How to Be Your Own PA

(Pic by Mariet Mons)

GOD, I wish I was successful enough to have a personal assistant (PA).

Someone who can sort out my schedule, plan my appointments and just tell me where to go at what time, shoving what I have to bring in my hands. I would love someone who keeps everything irrelevant out of my agenda, and who tells sucky people who want things from me to fuck off (but nicely).

And if he or she could als boring me coffee, so much would be fixed in my life. So much bliss would be had.

But alas. I’m only averagely slaving away at a desk job, I don’t make the type of money with my blog to afford another person.

So I gotta be my own PA. And here’s how I try to do that (try being the operative word here): Be your own PA.

1 PLAN. Create an itinerary for yourself, a walkthrough of the month/week/day. Whatever is most relevant for you right now. You can also create a planning for the project, and how that is incorporated in your job-life or personal life.

You have to know what you have to do, when to do it and by what time it needs to be finished.

(I sometimes include both the ‘ideal world’ deadline and the ‘if not finished by this time all hell will break loose’ deadline.)

2 BE RUTHLESS/BE ALL BUSINESS. 

Your PA wouldn’t care about cancelling something. He or she doesn’t give a SHIT about your friend’s thirteenth date with that boy, your grandma’s colonoscopy, that thing your coworkers are attending. Your PA only cares about things you specifically tell him/her to care about.

Your PA wouldn’t get emotional about having to miss a work-out, a drink or a dinner, if it were for the greater good (whether that’s the project or your emotional well-being).  Your PA doesn’t go “wehhhh, I don’t get to have any fun this week, wehhhhh” like the little bitch that you are/I am.

Look at your planning objectively, without emotion.

Your PA does not want to please everyone, your PA does not want you to do everything. Your PA stays focused on the key tasks.

Kick out off your planning what you don’t need, what does not fit, what makes you stressed, what does not work, and be like a guard dog about the planning. Bite anyone who wants to fuck with it.

3 CUT OFF ALL DISTRACTIONS.

Take away everything that distracts you from your schedule and your to-do’s.

4 GET. IT. DONE.  

I can be a total enfant terrible if you catch me at a bad time. I can imagine that I would be a handful for most PAs. You might be the same way. If you don’t feel like listening to someone, or doing the work, you might slack off, procrastinate or all around just cause trouble.

Well, rockstar, I got news for you. You’re now also your own PA, so you gotta manage yourself (which is fun, and the worst.)

So treat yourself like you would someone who might rebel against the itinerary. Coax, bribe, work with it, support with coffee and whatever else, but make sure the things that need to be done? Get done.

5. STOP WHEN YOU’RE DONE.

Done is done. Give yourself the night off when you’ve finished the job. Go be a granny on the couch or a rockstar in the club, as long as you show up the next day.

Oh, and know your own coffee order.

That’s all.

(Have a good Monday guys, love you.)

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8 comments

  1. “I sometimes include both the ‘ideal world’ deadline and the ‘if not finished by this time all hell will break loose’ deadline.” <- totally the best thing ever, since I always plan by the latter :'D

  2. Ik ben een slechtere personal assistant voor mezelf dan Lauren in The Hills. Mijn productiviteit draait op een terugkerend schema van uitstellen – stresspaniek werk- huilen – klaar zijn – niks van mijn fouten geleerd hebben – rinse and repeat. Planning maken gaat prima (want: leuk! Notitieboekjes! Gekleurde pennen!) maar het vervelende van een planning dat je daarna het daadwerkelijke werk moet doen. Hoe ik ooit iets voor elkaar krijg is een raadsel..

  3. leuk artikel en goed reminder om het belangrijkste op een rijtje te krijgen, zodat je efficiënter kan werken. Daarnaast lekker veel humor en heerlijk leesbaar, thanx!