Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
June 15th, 2011 | 
Author: Are you super busy? Do you have trouble trying to juggle your work, family, household chores, errands, social obligations? Once those responsibilities are done, it leaves little time for our own personal wants and/or needs. In reality though, you need a bit of a break in order to make sure those obligations get done every day. That’s where ‘Me Time’ is so valuable.
We all need (and deserve) some time for ourselves each and every day. Sometimes even 5 or 10 minutes is enough time to rejuvenate and recharge our batteries. Do something for yourself each day ~ whether that be reading a book before bed, enjoying a cup of coffee at 10 am, maybe a 15 min. walk around the office building in sunny weather. Make an appointment with yourself each day to incorporate some ‘Me Time’ into your busy schedule. You will feel recharged & rejuvenated to finish all of those “have to-do’s”!
Posted in 
Imagine what you could do if someone else could shop for groceries, change your bed sheets, prep your meals or handle decorating for your graduation party? It may be worth your time to investigate the possibility of having someone else take on those energy-sapping chores.
But how do you decide if you should outsource chores, and which ones? Here are some factors:
- Look Honestly At Your Life. Mind racing because you have too much going on? Are you losing touch with friends and family due to an overloaded schedule? Do you keep thinking about work when you’re not working? What’s the point of earning money if you’re not going to make the most out of your life?
- Evaluate Time and Cost. Figure out how long it takes you to complete the chore. Then, calculate how much you would earn if you drop the chore for more income-producing work.
- Account for Training Time. Some chores may require initial training. Even though the assistant might do this type of work regularly, the process may not be identical for all clients.
- Review Spending Habits. You may find areas where you can buy fewer things and invest that into outsourcing to gain more time. It’s a sacrifice, but the extra time can be worth it.
- Chores You Despise. These exhausting chores interfere with your emotional state and energy levels, which affect work and personal activities. Hiring someone else to take on hated chores could give you extra energy and time to do the things you enjoy.
What chores do you want to outsource? Email me cheryl@priorityerrands.com or call (920) 731-2634. Let’s discuss your options!
This article was written by Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS and it's one of my
favorites to get you thinking about all that an errand runner, corporate
concierge and/or personal assistant can do for you. Enjoy!
One of the questions I get asked by the media is what does a concierge or personal assistant do? The quick answer is they will do anything in the yellow pages as long as it’s legal, moral and ethical.
Everyone single one of us tries to squeeze 36 hours into a 24 hour day, and when you do that you inevitably don’t do it very well. You get stressed …
Which leads to tired …
Which leads to not eating healthy because you’re craving “comfort” food …
Which leads to sickness.
Not good!
A concierge is here to do the things that you have to, leaving you the time to do the things that you want to like spending more time with family and friends, putting more time in at the office, or relaxing with a good book!
That being said, below is a list of 52 ways you can use a concierge. Since the real list of what a concierge can do for you is endless, the list below is merely here to get you started.
- Obtaining tickets to concerts, special events and sporting events
- Transportation Services – train, plane or automobiles … concierge can get it!
- Travel and Vacation Planning
- Business Referral Service – need a landscaper or a plumber?
- Restaurant Recommendations and/or Reservations
- Pet services
- Internet Research – need research done and you don’t have the time to do it?
- Personalized shopping and delivery
- Running to the post office
- Dry cleaning pick-up and/or delivery
- Grocery shopping
- Running to the hardware store
- Senior care
- Modified house sitting – need someone to wait for the service technician while you’re at work?
- Picking up or returning a gift
- Meal Delivery
- Home Inventory – video the contents of your home and keep it in your safe deposit box
- Bill paying
- Auto Maintenance
- Home Organization
- Notary Services – many concierge area a traveling notary and can actually come to you.
