2. If you jump in your assistant’s inbox and answer anything, BCC them so they are aware that you handled it.
3. Expect small problems. Life is full of compromises, and it’s necessary to let small bad things happen if you want to get huge good things done. There is no escape. Prevent all problems and get nothing done, or accept an allowable level of small problems and focus on the big things.
Ready to jump in and test the holy grail? Here are the steps.
1. Determine exactly which accounts you will use and how you want them to respond to (or just categorize or purge) e-mail for you.
2. Find a virtual assistant.
3. Test for reliability before skill set. Have the top three candidates do something on tight deadline (24 hours) before hiring them and letting them in your inbox.
4. Use a probationary period of 2–4 weeks to test the waters and work out the problems. Again: There will be problems. It will take a good 3–8 weeks to get to real smooth sailing.
5. Design your ideal lifestyle and find something to do other than let your brain fester in the inbox. Fill the void.
TIM FERRISS PROCESSING RULES90
[Note the Q&A format—some of the questions are my standard points for VAs, some have been added by my assistant, who put together this document.]
Passwords
Team Requirements
[I often have exec-level assistants manage 4–5 other “sub VAs” who handle certain repetitive tasks, often at half the exec VA’s hourly rate. The exec VA takes on an office manager or, in some cases, COO-level function.]
Download: www.alexa.com—Toolbar
Learn Statistics, Rank for Business Prospect and Joint-Venture Opportunities
Deadlines are extremely important. Be Aware of them, and Be Punctual!
If Tim says “Call me back,” CALL HIM BACK, do not send an e-mail. This is an important point, as Tim does not always have e-mail access because he is traveling a lot.
Even if it is late in the evening, he is up late, if he does not want to answer his phone, he will not. But PLEASE call him back when he asks you to. He much prefers a phone call to an e-mail.
Purchase and read The Elements of Style regarding proper grammar and punctuation. We are dealing with high-profile clients on Tim’s behalf and the proper writing techniques and message says a lot about his team.
Become as familiar as you can with his book and his website as to answer questions accordingly.
Contact Information
Tim Ferriss
[mailing address]
Tim Cell (your use only): [private cell]
Number to give others: [GrandCentral number]
Skype: XXXXX
Billing Address (Private):
[billing address]
Purchases
ASK [head VA], for his AMEX NUMBER. SHE WILL ADVISE WHETHER PURCHASES CAN BE APPROVED.
Question and Answer (Preferences)
How do you feel about joint ventures?
I’m open to them, but my brand and respectability is #1. I will not do anything with anyone who comes off as deceptive or amateur. “Make millions while you sleep in our super-insane foreclosure program!” on the website disqualifies someone. I cannot be associated with anyone who might be seen as a liar or snake-oil salesman. Just ask yourself: If the CEO of a well-known company saw this, would he lose interest in speaking with me? If so, it won’t work.
For those who pass that criteria, what have they done already? I’m not looking for first-timers, generally, unless they have an excellent track record and reputation elsewhere.
Do you focus solely on profit-generating tasks?
No. I also look for prestige (Harvard, government, etc.), wide exposure, as well as building networks with people who have world-class skills in some area.
How do you handle spam?
SpamArrest and Gmail. I have no problem with spam at this point.
What is your optimal response rate (i.e., respond to all e-mails no later than 48–72 hours after received)?
Same day. I’m bringing you on to respond quickly.
Do you respond to any e-mails?
Yes, but I’ll want you to filter them first, respond to all you can, then mark the ones I should look at with the label “TIM” in Gmail. [Note earlier in this article how I am now asking VAs to leave to-do’s via voicemail.]
Do you put in any events in your calendar?
Yes, but I expect I will move more and more to having you do it.
Do we “manage” your items, or do you delegate? We are cool with both, but prefer to manage.:-)
I’ll try to give the list to you to take care of. I NEED confirmations that you received the task (“on it—will be done at X P.M.” is enough) and like status updates on larger projects with milestones.
Who is on your team?
Me, the publishing team, and some PR folk at this point. I might have you get involved with my other businesses later, but that’s it for now.
