Here on PEI, many people are without power and have been since Monday (this is Thursday). We had some freezing rain on Monday that did extensive damage to the power lines and it’s just a terrible situation. The Maritime Electric crews are working around the clock, and it might be into the weekend before power is restored to everyone.

Once again, this makes me think of how important it is to have a backup plan in place when you operate a business. Many businesses can’t open here because power is needed for almost everything.

We have a generator that will power our heat, coffee maker and our internet connection (three important things!). That being said, it is costing quite a bit to keep up with the amount of gas needed to power the generator.

It’s mostly business as usual, but we can only have the generator going for a couple of hours at a time because of the cost, and the house will stay warm for a little while once the rads are shut off.

We don’t have enough juice from the generator to use our stove, so it’s mostly grilling being done, but we’re a lot better off than some people.

Are you prepared for a power outage in your business? You might want to check out Yvonne Weld’s guide to making a plan for your business, including a disaster plan.

For anyone not living on PEI to see the devastation, check out the Guardian’s website to read about it and see some pictures of the ice that covered everything yesterday. Mother nature is truly remarkable.

So, are you prepared?

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I just noticed that I have been listed on fellow VA, Trina Lamarche’s blog as an outstanding blogger of 2007! What a huge honor for a new blogger like myself. I’m thrilled that people are actually reading this thing, never mind being listed as an outstanding blogger! Heavens, I’m blushing

Trina wanted to see her favorite’s favorites, so here we go, my Top 5 (in no particular order):

1. Connie McVicker, In The Worx
   
2. Maureen Kerr, Kerr Consulting
3. Cristina Favreau, The Savvy Entrepreneur
4. Yvonne Weld, Thriving Business Blog
5. Sally Kuhlman, Virtual Simplicity

I get excited when I see that these five ladies have posted something new, so I figure they belong on my list. Now I’m going to have to start reading Trina’s blog too since she put me on her list

Ok ladies, let’s see your list of outstanding bloggers!

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Well, one of my team members, Mark Hodder, has introduced me to a fabulous collaboration tool. It’s called Assembla, and if you’re looking for a virtual collaboration space, this one is awesome. It seems similar to Basecamp, which I have only used while on the client side of things. I personally prefer Assembla’s interface, which is why I’ve decided to go with it. How shallow of me. Seriously though, otherwise I don’t see much of a difference. Fact is, because I’m juggling quite a few clients and leading a team of VAs, I need a team space and I like this one. So I’m running with it.

Software like this prevents sifting through email to ensure nothing has gotten missed – it contains a history of all interactions. Large files will no longer gum up my email – they can be uploaded to Assembla. This will be a major time saver for me, and I think it will really improve Mann Made Time’s efficiency.

One of my resolutions for 2008 (and specifically for January) was to set up a collaboration space. Done!

Thanks Mark

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So I’ve waited quite awhile before posting my first post of 2008, but here I am. I took two weeks off for the holidays and I’m so glad I did! I feel rested and motivated. I’ve made a couple of personal New Year’s resolutions, and I’ve made quite a few goals for 2008.

Is there anyone that doesn’t vow to change a few things when January rolls around? I don’t think so. A new year is an opportunity to start fresh, start anew, make things better.

Have you made some goals for this year? This quarter? This month? This week? Today?

I think goals are important. In the wise words of Yogi Berra – “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”

The best way to stick to those goals you’ve set is pretty simple. Write them down. Don’t just write them down and forget about them, though. Write them down and look at them every day. I take great satisfaction in crossing off to-do items, and really, a to-do list is a list of goals.

If you’re a super smart and busy person, you’ve probably considered using the services of a virtual assistant to help accomplish some of your goals, right? A virtual assistant can take care of your administrative tasks so you can get to that goal list, and can even start crossing some items off for you.

One of my goals for the year is to post at least once daily to this blog, so I hope to ’see’ you back here tomorrow

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If you’ve visited our site before, you will notice that the look of Mann Made Time has changed quite a bit. I’m really excited about my new design and I can’t thank my designer enough. Ms. Connie McVicker of Signature Worx has outdone herself. I know nothing about web design, so I don’t know how much work actually goes into a project like this, but I can imagine it’s a big job.

I highly recommend Signature Worx for anything graphic or web related. Thanks Connie – you’re amazing.

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