What's a standard day for a personal assistant?

Do you want to be a personal assistant? Like any job, it's not for everyone. Here's what you should know before handing in that application.

• Interested in becoming a personal assistant, but don't know exactly what the day-to-day duties entail? While your tasks vary depending on the type of business you work for, your general day looks similar from job to job.
• Personal assistants are called upon for many tasks; if you take a position as a personal assistant you can expect to perform these tasks on a regular basis.

• You start your day by creating a complete to-do list for yourself and your boss. You also catch up on communication such as work texts, emails and memos to figure out a schedule for the day's tasks.
• Strong scheduling and people skills are necessary to keep everything sorted out. You plan meetings, book appointments and do your best to keep your boss on task.
• Some personal assistants use task and project management tools to keep themselves organized. In addition to the to-do list, you also have to keep the short, medium and long-term goals of the business and your boss in mind.
• Incorporate tools that send notifications for important events to avoid missing any essential duties. If you have recurring tasks, such as a weekly meeting or picking up catered lunch at the same time every day, enter these tasks once and set them to repeat.

• Another big part of your standard day is figuring out your boss's preferences so she doesn't need to micromanage you throughout the day. You need to observe her throughout the day to figure out how she likes her drinks, her preferences for lunch, how to take notes and other little details of her workflow.
• Over time, she won't have to ask you to do something, you already have the tasks done as she wants them.

• Your boss calls upon you do to all the little time-consuming and menial tasks so she can focus on her job. Sometimes you need to print handouts for a work conference, and other days you're calling every vendor in town to find a last-minute replacement for an essential piece of business equipment.
• Many personal assistants enjoy the challenge of doing something new day in and day out instead of getting stuck in the same paperwork rut many other office work jobs offer.
• Being able to stay cool, calm and composed in stressful and hectic situations is an essential part of succeeding in the personal assistant field.