Posted by Marie on September 25, 2008
Do you know any brand new parents? It is a major lifestyle change. Sure they could use another blanket or another case of formula, but for a gift—how about giving them something they could really use?
Detour Services offers discounted service hour packages that make great presents. Imagine telling the new parents that they can always have a full fridge for the next few weeks or that their bathroom is going to stay clean. Perhaps they will choose to make sure that all their bills will actually go out before the deadline.
A gift package will let the adjusting parents decide where they could use the most help. Click here to see the options available.
Posted by Marie on September 18, 2008
Did you know that all the information you backed up on those CDs and DVDs are not preserved forever? The ink on the shiny side of the discs degrades. When it goes, so does your information.
The high-quality Japanese disc manufacturing plants are all but gone. The market is filled with lower quality product from cheaper manufacturing options.
The rule of thumb used to be to burn a new backup every four to five years. With your especially sensitive or precious information though, you’ll probably want to beat that timetable by a mile.
Copying your CDs and DVDs is another one of those time intensive necessities that is easily outsourced to a personal assistant.
Posted by Marie on September 13, 2008
Every so often, I’ll share some of the actual assignments that I receive to provide more details on the scope of what a personal assistant can do.
Recently, I accompanied a writer to a professional conference. He was scheduled to present one of the seminar sessions. These events can be very stressful because the speaker is almost always walking into an unfamiliar room. Sometimes the light switches are hidden. Sometimes the mics don’t work. Any audio-visual needs are going to be a puzzle.
As an assistant, I helped bring in and organize the needed materials. I also compiled and distributed the literature for the attendees. During the presentation, I operated the video camera to tape the segment. After it was all through, I aided in the packing and clean up.
Throughout it all, I was there to jump on any needs and issues that may have come up. The writer and his party said that support really helped him focus on his presentation. He wasn’t distracted by the possibility of having to improv because something wasn’t working or was not on hand.
Total hours: travel (1:00), assignment (3:00)
Posted by Marie on September 11, 2008
Everyone can use some extra cash these days. As all those articles and advice columns will tell you, selling things you no longer need is a great way to do that. You benefit doubly.
- You have a less cluttered and more organized house.
- You’ll gain the extra money from their sales.
Even though there are many more choices today, eBay is still a strong option for selling unwanted items. For such an assignment, your personal assistant can help in a number of ways:
- The two of you can go through your rooms and storage areas to choose appropriate items.
- You may want him/her to take digital photographs of everything.
- The personal assistant could set up the user accounts for eBay and PayPal, the easiest way to receive your eBay payments.
- All the item descriptions need to be written and a full listing created.
- Once the listing is up, your assistant can handle any questions that come through.
- After a sale is completed, he/she can also package up and ship your items.
- Lastly and importantly, your money will need to be taken out of PayPal and transferred to your bank account.
Please note: It is best to do this only if you or your personal assistant is already well versed with eBay. It is very easy to lose money through listing fees and unsold items.
Posted by Marie on September 9, 2008
Collecting is always fun. But for many people, it is also serious business.
A personal assistant can help such a collector amass an enviable library of items. Quite often, professional assistants are expert researchers. They know how to set up alerts to find out when certain items become available on the market. They can find other collectors and set up networking opportunities. They can also find out when topic specific conferences are being held.
A collections assistant doesn’t have to take all the fun out of searching for a bargain or out of finding just the right finishing piece. He or she can simply add to your knowledge base and trim down the search field.
