From time to time, everyone needs a little help, whether that’s for their business or in their personal life.  But what happens when a busy week turns into a busy month, a busy year, a busy… forever?  What should you do when working flat out all the time has turned into an inescapable norm? It might just be that you’re exactly the kind of person who’d benefit from the hands-on support of a virtual assistant.  So if you’ve been asking yourself “do I need a virtual assistant?”, here are some of the key signs to help identify if this could be you… Burning the candle at both ends Yo ..read more

April 12, 2022 Martha Northway A virtual assistant's tips for getting organised - and staying that way "Organising is a journey", not a destination Providing virtual assistance support to a range of different clients has taught me many lessons about organisation. Today I’d like to share a few tips with you to help assert order in what can sometimes feel like a chaotic world.    Top tips for getting organised Focus on your objectives Remind yourself of your long-term goals and keep checking them and updating them when things change. Make sure each of your projects and tasks ma ..read more

7 great productivity tools and apps There are so many apps out there which are designed to make life easier and more productive that it’s sometimes hard to see the wood for the trees. Here are a few of the most user-friendly apps which I’ve found can make the biggest difference on a day-to-day basis. For Document collaboration: Google Docs Google Docs is a fantastic tool which allows you to share documents and collaborate with others in real-time. It’s basically a word processor which cleverly eliminates the need to save and email files to and from when more than one person is working on ..read more

Love it or hate it, Christmas is just around the corner. Traditionally a time for loving and giving, Christmas can also be – let’s be honest – a time for tearing out your hair at the sheer amount of tasks you need to get through! Don’t panic though. Here’s a handy list of all the things you might need to start thinking about if you haven’t already! Let your clients know when you’re going to be available There’s nothing worse than that sinking feeling of getting an urgent client request when you’re about to shut down your laptop for your Christmas break.  In advance of the holidays, make s ..read more

April 12, 2022 Martha 10 tips for better time management Do you get to the end of the day and wonder why you’ve been working so hard yet still haven’t been as productive as you’d like? Do you sometimes find yourself getting distracted from the job you’re trying to complete? Do your tasks spill over regular hours and start creeping into your personal time? If this sounds like you, it’s time to take control of your time management and whip your day into shape!  As someone who provides virtual assistant help to others, this is something I know better than anyone, so here are my top tips ..read more

Friday 16th September 2022 In my blogs I talk about the services virtual assistants provide and who they can help.  But I also understand that sometimes, it can feel hard to relate to abstract facts.  That’s why I’m going to be adding occasional case studies to my blog series. These articles are designed to put a real face to the question “who needs a virtual assistant?”, and you might even find you read and recognise yourself in the sectors, challenges and solutions of some of my clients. In this post we’ll be starting with Mario Otvos, a busy and successful entrepreneur with multip ..read more

August 15, 2022 Martha Northway What is a virtual assistant and why have they become so popular? If you’re self-employed or running a company, the chances are sooner or later you’ll reach a point when running around trying to do everything just isn’t sustainable any more. The reality is that doing the “doing” isn’t always the best use of your time, and instead you should be focussing on the big stuff, like sales, strategy and business growth. So what should you do when you find yourself in this situation?  That admin isn’t going to take care of itself after all!  It might be ti ..read more

April 12, 2022 Martha Northway How to find a virtual assistant tailor-made for you Sometimes it feels like every second of your day is filled with tasks and chores; making phone calls, arranging paperwork, chasing suppliers up, handling finances, organising travel arrangements and everything else in between. But what if you’re spending so much time on these tasks, you’re not left with enough time for the important stuff? One way to free up your time it to bring a virtual assistant on board – an extra set of hands to help with whichever tasks you assign them. This blog post is designed to ..read more