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Word of the Year Blog

Set an intention with a Word of the Year. The Officials word of the year revealed.

I love setting a word of the year! If you aren’t a fan of resolutions, then perhaps this is the way to go this year. What’s the difference?

Resolutions = Goals
Word of the Year = Intention

Last year our word of the year was Thrive and boy did we ever. The pandemic brought challenges of course but we were lucky to be perfectly placed to help so many administrative professionals on their professional career path and our officials community grew and grew.

We made incredible connections with people across the globe. Connections that left tattoos of kindness, gratitude and love on our hearts.

Continue reading Set an intention with a Word of the Year. The Officials word of the year revealed. →
Do you make a resolution and free year in review template

Are resolutions dead? Plus a free Year in Review template.

On New Year’s Day I was scrolling through Instagram. You can see already that people are ready to jump into their resolutions. Steven is posting about his new running gear, Gemma has posted about the number of books she wants to read this year and so on.

Scroll down to get straight to our tips on how to set achievable goals.

The Revolt on Resolutions

But I keep seeing posts that declare we should not set resolutions. That resolutions inevitably fail or asking why should we only set goals one time of year. And I get it. I really do. Especially about only being allowed to set goals once a year, it’s silly.

Some of my resolutions that quickly lost momentum in years past:

  • Losing weight
  • Keeping in touch with friends
  • Hitting huge/crazy financial goals
  • Having more patience

So last year I didn’t set any goals, I just chose a Word of the Year. I liked having one word to guide me and I have set a new word again this year. 

Continue reading Are resolutions dead? Plus a free Year in Review template. →
The best Black Friday specials for admins and assistants

The Best Black Friday Deals for Administrative Professionals

Here is a round up of our favorite Black Friday deals for administrative professionals. We have tried and tested items from each of the deals listed below and highly recommend them.

We know that gift-giving can be hard especially when you are buying corporate gifts, gifts for coworkers or your boss. Not to mention you can find great gifts for administrative professionals here as well.

Continue reading The Best Black Friday Deals for Administrative Professionals →
Laurne Bradley on Administrator Nation Podcast

Lauren talks tech on Administrator Nation podcast

Our founder Lauren Bradley is known for her love of tech. Even in the office here at HQ she is often jabbering away about a new app that she found and can’t wait to tell the world of admins about.

So when she was approached by the team behind podcast Administrator Nation to talk about her love of tech, it was a very quick yes!

Continue reading Lauren talks tech on Administrator Nation podcast →
Self-care another area to fail at

Is self-care just another area to fail at in life?

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot of about what I’m calling self-care shaming. I work hard. Like really $@%*?!ing hard. On top of that, every single day someone begs me to go to bed on time, finish working for the day, drink more water, eat a healthy meal, spend more quality time with my family, etc.

And of course they are all right. All of those things would be good for me. And while they mean well, the constant reminders to take care of myself can sometimes have the opposite effect. Self-care can feel like just another area where we are failing.

Continue reading Is self-care just another area to fail at in life? →
Follow-up Fridays help you stay on top of your to do list

Follow-up Fridays: Get your to do list under control with this weekly ritual

The slump continues…I’ve spoken with several assistants this week who continue to report feeling as if they are in a bit of a slump.

Contributing factors

Weather

If you are in a hemisphere where the world where the days are growing shorter and the weather is getting wetter and colder

More overload

With recent layoffs, redundancies and furlough assistants that have remained on staff are now expected to cover more work and support more managers and executives

Pandemic Purgatory Fatigue

General anxiety of the unknown. When will we feel safe? Still figuring out the balance of home and work life? When will we go back to the office? Will they let me continue work from home? Will my partner ever wash another dish again?!

Continue reading Follow-up Fridays: Get your to do list under control with this weekly ritual →
Event Planning and Management for Assistants

Event Planning and Management 101 Course

An event can be a powerful tool to bring people together. Being tasked with planning, implementing and managing a company event is a big responsibility.

Officials know this all too well. Admins and assistants are often tasked with planning various types of events. It could be a large annual general meeting, an internal conference, a social event, holiday party or a client event… and now we have to figure out how to do it all virtually!

On top of all of our other responsibilities, event planning and management can be daunting.

That’s why we have roped in the magnificent Lisa Boissel of Miss Jones PA to give us a crash course in event planning basics. Lisa is a pro under pressure and thrives on running the show. She walks you through planning and managing a successful event step by step and has gifted you with the same templates she uses for friction-free events.

Continue reading Event Planning and Management 101 Course →
Those that make the biggest impact may be people you've never met in Lockdown

Lockdown reflections: How people you’ve never met can make the biggest impact on your life

This wasn’t the year I thought it would be.⁠
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Today is my birthday and I’ve been thinking about where I was this time last year and all that has happened up to now.⁠
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I was just barely a month into launching The Officials as a full training platform, hoping that my idea had legs and would help admins and assistants far and wide. I gave myself 6 months to prove the concept. ⁠
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Six months in I had proven the concept. The Officials had grown 6x what it was when we started. The feedback was incredible and I knew I was helping so many across the globe. I was ready to push hard to let every admin and assistant know that there was an affordable option out there that brought them the quality training our industry is so thirsty for….then lockdown hit and the demand for affordable online training went through the roof. Now are growth is 30x what it was when we started. I am so happy that we were able to be there for those who needed to differentiate themselves, excel and frankly…distract themselves from the news of the world.⁠
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But I did not get here alone. When I think of the success The Officials has today, I think of the people. ⁠

Continue reading Lockdown reflections: How people you’ve never met can make the biggest impact on your life →
The secret my own weddng taught me about price negotiation and sales

Let’s talk supplier negotiation: How I negotiated thousands off the price of my wedding

My own wedding taught me a HUGE lesson in negotiating with vendors and about sales in general. I even used this lesson when I would negotiate my salary with new employers.

My husband and I had an unconventional relationship. For starters, he lived in London and I lived in Pittsburgh a mere 3,700 miles away. He proposed the day before Thanksgiving (after about 1.5 years of dating) and we were married less than 3 months later. In fact I quit my job the Monday after he proposed, not to return and flew off to London with him a week later until just before our wedding when we returned to Pittsburgh to get hitched.

Continue reading Let’s talk supplier negotiation: How I negotiated thousands off the price of my wedding →