Productivity Blog

Athena Executive Services CEO Gina Cotner was recently interviewed by Gabe Nelson on his podcast, "Solopreneur Money". The two discussed the art of delegation, Gina's path to becoming an entrepreneur and how to strike a balance between demanding and appreciative. "If...

"On the best of days, many CEOs would be lost without their EAs. In the chaos of the pandemic, exemplary assistance is not a luxury, but a requirement." Of course... we couldn't agree more! A good Executive Assistant is much more than a task-doer. A great Executive...

The art of delegating can be tricky, but worth it!  How do you develop the people around you to really rise up and take on more of the 'heavy lifting' of your company? Giving things 'away' can seem daunting but once you do the real work of learning how to effectively...

Asian Efficiency is a blog we consistently return to. This recent post about tackling so-called 'boring' tasks has some useful tips on learning to form productive habits, as well as long- and short-term solutions to overcoming lethargy. Of course, one solution is...

Enjoy this article which we agree with so very much. "Your ability to distinguish urgent and important tasks has a lot to do with your success.” Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”...

"It takes too long to explain what I want done!" Have you ever had that thought? "I know I should delegate this, but it will take me longer to explain how to do it then it will take for me to simply do it myself!” You are correct. You are absolutely right. So why...

Like the author of this article, our team has been working remotely since the start of our company, almost five years ago. Working from home is a benefit and advantage for our contractors. Our team of virtual Executive Assistants stay connected via bi-weekly strategy...

What does it take to manage people remotely? As the founder and CEO of Athena, that’s all I’ve ever done. We didn’t “transition” our business to a “work from home” business. That’s been the primary benefit for our staff right from the beginning. With the pandemic came...

Our CEO Gina Cotner frequently speaks to other Admin and Executive organizations on successfully managing expectations what accountability really looks like. Our own team of high-performing Executive Assistants are continuously trained and mentored on setting and...

Recently, Gina delivered a workshop at the amazing Empower 2020 Summit for Assistants, put on by our friends at Base. Here is an excerpt from the discussion on what it takes to truly be a high-caliber executive assistant:   Managing Expectations of those around...

Yes, Bill Gates, I agree. "Success isn't binary.”  Is the opposite of Success, Failure? No. Success is incremental. Are you learning lessons along the way? This is key. And this has been the key for our company. Certain clauses in our Master Service Agreement are...

I left IBM in 2006 to “become an entrepreneur”. After going to motivational conferences and reading some Robert Kiyosaki, my 32-year-old self said to herself, “No need to be bound to a large corporation! I’m going to go be free! I’m going to be in control of my...

For many, the conversation about compensation can be uncomfortable or even daunting. What is a high level Executive Assistant actually worth? Who decides that amount and assigns a number value? This excellent article, featuring several thought leaders in the EA space,...

Great stuff again from Jeremy Burrows! Jeremy is an Executive Assistant, Author and Podcast host. In this Op-Ed for Base, Jeremy discusses effective Communication, and outlines specific questions Executives and their Assistants should be asking each other. "Think back...

“But business is slow. I’m not as busy as I once was. How can I justify Time Off?” Time Off is for your overall wellness. And you have been taxed during the pandemic.  You have been taxed mentally, emotionally and perhaps financially and physically. It has been a...

This 22-year-old book is still so relevant! On the back cover, you’ll see the names of companies that reveal its age and era. This book is about the different ways we respond to life’s changes. Here in 2020 we might call a new edition of this book “Who Moved My...

Coaching our clients and Executive Assistants on effective delegation is one of the most important things we continue to do. Delegating with intention keeps a partnership strong and productive. We like this article that outlines 7 tips the author finds effective....

Recently I was interviewed by a couple of students from the Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Washington. One of our current clients asked me if I would be willing to speak with them. When she introduced me via email, she said, “I believe that the training...

We've been looking forward to the launch of this book! Our CEO, Gina Cotner, had the honor of writing a recommendation for The Leader Assistant, that is included on the inside pages. She was also interviewed by author Jeremy Burrows on his podcast last year, The...

Leading your team remotely comes with its own set of challenges and surprises. Technology leaders are paving the way for those freshly navigating this new world of work.  This article offers some useful tips on how to create team unity and continue to improve your...

Turning distractions and disruption into value! The distractions and disruptions that happen working from home, can be turned on their head into something valuable. The annoyance or burden of laundry or dishes can be turned into a “brain break” or a break in the...

"Working from home, we don’t have hallway conversations and office parties that strengthen relationships and build trust. Also absent are the contextual clues that help us interpret meaning: body language, facial expression, and tone of voice. Without context,...

In our first blog, Gina talked about jointly working from home and how we have managed to be effective. I am going to address how we live (and work) in close quarters and the structures we use to support our sanity and our relationship. Most of what we have learned...

