Business has been very buoyant at  MWB and as a result “A PAs job is never done”. If like me you sometimes find yourself eating a sandwich or a salad at your desk while you work through, this may be the article for you.

It’s the start of a new week and I have decided to leave my desk behind and do something different in my lunch hour.  Wanting to be as imaginative as possible but still watching my purse, I set out to see what I could do in 1 hr for less that £10. Here are my top tips and 5 day guide for lunch time recreation!

Monday:-
Historic Walk in old Mayfair

Tuesday:-
Buy Chinese food in Chinatown

Wednesday:-
Listen to a lunchtime recital

Thursday :-
Enjoy the real food market at Covent Garden while watching the street buskers

Friday:-
Pedal around the park on a “Boris bike”

Additional tips and information can be found at Time Out London.

If like me you’re torn between 10 different tasks at the one time, you may be looking for smart ways to help take the pressure off. What better way to start 2012 than to embrace modern technology?

Not trying to put myself out of a job or anything, I heard there is a new electronic PA on the block…………. all hail “Siri”! The mastermind of Apple, which responds to voice commands. So being the competitive soul that I am, I thought it was only fair to put Siri through a couple of paces. You know… just to see if it was up to the job….

Round 1
Don’t want my boss to get wet on the way to a meeting tomorrow

Siri: Whats the weather like in London tomorrow.
Answer:- Mainly sunshine. 8 degrees. – Sumary of weather for next 5 days pops up 
Time:- 15 seconds

Harper Jones:- Logs on to internet, Searches for BBC Weather Website.
Time:- 1  min

Winner: Siri

Round 2
Need to book a flight for my boss to Edinburgh to visit our MWB Office there.

Siri:-  Can you book me a flight from London to Edinburgh?
Answer:- Checking my sources:- How about a web search for “Can you book me a flight from London to Edinburgh?”

Harper Jones:-  Hmmmmm…..I can do that myself. No need to ask. Straight onto internet to search .

Winner: Harper Jones

Round 3
Need to book a table for my boss and an important business contact for lunch tomorrow.

Siri:-  Can you book me a table at Bistro Du Vin in Soho, at 1pm tomorrow
Answer:- Checking my sources:- search web for Bistro shoe ban in Soho

Winner: Harper Jones - At least I can get the name correct! Far quicker calling them up to book a table.

Winner: Harper Jones

So in my “independent and unbiased” opinion Siri is could be categorised as a tool for a PA, Kind of PA for a PA. But it does lack intelligence and ability to think. So in summary I am not going anywhere soon!

In this world time is money, or at least that what my Director keeps telling me. So as a PA I’m always looking at ways to ensure I get things done efficiently and on time. Below are a few websites which I use regularly. Hope you find these really useful!

Parkopedia.co.uk – for parking spaces, ie, street, car parks, etc.  They have apps for download.
Xe.com – Exchange rate conversions
Toptable.co.uk – Restaurant reservations and special deals
Tlcsvisas.com – for visa applications, business and tourist

I’ll be sharing more and if you have any tips for me, for please do let me know!

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Harper Jones, Personal Assistant  at MWB.

A huge welcome to my blog, where you can follow  what I’ve been doing as well as uncover useful hints and tips that assist you both personally and professionally.

So then……..now all the festivities are done and dusted have you made a New Years Resolution?

• Thought I might share with you some really funny ones I came across.
• Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day in my nightdress. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom.
• I will no longer waste my time relieving the past, instead I will spend it worrying about the future.
• I will give up chocolates totally. 100%. Completely. Honestly….

Personally after eating and drinking far too much, I need to burn a few calories and get back into my Zumba classes! If you’re interested in Zumba I recommend checking out this website http://www.zumbauk.co.uk/

Also new for me in 2012 is writing this blog! I’ll be updating my fellow PAs with information to help them in their jobs, for example recommending and reviewing helpful websites, mobile phone apps and useful tools for PAs.