AM to PM with Angela MacAusland

By Anita Jaynes on 29 June, 2016

A one day working diary from rise and shine to lights out.

AM to PM is a new feature for TBE Bath & Somerset, launched today to build some excitement on the run up to our first quarterly magazine out this September.

Every Wednesday we will delve into the day-to-day diary of a member of the local business community. This week we put the spotlight on Angela MacAusland, director of the aptly named AMPMPA, a virtual PA service for Bath and the surrounding area.

Angela is also Chair of the Bath branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and a highly supportive member of the Bath business community.

What time does your alarm go off?

I don’t have an alarm, I am usually awake with the dawn chorus, and on the odd occasion if I’m not awake by 5.45am, my husband’s alarm clock goes off anyway.

What’s the first thing you do?

The small hours of the morning give me an opportunity to catch up on the world, I check my iPhone for news, social media and any messages/texts that have come in overnight. I then get up, have a shower and get dressed, make a pot of tea and breakfast, and then switch on my computer and read my emails.

What do you do for lunch?

As I mostly work from home, lunch is usually either a salad or something I can grab quickly, I always eat at my desk and try to get out for 20 or 30 minutes to walk the dog when I can. When I am out and about I will pop into a local independent deli or café and grab something that takes my fancy – scotch eggs and quiche my favourites at the moment.

What do you love most about your job?

Being able to be in control and not get distracted by office politics and other peoples’ schedules. I am an organiser and micro manage everything I do, some might say I am a control freak, but I am happy with that, I like things done my way and done well.

I also love the flexibility that working for yourself brings, granted I sometimes have to work back to back 16 hour days, but I can also take a few hours out to go for a run, get my hair done or just walk the dog when the sun is shining.

What’s the worst part of the job?

Being a Virtual PA, most of my interaction with people is through the digital world, so I don’t get to see many people face to face during the day. Whereas that can be advantageous, when I am trying to juggle 4 peoples’ tasks at the same time, I can sometimes feel isolated from the remote teams that I work with. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy the social aspect of networking events so much.

What executive tool gadget could you not live without?

My iPhone – which is synchronised with my laptop, tablet and desktop computers so that I can pretty much work anywhere in the world – virtually. I would be lost without it – literally in some cases as I also use it as a satnav and run workout tracker. How we managed without smartphones and apps, is quite amazing. I can remember I had my first mobile phone in 1993 and not being able to text anyone with it, because no-one else had a mobile!

What do you do after work?

If I’m not attending a business networking event, I am usually out running, either on my own or with one of the many running groups I am a member of. Then it will be home to cook supper for whoever is there, and sharing a bottle of wine with my husband, while winding down to watch whatever is on TV for an hour before making sure I am in bed no later than 11pm.

If you changed direction, what would be your Plan B?

I think I would like to work as a running coach – I already have qualifications ‘Leadership in Running Fitness’ and ‘Guide Coach’ (for visually impaired and blind runners). My plan C would be to work overseas, and to travel, work, travel until I had seen the world and was ready to come back to my hometown of Bath and settle down for a quiet life. (Did I mention plan D – to write and publish a book).

Visit AMPMPA online: www.ampmpa.co.uk

If you would like to be the subject of a future AM to PM email: press@tbebathandsomerset.co.uk