Are there now two of you working from home in some amount of shared space? Have you started working through the issues that have popped up? Is this a cool new future emerging for you two, or a case for one of you moving to a tent in the backyard? We’ve been there!...

It’s Athena’s 4th birthday this week! Four years ago, we incorporated. And how are we faring? All in all, well. We are grateful. This business has always “worked from home”, whether it’s me the CEO in a two-bedroom condo near Alki Beach in Seattle, WA (oh yes, our...

Athena has always been a work-from-home company. 100% virtual, from Day 1.     But what does it take to manage your staff from home? There’s a lot that has come out in the last week or two on tips for working from home. But how do you manage your team, while sitting...

Are you new to telecommuting? Our contractors love the flexibility of working remotely. They also are extremely adept at virtual work and staying on task. With the escalating health crisis in our world today, you may be new to working from home. This article via...

We love helping clients truly find that balance between their work and personal life. Our team of virtual assistants make it possible for clients not only to get more done, but to be more fulfilled and satisfied with the work that they do themselves. This article...

Business legend and entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson, knows a thing or two about effective delegation and what it takes to succeed. This article is from a few years ago, but his points still ring true. Having a smart phone is great, but having that right-hand person...

Carving out time in your busy day for journal writing or taking a walk may seem counterproductive, but could it actually be a key to even greater success? "Despite having way more responsibility than anyone else, top performers in the business world often find time to...

Very interesting article about “the problems with real-time-all-the-time communication,” and the value of “asynchronous communication,” which is when you send a message without expecting an immediate response. “This trend toward near-constant communication means that...

Enjoy this great podcast about delegating effectively! We love Asian Efficiency and learned a lot from this particular episode. If you don’t have an hour to learn about delegation, check out the podcast cheat sheet and pick a section that sounds good to you! Perhaps...

Gina really enjoyed getting to share some of the principles that make Athena EA’s high performers, with the great Personal Assistants at Pepper's Personal Assistants. Gina specifically outlined the “8 characteristics of an Athena Executive Assistant”. These 8 specific...

We were delighted to read that the study highlighted in this article shows that the reasons people decided to work remotely were better work-life balance (91%), increased productivity/better focus (79%), less stress (78%), and to avoid a commute (78%). What are the...

Humility, clear communication, and a penchant for learning are all qualities that help define 'success'. The earlier these kind of qualities are learned and implemented, the better! We particularly appreciated this recent article highlighting 13 of the most difficult...

Will you be wondering where your next hot toddy is coming from, or will you be hitting the ground running with gusto in the first week of 2020? Our CEO, Gina Cotner, shares how Athena Executive Services assistants are helping our clients craft and plan now how they'll...

While this article has a summertime setting and that season has passed where we are, we love it so much that we want to share it anyway! "JOMO is about disconnecting, opting out and being O.K. just where you are.” Seems like a great access to being present with...

Does having every minute of the day scheduled mean you won’t get to have fun? What if allocating all 24 hours in the day, led to less stress? Shawn Blanc shares why he schedules every minute of the day. Our two favorite reasons: 1) Keeps me from dual focus: I know...

Athena Executive Services CEO Gina Cotner was recently interviewed by Ron Rael of The High Road® Institute. The two discussed Gina's path to becoming a leader, how she partners with her team of virtual EA's and her definition of good leadership. Listen here:  The High...

Self awareness increases productivity and fortunately it can be developed and nurtured! This is a big reason why the team at Athena is unique. Enjoy this great article with 7 ways to develop Self-Aware Teams!  

Our CEO Gina had the pleasure of being interviewed by Jeremy Burrows, on The Leader Assistant Podcast. Gina and Jeremy discuss what it takes to be a virtual vs. on-site Executive Assistant, time management and other tips, and how to set yourself apart as a...

I’m going to start to pull all this together now: So, we’ve talked about how time is different than money, in that you can’t make more of it. And we all have the same amount of time. You’ve begun to think about what would be a Balanced Life for you. And we’ve talked...

Ok, so now back to my request that you do this project by the end of the month. Many people can’t say if they can do that or not.  When you’re out of money you start bouncing checks. However with time, we have some crazy notion that we can keep squeezing things...

You may be saying to yourself, “Yes, of course Gina, my CALENDAR IS clearly my check register for Time. Duh. That’s where I would look to see if I had time for that project." I know some of you have amazing calendars. Online. Color coded. Filters that can be turned on...

The point here is to get that you’re SPENDING. You know, you talk to your kids about spending money. You maybe talk to them about overspending or "living within their means". Or maybe you are having these same discussions with your spouse or partner. We’re pretty...

While we all woke up today with different amounts of money in our checking accounts, we all woke up with the SAME AMOUNT of time. It’s not like I get a 32 hours in a day and you get 20 hours in a day, and you get 35. You, like everybody else, get 24 hours in a day,...

