But where can you find someone to do just what you need, especially if it's on short notice? The perfect candidate, also known as a Virtual Assistant, is just a few clicks away on the internet at www.ivaa.org.

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is a real human that provides administrative help, off-site and on- demand. If you don't need an assistant in the same geographic area as you are (that is, you don't want the person to run physical errands or set up at a venue), you can hire a VA from a location where labor costs may be lower than where you live. If you want someone you'll occasionally deal with face-to-face, you can use the association to find a VA near your office.

I know people who have hired VA's as their full or part-time assistants, are very happy with their work yet have never physically met them! I personally used this website to find someone to help me do some research and make some calls I didn't have time to make. It was a specific project with specific outcomes which I posted on the IVAA website at the Submit RFP link. The clearer you are in the scope of the work, the better. And if you have a budget of how much you want to pay hourly, do include it as the VA's fees vary greatly.

Get the help you need now! Check it out at the International Virtual Assistants Association website.

(Thanks to Mimi Griffith for giving me the idea for this tip!)

In addition to the recent release of my new book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Speed Reading, I have been working all summer on developing an online speed reading course called Rev it Up Reading: Getting Up To Speed With What You Read. It is almost ready to be tested and I anticipate its availability to the general internet public by mid to late September!

The online course is 3 hours in length, though you are encouraged to do it in three, one hour intervals on different days to give you time to absorb the content. It includes a copy of my eBook - 10 Days to Faster Reading - and provides the option of doing the timed readings on paper OR on-screen. Learners will be able to email me questions, if they have them, so you have learning support if you need it. I narrate the entire course and believe it will be a powerful learning experience for those that go through it. I'll be sending out notice when it is available for purchase.

If you are interested in taking the online course, please send me an email contact through either of my two websites: www.RevItUpReading.com OR www.TheCorporateEducator.com. I will be sure to let you know FIRST when it becomes available.

AND, in addition, I will be debuting a new 7 hour corporate speed reading program at the end of this month for Freedom Personal Development of Madison, Wisconsin. This is the beginning of a very special relationship where I will be training their trainers around the country to deliver my speed reading program.

I am excited about all these projects and continue to offer my email management training and time and stress management programs to interested clients. Let me know how we can help you!