Administrative Professional Today

The administrative professional’s guide to accelerated career development. Administrative Professional Today offers practical advice on office efficiency, politics, communication skills, time management, supervisory problems and technology. The monthly issues and weekly electronic forum give special attention to the changing duties of administrative professionals in today’s business environment. Learn more about Administrative Professional Today and the two free reports you’ll get when you subscribe...

Learn what’s key to your organization’s success by asking your boss these questions: “What keeps you up at night?” and “How will you measure success?”

Devote 18 minutes a day to time management and gain a sharper focus on your priorities, says Peter Bregman of Harvard Business’s “How We Work” blog. The breakdown: Spend five minutes planning goals for the day; one minute every hour to re-evaluate; and five minutes at day’s end to review.

Snag a cheap, last-minute air fare by turning to Twitter. At least two carriers, @JetBlueCheeps and @UnitedAirlines, are using the social-media tool to announce bargain prices called “Twares” on select flights to fill otherwise-empty seats.

Confront an awkward situation without having to say anything. NiceCritic.com lets you send a gentle, anonymous criticism to a co-worker. Choose a canned message from one of the categories, then provide the person’s name and e-mail address.

Help a lost smartphone find its way home. BlueRetriever.com uses a phone’s wallpaper to display a “Return for Reward” logo. First, register your device. If you lose it, the finder will see the reward message and a special code when he turns it on. He can then visit the BlueRetriever site, enter the code and contact you directly.

Show versatility and recession-proof your career by filling more roles. In a March poll by the Society for Human Resource Management, 34% of 467 human resource executives said their employers had retrained employees for new positions during the past six months. That was up sharply from 10% who reported doing so in a similar survey in October.

Consider booking your female exec into one of these three chains that put a feminine spin on hospitality: Crowne Hotels have women-only floors with fresh flowers, robes and slippers and women’s interest magazines. Kimpton Hotel’s Women In Touch program sends spa services directly to the room. And Westin Hotels offers RunWestin at 30 of its hotels, a guided three-mile morning run to keep women joggers safe.

Choose the best e-mail sign-off. In Send: Essential Guide to E-Mail, the authors recommend “Best” and “Best wishes” as “among the most common in e-mail—safe, all-purpose ways of bringing a note to an end.” Huffington Post Editor in Chief Arianna Huffington uses “Best” or “All the best.” She says, “I never liked ‘Sincerely’—I always found it very cold.”

Supplement your income or build your portfolio by turning to these web sites, which specialize in freelance assignments: Elance.com, Guru.com, Sologig.com and oDesk.com. First create a profile, then bid on jobs that expand your repertoire.

Budget like an intern when you just gotta have that cuppa joe. Follow this tip from a Washington Post intern: Invest in a Starbucks membership discount card. It costs $20, but gives you a 10% discount, which pays for itself over time.