Ok, well, as odd as it may seem, I’m going to give you a new way to think about Time by talking about MONEY.  Unlike Money, Time is something you cannot make more of. I’ll probably say that 3 more times today.  You all have different amounts of money in your checking...

A balanced life is different for everyone. It’s personal and individual. One could say that star athletes or famous musicians, have not lived a balanced life (thousands of hours of their life spent mastering their craft), but I suspect in many ways, it gave them the...

So the title of this presentation is, "I’m going to have a balanced life - as soon as I find the time". You are, aren’t you? As soon as you find the time, things WILL GET balanced, yes? Today my intention is to give you a new access, or a new perspective, or a new...

Delegating is going to require that you give up some control. That’s just how it is. So you can keep control and keep all that stuff on your plate that is truly not the best use of you. Or you can let go of a little control and start to reap the benefits of...

We are delighted to share that our CEO is giving a talk on one of her areas of expertise this month! She is speaking about scheduling and living a balanced life as the luncheon speaker for the Women Business Owners organization on March 28th in Bellevue, WA! A...

Do you feel there is never enough time? “The anxiety that comes with running around to meet demand after demand has been proven contagious in group settings—and secondhand stress is a serious factor in breaking down meaningful communication and producing effective...

Money can be made. Time cannot. If you blow $5,000 in Vegas you can earn it back. If you had a day recently where you were overwhelmed and took on too much, and it left you tired and cranky and not great with your kids or your staff, and it gave you a migraine, you...

We sure do agree with these 3 reasons that remote workers outperform office workers. In addition, we can’t remember the last time we were sick. We’re not sharing germs with the office or the people on the bus or train. We can get some personal things done, so that we...

Was 2018 a crazy year for you? Were you overwhelmed at times? Some days were you running around like a one-legged bear in a butt-kicking contest? And even more importantly - Is this what it looks like you’ll be doing in 2019?Did you make lists knowing you...

A wise woman and powerful coach told me this once: "How we do one thing is how we do everything.” Ever since then, I have discovered a lot of evidence for that. I see evidence for it everywhere. The degree to which my car is clean is very similar to how clean my...

Hate your inbox? You’ll love this article! Here’s an excerpt we love: Managing your own email inbox is a bit like consuming empty calories; you are busy but not efficient. In fact, a 2016 survey by Adobe found that working people in the United States spend over four...

Thank you Shawn Blanc for once again brining sanity to a fast-paced overwhelming world. We love this blog of his that starts with the actual definition of "Overwhelm”. What are some things that you’re great at and don’t like doing? The Very Definition of...

This is an interview of our CEO, Gina Cotner, about the signs that you are ready for a part-time Executive Assistant. We love this interview so much we wanted to share it with you again. 

Thank you Quartz at Work for this great Guide for managing your people who work from home!  "Remote workers don’t have to be managed very differently than counterparts who come into the office daily. By keeping communications and expectations consistent, managers of...

We are delighted to share this short blog by Shawn Blanc that sums up SO MUCH of what we like to shout from the mountain tops! To force himself to do only the things he could do at work, he cut his working hours in half. This forced him to delegate or eliminate...

Hi, I’m Dorian, one of the Executive Assistants here at Athena. People often wonder what all we do and what all that we are capable of. Well in short, the answer is, “A lot!” I thought I’d share with you one of the unique situations I ran into recently in my work with...

Gina Cotner, our CEO, was recently interviewed by Matthew Jarvis of the Perfect RIA on the world of Delegation. The Perfect RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) is an organization started by Micah Shilanski and Matt Jarvis who both have financial advisor practices....

I can do it faster myself. It's going to take me longer to explain what to do, than it will take for me to do it myself! No one will do it like I want it done. No one can do it as well as I do. I tried delegating before. It didn’t go well. Sound familiar? Those...

We love this article about Work-Life Balance. What Balance?! This phrase “work/life balance” makes it sound like they are at odds with each other - work & life and they somehow need to be balanced against each other, and then that will result in, as the article...

This newsletter was shared by one of our clients and it really captures why one would have a virtual executive assistant: Hi, In theory, delegation should be the simplest of tasks. Simply ask/pay someone else to do it. The reality is that for most people, delegation...

Every successful executive needs powerful people around them to take them to the next level. We are here at the Success Summit sharing with entrepreneurs what we offer! Interested in learning more? Click here

"Your life is busy. Work/life balance is a challenge. You feel like you’re spreading yourself so thin that you’re starting to disappear. Most of us feel that way. But not all of us. The most organized people don’t.”  "They’re calm, cool and “in the moment”, not...

5 signs that you are ready for an Assistant In this interview of our CEO, Gina Cotner, hear about the signs that you are ready for a part-time Executive Assistant. At the end of the interview you’ll hear about an upcoming conference for female entrepreneurs where...

