you implement?

Elaine Quinn, an internationally-recognized organizing and time management expert, is the author of “There’s No Place Like Working From Home.” She has many tips for getting organized, staying motivated and getting things done.

From her blog post, “Do You Love Your Home Office?” she shares,

“When you work from home, there are plenty of excuses to avoid getting down to business. One of the most frequent reasons clients give me for procrastinating about their work is that they just don’t like their home office.

Your home office should be a pleasant and comfortable environment that you enjoy being in. It should make you feel inspired, efficient, and productive.”

Remember, VIRTUAL OPTION is here to help you with your business. Hire VIRTUAL OPTION to support your association or business with administration, virtual assistance and social media support. Contact VIRTUAL OPTION for a consultation.

Are You Attending The Toronto Entrepreneurs Conference?

Marion Tripp — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:41:13 +0000

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Do You Have The “Small Talk” Secret Weapon?

Marion Tripp — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:00:15 +0000

Can you believe the weather we are having?

How will the Jays do this season?

If you think small talk is pointless, you may want to reconsider your approach. Small talk serves a valuable purpose. Brett Nelson, a contributing writer at Forbes.com, explains why in his article, “Six Reasons Small Talk Is Very Important—And How To Get Better At It.”

You Have No Idea Where It Will Go.
It Makes You Smarter.
It Feels Good.
It Opens Your Eyes.
You’ll Be Liked.
You Have No Choice.

For more details, take a moment to read Brett's article. If you embrace the power of small talk, you will have a secret weapon in your networking toolbox.

Easy To Remember Passwords That Are A Challenge To Hack

Marion Tripp — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:39 +0000

Do you use one password for all/most of your accounts?

When was the last time you changed your password?

Since we are at the end of the first quarter in 2012, this is a good time to take a moment to update your passwords. Think of it as a spring-cleaning for your accounts.

Here is an easy formula for creating a secure password.

Think of a sentence. For example, “Today chocolate is my favorite sweet treat”
Use the first letter of each word. tcimfst
Capitalize one of the letters. tciMfst
This can be your foundation password, and then add a symbol and a different number for each account. A social media account could be tciMfst-1, an email account could be 2-tciMfst, etc.

These two articles have more tips for creating secure passwords.

Password Protection: How to Create Strong Passwords

How To Create Strong Passwords You’ll Remember

Would you like to manage your passwords using a secure system? Try Roboform or Passpack.

Rethink Your Ability To Multitask

Marion Tripp — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:00:26 +0000

We all want to believe we are superman or superwoman.

Often times we feel a surge of adrenalin when we get a lot done in a specific amount of time.

Are we fooling ourselves? When we “multitask” are we being efficient? Are we maintaining a level of quality?

According to Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project and author of Be Excellent at Anything, "When you switch away from a primary task to do something else, you're increasing the time it takes to finish that task by an average of 25 per cent."

Read the full article, The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

Would you like to really multitask? Maintain a level of efficiency and quality with administrative, virtual assistance and marketing projects. Hire VIRTUAL OPTION to support your association or business. Contact VIRTUAL OPTION for a consultation.

Do You Need That Drink?

Marion Tripp — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:40:24 +0000

Do you travel for business?

If you do, then yes, you need that drink, IF the drink is water. Alcohol, soda, diet soda, and even coffee should not be consumed while traveling. Too challenging? Then at least reduce the number of drinks to one per day.

Why? Judy Caplan, a Vienna, Virginia based registered dietitian of more than 30 years explains, “[Alcohol, soda, diet soda, coffee] drain the body of B vitamins and add calories.” She also talks about stress and traveling in her article, “One Less For the Road.”

March and April, September and October seem to be peak business travel times. We want you to take care of yourself while you are on the road. Since we are not medical professionals, please do not substitute our opinions for your judgment.

We are a virtual assistant service. If your business needs support while you are away from the office, for business, personal or vacation, you can count on VIRTUAL OPTION to keep things running! Contact us for a consultation.

Are You Still Dubious of Social Media?

Marion Tripp — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:46:27 +0000

What makes a "success" in social media?

Red Bull, Coca-Cola, Victoria Secret and Oreo are four brands with very popular pages on Facebook. Each brand page has more than 17 million fans, in fact, Coca-Cola has more than 37 million fans. How did they do that?

Kevin J. Allen explains in his article, How four brands manage their wildly successful Facebook pages, "Brevity is the soul of building your fan base; Strong content paves the road to becoming a lifestyle brand; Give your fans ownership; If you've got it, flaunt it."

We offer social media support services. If your business needs social media support contact VIRTUAL OPTION for a consultation.

Change Is Comming To The Facebook Business Page

Marion Tripp — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:24:52 +0000

What’s “Timeline” all about?

If your association or solopreneur business has a “page” on Facebook, the look will change at the end of March 2012.

Facebook is updating from a “page” to a “timeline.” The concept is for businesses to tell a story by marking significant events in a chronological order. If you happen to be tuned in to the buzz in the cybersphere, you will have noticed this is causing quite a ripple.

We believe the pro and con of participating in social media is an ever-changing atmosphere. Successful social networks are always tweaking the system to fit the need of the user. This is a good thing, even if the perception is that the change is frustrating.

What are the changes?

The overall look and feel is being modified, there are new ways for followers to contact the business and there will no longer be a landing page. If you have a personal profile on Facebook, you are familiar with the timeline. The timeline implemented for personal users is now going to be the default for businesses.

Interested in more details? Here are three articles that concisely summarize the changes.

The Complete Guide to Facebook Timeline Pages

Facebook Brand Timelines:
6 Big Changes Every Marketer Needs to Understand

Timeline for Brands:
How to Prepare for Your Company’s New Facebook Page

Does your organization or business have a Facebook Page? Need help updating to the new Timeline?

We offer social media support services! If your business needs social media support, contact VIRTUAL OPTION for a consultation.

The Value Virtual Option Team Brings To Clients

Marion Tripp — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:45:56 +0000

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