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2008
Making Time for the Things that are Important to You
While I do not dare to compare the launch of this website with the birth of my (now almost 2-year old) son, there were definitely similar moments of fear, excitement and even some pushing to get it out into the world. I’m now experiencing the same feelings of joy, relief and excitement as it begins to grow and take on a life of its own.
We all have lives outside of the office, things that compete for our time and energy. That’s why, as a business owner and mom, I am so committed to the services that The Modern Concierge provides. It’s about letting someone else conquer the items on your to-do list that always get pushed to the bottom, so that you have more time outside of work to enjoy the things that are most important and enjoyable to you. What’s important to me is my family, my work, spending time with friends and even trying to fit in some “me” time.
What’s important to you?
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2008
Easy & Affordable Perks at Work
I just heard about an amazing corporate perk that I had to share (other than The Modern Concierge that is!). A friend of mine works for a company that wasn’t able to give her the raise she (and they) knew she deserved. So, along with a slight monetary increase, they offered her one morning off per month. A half day off each month doesn’t seem like much at first, but just think about it, all of a sudden a weekday is available to you to sleep in, to make those hard to schedule doctor appointments or even to have crowd-free shopping opportunities at Target and Costco.
I remember the first time that I went to Target on a weekday morning during my maternity leave. I was in a different world. Plenty of parking! Clean, organized shelves! No lines! Suddenly I had the opportunity for quiet meandering around the aisles- pure joy.
Office perks come in different shapes and sizes, and creativity in today’s workplace are key. There are lots of easy and affordable ways to show employees that you value their service to your organization. What’s your company doing to show they care?
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2008
Executive vs. Personal Assistant
It’s been a true benefit for me to have an executive assistant, and I’ve been lucky to have several great ones over the years. They have done everything a man can dream of and more: listened carefully to me, cleaned my desk, scheduled my meetings and even gotten me a latte every once in awhile (after all, Starbucks is practically next door). Knowing my executive assistants could do everything I asked, you would think my life would have been so easy.
But it’s wasn’t - I could never ask my assistant to pick up my dry cleaning, find rare wines on the internet, clean out my garage, or complete the many other everyday chores I needed done. In my industry, these types of errands were (and rightfully so) beyond the scope of the professional obligations of an executive assistant. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not crying tears of distress because I’ve had to walk my own dog and wait on hold while calling the cable company for an appointment, it’s just that now I know there are ways to make my life easier and my free-time more fulfilling. While my assistants have always been a part of that puzzle, now that I am working at The Modern Concierge, my eyes are opened to what is possible with just that little extra help. Life is good!
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2008
The Brilliance of Balance
Until very recently, I have not been hugely successful at “balancing” the different aspects of my life - my nature is to go full-force in most things that I take on. A new relationship: I disappear for weekends at a time; a new business idea: it’s all I can think about; planning a charity fundraiser: you would think it was my fulltime job.
So it’s actually quite surprising that my job is to help busy professionals achieve balance. I feel that the reason I am good at what I do - and why I understand the challenges involved - is because I discovered how to do it for myself. I realized that if I devote a disparate amount of time to a new relationship, my business or charity work, the other areas of my life suffer. So I learned how to make my time equally available to each endeavor to achieve a state of equilibrium that works for me.
I’m not saying it’s easy, or that it happens overnight - it’s a process that requires assessing priorities, making changes, and asking for help when needed. And I’m not saying that I’m always on track. But I do know that when I have sense of balance, I feel brilliant. And what a great way to feel!
What makes you feel brilliant in your life?