- House Cleaning Services
- Courier/Delivery Services
- Delivering lunch to nurses and doctors at the hospital
- Delivering a Meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner
- Prescription Pick-up and delivery
- Repair and Service Calls
- Returning a library book or a video
- Sick Care – sick in bed? Call a concierge and they’ll do your errands, arrange for dinner to be delivered and can be on hand to help your family out
- New Mommy Services
- Meeting and Event Planning; private parties
- Personal Chef Services
- Single Parent Helper
- Employee Relocation Services
- Gift baskets and Flower Delivery
- Landscaping Services
- Special Day Reminder Service
- Charter a Private Jet, Yachts or Helicopter
- Hire a concierge to assist you at your event, wedding or conference – also called “event concierge” and “wedding concierge”
- Need Security? They’ll hire a security company to assist you.
- Day Spa Services
- Fashion and/or Stylist Consultant (my personal favorite on this list!)
- Nanny Services
- Estate Planning
- Arrange for your Tee Time at the golf club
- Book your appointments for you
- Hire a Butler
- New to the area? A concierge will give you a tour of the town
- Catering Services
- Get Away Weekends
- Office help
- Moving assistance – let your concierge unpack those boxes and put it all away!! All you’ll need to unpack is your toothbrush.
If you are looking to hire a concierge, then I suggest you visit www.ICLMA.org and check out our international concierge directory.
For people who are looking to be a concierge, please visit www.triangleconcierge.com
Until next time!
Katharine
About the Author: Katharine Giovanni is an international Concierge Training Expert, Award Winning Author and consultant, Certified Concierge Specialist (CCS) and Speaker. She is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of ICLMA – The International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association as well as President and co-founder of Triangle Concierge, Inc.
There is so much to do to keep a family running smoothly. Someone needs to run to the store to get this and tomorrow it is a different store for that. We have become so used to having these items right away that we don’t think anything of running a few errands each day. We are impatient to get the things we want — We need them now!
Of course you end up being the one who does all this running around. Every minute of the day seems to be filled up with these tasks. It is just overwhelming.
There is no need to let all these errands get you down. A little bit of planning and organizing can save a lot of time. Here are a few suggestions.
- Plan 1 or 2 errand days a week. Keep a list on the refrigerator or another designated place for family members to list what items they need at the store or special errands they need. Plan to go to several stores in the same area on one of your errand days rather than running all over town.
- Sign up for a milk delivery service. This can help prevent extra trips to the grocery store by having your milk and maybe a few other things delivered regularly right to your door. Sometimes these services also offer eggs, cheese, bread or juices as well as milk.
- Order your groceries and have them delivered. {Of course by your friendly local Errand Service!} There is usually an extra fee but the time saved & the use of coupons/store discount cards, may well pay for having your groceries delivered to your front door. Also you can prevent those impulse buys that almost always happen when you are physically present at the store.
- Order non-refrigerated items online in bulk. Amazon.com has many choices and gives a 15% discount if you subscribe to have the item delivered regularly. Caregivers of young children can save even more on baby and toddler supplies, up to 30% off.
Implementing just 1 or 2 of the ideas above can decrease the wear and tear these errands put on you, your time and your vehicle. It may be hard to change old habits at first but soon everyone in the household will know when errand day is and plan accordingly.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6119103
That is the question!
How do you know, in your small or home based business, if it is the right time for you to either hire help or outsource some of the tasks that are overwhelming?
A few weeks ago, I started looking at listings on the internet for part-time jobs. I wanted to see what was out there and what an employer was willing to pay per hour for a part-time employee. Boy was that interesting!
It got me to thinking: Why wouldn’t a small or home-based business just outsource tasks to another local business owner? Wouldn’t it be easier than to pay insurance, worker’s compensation, office space, training and equipment?
Here are some advantages of outsourcing to another established business:
- They are self-employed
- They will bill a client only for the hours worked on tasks
- They are dependent on steady work-flow from their existing clients and referrals, which means they want their clients to be successful
- Have their own insurance
- Pay their own taxes
- No office space needed or equipment to purchase
- They are willing to work from their own office or from the client’s, whatever is most convenient
With a part-time employee, they’re usually look for a guaranteed amount of hours per week or month. They want you to always have work for them to do. And if you don’t, you are still paying them anyway, along with all of the little “extras”.
