A day in the life of a personal assistant

• Arrive in the office
• Start-up PC and go through emails
• Resolve any quick or urgent tasks now, flag other ones for later
• My boss gets into the office early, so it is important I already have everything organised before he has reached the office

• Make coffee and catch up with colleagues!

• Check diary and run through 'To Do' list from previous day; add anything from emails and re-prioritise accordingly 

• Catch-up with the boss - go through important matters, the day’s schedule, meetings and priorities

• A brief rundown of frequent tasks:

-          Arranging meetings

-          Diary planning and management

Sometimes plans need re-arranging so I am always ready to make changes throughout the day.

-          Minutes / action notes for meetings

As my boss goes from meeting to meeting, I am always on hand to keep him organised and take minutes. Being proactive and prepared means I have all the information ready for when my boss needs it.

-          Supporting clinical trials / set up e.g. ACL SNNAP, FUTURE-GB

-          Researching and booking travel

-          Checking travel warnings – for example, travel to China is not advised at present due to the Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan

-          Providing admin support to SITU colleagues, for example raising invoices, auditing eTMF’s

-          Collating SITU news and sharing with NDORMS and NDS Communications, putting into Newsletters and organising blog posts

-          Make decisions on behalf of the boss

Numerous phone calls with the boss throughout the day.

• For lunch, I prefer to use my break to go for a walk and get some fresh air before I come back and have a working lunch

In the afternoon, I follow up on emails, schedule meetings and get a head start for tomorrow by setting the ‘To Do’ list, confirm my boss’s schedule for the next day and prepare all the paperwork.

Essential desk snacks include, but are not limited to: Chocolate! Coffee (that counts right?)! Carrot Sticks! Biscuits – like chocolate hob-nobs!  

At the end of each day (and particularly at the end of each week), I write down an updated ‘To Do’ list with all the things I haven’t yet got round to, for urgent attention on the next working day. Having a fresh list in the morning helps me start the day with a clear (ish) mind and clear goals – plus I love ticking things off as I finish them!

• Home time