Who do we have to collaborate with on a regular basis?
See above. 90% me, then possibly my publicist(s), tech support and web staff, and my book agent. More will come, I’m sure, but that’s it for now.
Who calls the shots for you?
You can decide anything under $100. Use your judgment and report the decisions.
Do you have “days” off (as in no business appts.)?
Let’s shoot for no appointments on Fridays, but let’s play it by ear. [Update: I now only have appointments on Mondays and Fridays.]
Who has been handling your appts. up until now?
Me. I haven’t had any in-person meetings for close to four years. Things have changed with the book:)
Explain to us your “optimal” work week (i.e., how long between phone calls, how many meetings per week, travel preferences, etc.)?
I go to bed late, so try and avoid calls before 10 A.M. pst when possible.
Try and “cluster” phone calls and meetings so that I can bang them out at the same time, as opposed to having one at 10 A.M., another at 1 P.M., and another at 4 P.M. Have them all in a row with 15–20 minutes in between whenever possible. I’d like to do phone calls before 1 P.M. pst when possible (so 10 A.M.-1 P.M.). Calls should be kept to 15–30 minutes, always with a defined end time. If someone asks to “jump on the phone” with me, send them something like: “To make the best use of everyone’s time, Tim likes to have a well-defined agenda with objectives for a call before jumping on the phone. Can you please send over some bullet points with what you’d like to cover and decide on the call?” Something like that.
Do you like us to schedule personal items in with your business calendar (i.e., order your mother flowers for Mother’s Day, etc.)? Absolutely.
What are “all” the e-mail addresses we respond to for you? See earlier text.
Do you like us to respond as “you” or something like “client support for Timothy Ferriss.”
The latter, probably something like “Executive Assistant to Tim Ferriss” below your name—I’m open to suggestions.
How many times a day do you want e-mail checked?
Twice should be fine to start. Let’s aim for a minimum of at 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. in your time zone.
What are your working hours?
10 A.M.-6 P.M. pst, then often 11 p.m.-2 A.M. pst. [Before you cry, “What happened to the four-hour workweek?!” realize that “work hours” here could be replaced with “active and available-by-phone hours.” I have lots of projects and do not preach idleness. I am VERY active. See the sixth comment on this post on www.fourhourblog.com for more elaboration or reread the “Filling the Void” chapter in this book.]
Do you like using IM?Not really, unless it’s a scheduled discussion. Just leave yourself logged in, and I’ll log in if I need something. [I tend to use Skype chat these days, as it’s encrypted and I can avoid a separate IM program.]
Do you prefer a phone call or an e-mail to answer a quick question?
PHONE CALL, absolutely. DO NOT e-mail me for anything urgent. I really follow my own advice and don’t check e-mail that often.
What is your favorite color?
Green like cedar leaves in July.
Call at the end of every day (if) there is something that Tim needs to respond to in his e-mail.
E-books: Tell them they can download the e-bookfromwww.powells.com.
Label all e-mails from “Expert Click” for Tim. No need to respond or forward.
All Linked-In e-mails can be archived or deleted as Tim receives notification of invites as soon as he logs into his Linked-In account.
For start-up inquiries in the health and wellness industry (or BrainQUICKEN start-up inquiries) please see the templates in Gmail titled: Congratulations and General Business Questions—BrainQUICKEN Templates.
For language inquiries, please see the templates in Gmail titled: Reader Question on Language Resources—Language Templates.
When Tim types “dictate” in the e-mail response, this means that we can say to the recipient: As Tim is traveling at the moment and not able to personally respond to your e-mail, I mentioned your message while on the phone to him, and he asked me to dictate. This makes the process easier as we do not have to change the context of the person responding.
[This is to avoid having an assistant convert my first-person “Please tell him that I …” to third-person “Tim says that he …”—providing shorthand for “cut and paste” saves hours of assistant time.]
If someone e-mail blasts a bunch of people and I am one of them, usually safe to ignore or delete. Read them carefully, of course, but if it says for example “a few influential people I know” or something like that then if someone can’t take the time to personalize for me, forget them. If Tim is copied, of course, that’s a different story.