When you outsource to another local business, you only pay them for the time you use their services. All you have to do is make one phone call, book a Block Hour Plan and viola – here is your “Personal Support Specialist” ready to work for you for as many or as few hours as necessary.
And that’s how Priority Errands works. You contact me and I become your “Personal Support Specialist” working in your office or in mine to finish your Priority List. I give a 110% because your success is my success. You know what you want done, I make sure it happens!
How do you really feel about your time?
Do you have a lot of it? Or do you run around like a “chicken with your head cut off” not knowing what to do and when to do it?
We all put things off sometimes – we procrastinate. But why do we procrastinate?
Sometimes it’s because the task at hand just seems to big. Or maybe you simply don’t like doing what needs to get done. More than likely, the answer is simple – you don’t have enough time.
Below are 5 simple tips that I feel will really help you to organize your time and gain the confidence to get it all done!
1.) GET A JOURNAL to jot down your to-do list. Choose one that’s convenient for you and fits into your lifestyle.
2.) MAKE THE DAILY TO-DO LIST the night before. You’ll wake up knowing exactly what you need to do and when you need to do it.
3.) ASK YOURSELF one simple question: “Is this the most important thing on my list?” It’s tempting to finish the easy errands first, leaving the urgent ones undone. Instead mark, underline, star the have to do items to remind yourself to do those first.
4.) GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION to sometimes not get it all done. If you have a full to-do list for the daytime and activities at night planned with your family, it’s OK to save some of your to-do list for the next day.
5.) CROSS THINGS OFF as you complete them. The feeling of accomplishing your to-do list will give you the confidence to handle anything that comes your way.
These simple tips will help you get tasks that need doing, done on time! Then you can relax without that nagging feeling that something’s been left undone.
The other day I went to a business meeting. You know the kind where you meet business owners and you hand out your cards and network.
And there’s always that one question after I hand them my business card: “Hmmm, Priority Errands. That’s interesting. So, what exactly do you do?”
The first answer that always pops into my mind is: “A little bit of everything. I’m a ‘Handy-Woman’ for unpleasant tasks by offering you an extra pair of hands.”
When I got home I started thinking about that phrase. Is that what I REALLY do? Is that my business focus?
In a way, yes, it is what I do. I run errands for people that don’t have time to do them. I take care of tasks that people don’t want to do (like laundry, waiting in line for stamps or taking out the garbage!).
But, what do I PROVIDE for my clients? What changes have I made in their life?
Often you have many home & work responsibilities that overlap. You are probably working longer hours & are asked to do a variety of jobs that maybe you have never done before. Then there’s that personal to-do list that needs to get done after you’ve put in a full day of work.
How do you feel about those responsibilities? Frustrated? Alone? Overworked? Overwhelmed? Sometimes, thinking about all we HAVE to do, makes us not what to do any of it at all. What can you do?
How about turning to someone to help you out? A professional? Because you will get tasks done quickly without a lot of hassle. You will have the ability to get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. You will MULTIPLY yourself without stress. You will get rid of those jobs that you just don’t like doing.
How does that make you feel, when you get help from someone you trust? Relieved? Relaxed? Peaceful? Excited? Energized?
One of my clients once told me: “Cheryl, you have no idea what a difference you have made on my family’s life. We don’t argue anymore about chores not getting done. They are finished when we get home from work and we are finally able to have dinner together, peacefully!”
Bingo!! That’s what Priority Errands is really all about: Giving busy families more peaceful time together. Being the “key” to reclaiming a personal/professional balance. All in all that is my Life’s Purpose — my Focus.
Happy 2010! Time seems to have flew right by me this last year. I am hoping to connect with all of you in 2010 by providing some simple time-saving tips, tricks and services through this blog. It’s time to kick it up a notch and provide you with the ideas you need to accomplish more while doing less!
What are your time challenges?
What do you like to do that you don’t have time to do?
I’d love to hear from you on your thoughts, your needs, what errands you would like to delegate or what little things you already to that make your life easier!