==> Great Gadget Gifts for Writers and Bloggers

This gift guide is perfect for anyone on your list who is working from home, a writer, an author, a blogger, a virtual assistant, a list maker, note taker, or someone who generally has a pen or keyboard in hand, probably much like yourself. So, I confess it’s half a wish list for myself of tools and gadgets I’d like to have and then includes a few things that I already have that I absolutely love, like my netbook!

I hope you enjoy the list and happy holiday shopping!

Kind Regards,

This week Nicole asked….

Let’s say that you’re being paid a million dollars to be stranded on a deserted island for one month. You’ll have a nice bungalow and will have food and water delivered as well as necessities like soap and sunscreen – but NO technology.
You can, however, pack up to 10 books.
Which books would you bring? Why?

and I thought it would be fun to blog my own list of 10 books to take along with me while I’m stranded far away from everything with no technology. (Gosh, that is sounding more and more fun every day.)

Oh, I’m going on vacation for a month ~ awesome! This is a great question and I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading so I can add a few new things to my Amazon WishList of must-have books.

Well, I’m going to cheat a little bit and take the entire Harry Potter book set, so that’s books 1 through 7 for me.

Book Number 8 is one of my favorite books that I carry around with me, Too Deep to Fall, Poetry by Brian S. Oliver. Yes, I’m admittedly a little biased in my opinion that it’s completely awesome.

Book Number 9 off my bookshelf is The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas, a classic favorite that I read again and again. (By the way, have you met my oldest son, Dylan Thomas Oliver?)

Book Number 10 from the shelf is The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe, which has all the poetry and short stories in it. I could read it a million times over and over again (and I assure you that my copy is quite worn) but I figure that’s a good thing for being on a desert island with nothing but my thoughts.

What – no business books on my list? I have a stack a business books on my desk, more on my nightstand, I figured I’m going someplace sunny and warm I should probably enjoy myself and give my brain a break from all the seriousness. I might try to squeeze a journal in there to jot notes and ideas in, shhh don’t tell anyone I hid it in my sock!

Why did I really choose these 10 books? Whether it’s watching a movie or reading a good book on the beach it’s good to take a break from the stress and the crazy that an internet entrepreneur’s life can quickly become when everything revolves around work. Yes, being up to date and in the know about the marketplace is important and good for business, but so is your ability to de-stress, unwind, relax a little to renew both your mind and your spirit.

You can see all the expert answers and participate in this fun little thinking exercise at NicoleontheNet.com

Kind Regards,

So, where have I been? I’d like to tell you that I’ve just been super busy. And I have been pretty busy, but that’s not all that’s kept me from the blog. Well, the hard truth is that I’ve been really sick, whether I wanted to admit it or not I was sick for several months. Any time I was upright and not in bed feeling miserable I spent working on transcription and scratching things off the to-do list. Unfortunately, I was spending more time feeling miserable than working or spending time with my family. I’m finally feeling quite a bit better and ready to work hard and get things back to the way I like them again.

I’ll be jumping back into posting here once a week with virtual assistant information, ideas, tips, and hopefully by February 1st the very first VA Helper eCourse will be ready to go! I’m very excited to be sharing the things I’ve learned as a virtual assistant over the years with you and my hope is that it will make your journey as a virtual assistant easier and faster. If you have any questions about VA work please leave a comment or send me an email, I’d be glad to go over anything with you.

Thank you for joining me again, I appreciate it.

Kind Regards,

This brings up a point of interest for virtual assistants and service based businesses in particular. It’s easy to get caught up in the work and wanting to provide excellent and constant service at all times and then forget to take some time off for yourself. I know, because that has always been me. I am getting ready to unplug for the entire weekend Friday afternoon through Tuesday morning and it will be the first time I’ve done for more than 24 hours in a very long time. I’ll just say that when my family went to Disney World in the summer of 2006 I checked in with work daily…. and I’ll leave it at that.

So, my question to you today is do you take time off for yourself and to spend time with your family? It’s something very important that we all need to do, even if it is only for 24 hours, heck even if it’s only for 12 hours. You need to unplug once in awhile, step away from the high speed internet connection and get back into your life once in awhile. The world isn’t going to implode, your clients are not going to hate you, and nothing bad is going to happen. I promise.

Now, depending on the services you offer you may need to make arrangements with your clients and give them some emergency contact information while you’re taking time off to recharge your own batteries. That’s okay, do that. It’s also a good idea to have an assistant that can handle anything that comes up while you’re offline. Yes, I strongly you to get your own virtual assistant even though you are a virtual assistant!

Partner up with someone you already know or better yet hire someone that doesn’t celebrate the same holidays as you so you can swap holiday breaks. This works out really well in the long term because then neither of you misses a holiday ever again, it’s fabulous. She works for you while you’re recharging and you work for her while she’s recharging and enjoying a holiday.

Find a summer business buddy so you can cover for each other while taking a week’s vacation! Plan your family trips ahead of time and make sure they aren’t the same week and then let your clients know in advance. This is a great way for virtual assistants to help each other, especially if you have kids and are trying to cram in some summer fun before school starts back up.

I hope you take at least one day off this weekend, recharge yourself, relax, maybe even have a beer or two and catch a fireworks display!

Kind Regards,