Tim’s address is XXXX. THIS E-MAIL IS NOT TO BE DISTRIBUTED OR GIVEN TO ANYONE. If you want to copy Tim on an e-mail, please use the BCC field, so that it remains private.
Mark anyone from Princeton for me to look at (TIM label). [Note: I’ve since had to modify this due to volume.]
If I decline someone and they persist, give them one more reply—“Tim appreciates the persistence, but he really can’t…” etc.—and then archive future requests. Use your judgment, of course, but that’s the general rule. Some people don’t know when persistent turns into plain irritating.
Please also create a rule to respond with “scheduled” for all items I send to be put in the calendar (when they’re put in the calendar). Missing calendar items can cause big problems, so this is a check and balance to confirm.
No need to follow up with someone after a call has taken place unless Tim instructs otherwise, or they request something from us.
Send all speaking requests to XXXX and ensure that he confirms receipt. (However, also see items 38 and 39).
Foreign language requests (i.e., purchasing rights, if the book is available in a particular language, etc.) send to [the appropriate person at my publisher].
XXXX’s replacement at Random House is XXXX.
Inquire with Tim first before booking any speaking gigs on a specific date, as he may be traveling.
When booking appointments in the calendar, be sure to also ask which topics they would like to discuss, and put them in the calendar description for Tim so he can prepare. Also be sure to ask for a backup phone number in case they are not able to reach Tim. [I almost always have people call me unless I am abroad, as this is another safeguard against missing appointments.]
Put initials in the subject line of calendar events so we know who (which virtual assistant) put the item in the calendar.
Prepare inquiries for Tim before sending to him for his review, i.e., get their Alexa ranking, possible dates of the event, a link to past events they have held, their budget, other confirmed speakers, etc. Then send this info to Tim for his review.
Respond to PX Method inquiries with the following response:
Hi [name],
Thanks for your inquiry about the PX Method, however the PX Method page is designed as just a template others can look at as a reference for testing their own product ideas.
We are not sure if or when Tim will offer the PX Method for sale, but there are no plans at this time. We appreciate your inquiry nonetheless. Thanks!
[I get quite a few e-mails from readers who do not see the disclaimer on the PX Method mock-up page and thus attempt to order a product that isn’t ready to ship.]
Download eFAX viewer to view Tim’s faxes. His fax number is: XXXX.
Event or speaking inquiries can be responded to as such:
Thanks for your e-mail and for your invitation to Tim. In looking at the event online, I see that the event is April X and X, 20XX in Portland, Oregon [for example]. Before I present this to Tim, could you answer a few questions for me, so we can make a more informed decision?
Would you like Tim to be at the entire event?
How long would the keynote presentation be? Or would it be a Q&A panel?
Do you cover travel and accommodation along with a speaker’s fee?
What is your budget for keynote presentations?
Have any other speakers confirmed to present?
As soon as I hear back, I can speak with Tim about the possibilities of making this happen. Thanks again!
Warmly,
[Name]
this e-mail is: [] blogable [x] ask first [] private
[name]
Executive Assistant to Timothy Ferriss
Author: The 4-Hour Workweek
(http://www.fourhourworkweek.com)
(Random House/Crown Publishing)
Bio and Fun: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog
—JANUARY 21, 2008
Proposal to Work Remotely on a Contract Basis
This is the actual remote-work proposal reader Autumn Brookmire used successfully to move to Argentina while retaining her job and cutting back to 5–10 hours per week of work.
AUTUMN BROOKMIRE July 2008
Background
After working for the [company name] for more than two years, I have a great loyalty to the people and mission of this organization. I believe I have added a great deal of value to the organization in my position as marketing coordinator. With my creative problem solving and my cost effective solutions I have changed the way we produce and distribute our holiday cards and I’ve developed a contest to bring in more usable photos for our marketing and publications. I would like to propose continuing to perform the following tasks for [company name], but on a contract basis, remotely. I plan to live in Argentina for 6–12 months starting in September of 2008. My goals are to develop my fluency in the Spanish language and immerse myself in another culture and completely foreign environment so that I develop my skills in adaptation to new ways of thinking.