We couldn’t agree more with these 3 key points: 1) The 24/7 hustle mentality is not only broken, but it is dangerous. 2) You do not have to constantly hustle to succeed as an entrepreneur or business owner.  3) Do the work to learn how you actually spend your time and...

3 questions for the Unique Resource called You: What are you doing each week that is not the best use of your time, given the unique resource you are? What are you doing each week or each month that you simply do not like to do, but must be done? What are you rarely...

We are thrilled to share this article. We agree! You do not have time management issues, you have priority management issues! When you are clear about your priorities, how your time gets managed gets simple and easy. There is no guilt in saying No to something. There...

Money can be made. Time cannot. If you blow $5,000 in Vegas you can earn it back. If you had a day recently where you were overwhelmed and took on too much, and it left you tired and cranky and not great with your kids or your staff, and it gave you a migraine, you...

To those who need to delegate: you know you need to delegate more! This is the year to give away that low-level stuff you waste time on! We know you say to yourself, “But it’s going to take me longer to explain what to do than it will take me to do it myself!”...

Do you have a hard time saying No? Are you thinking your New Year’s resolution might be to say No more? But wait, you like saying yes. You are a Yes person. It makes you happy. It makes others happy. You don’t want to be a grouchy No person. Consider this: most of the...

“To enjoy life, you don't need fancy nonsense, but you do need to control your time and realize that most things just aren't as serious as you make them out to be.” ― Timothy Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek I regularly talk to prospects in my business who are at the...

We love the tips here from the folks at Trello for tackling the biggest challenges of working remotely. Plus there’s a new look at, just what exactly is “work-life” balance? The last sentence, however, is what really resonates with us here at Athena: "Make remote work...

This article shares about a study whose findings suggest that spending money to save time may reduce stress about the limited time in the day, thereby improving happiness. It also says that people who spend money to buy themselves time, such as by outsourcing disliked...

Here is Timothy Ferriss’s response and we couldn't agree more!

“You want to be measured by what you accomplish in a day — not how busy you look. With no one peering over your cubicle wall, there is no need to keep up appearances. So you can focus on doing meaningful work.” -  Brian de Haaf, CEO of software company Aha! We love...

“I’m a neutral, and independent advisor to my Executive, who enables the day-to-day management routines that enhance the effectiveness of my boss, and the organisation as a whole.  I operate as a business manager in my own right – and I am an integral part of the...

We invite you to read the views of the five high-profile founders in this article, as well as the view from their EAs. We particularly love how the EA for Dropbox’s founder feels she is still teaching him how to use an assistant in the first place. We can relate!...

We have all heard people say that we should work smarter, not harder. Who doesn’t want that? But that might seem impossible, or as if that is not achievable. It might seem like “I just have to work a few more hours each week, and I’ll get through this.” To quote from...

Ya, we know, that’s a weird title. We got that as an actual text this week from a CEO who’s had an Athena virtual EA for nearly 2 years. He sadly decided it was an expense that he just couldn’t bear any more, and we disengaged with him last Friday. He left us as a...

Wouldn’t you love this as your Out Of Office Reply? “I am currently on vacation and not accepting any emails about anything. I’m not planning on reading any old emails when I get back, either, because that feels antithetical to the vacation experience.” Enjoy this...

High performance executives are masters of their priorities and schedule. See how they do it. Item #6 in here is a major key! https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/keeping-this-kind-of-calendar-can-help-you-become-.html

“Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in...

Enjoy this interview of Anikka (Fragodt) Goodman, Mark Zuckerberg’s first Executive Assistant when he was 21 years old. She is in front of an audience of Executive Assistants, but we think this is interesting for both EA’s and executives alike. If you don’t have 28...

One point this article makes is that “by 2009, when remote work was still, for most, a novelty, 40% of IBM’s 386,000 global employees already worked at home.” I’m Gina, the founder of Athena, and I was one of those people! My first experience of working from home was...

There was no room at the Athena Inn, and now there is! I have to go out front and turn on the sign (or I would if we were at a “ location” and not virtual). This is Gina, founder of Athena Executive Services. This week I thought I’d share with you from my seat. A few...

Check out the part in here about Delegating Results versus Delegating Tasks! This is great for all of us trying to break the habit of micro-managing without sacrificing excellence. Why we micromanage and How to Stop

16 things your successful friends have given up! Oh this is so good! From giving up being single, to giving up caring what others think of them, to giving up wasting their money, this is a great list of practices. One of our favorites is #7: "Your successful friends...

We love this article and we love providing busy executives with a potent Executive Assistant to help them with this modern health crisis. Often, the EA has to wrestle their executive to the ground and fight for them having a schedule that honors the important things...