Posts
Welcome to 2009
January 2009 is National Clean Up Your Computer Month
January is the month to start fresh, change and improve your lifestyle, and stick to those resolutions. So, you’re going to eat healthier, get more exercise, organize your closet. What about your computer? When was the last time you performed a clean up?
Run Disk Cleanup
Run disk cleanup to free up space on your hard drive.
1. Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup
2. Select the drive you want to clean up and click OK.
Defragment Disk Drive
Run Disk Defragmenter to reorganize your files so that they open faster.
1. Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter
2. Select the drive you want and click on Defragment.
You should defragment on a regular basis, weekly is best but monthly is acceptable, to keep your hard disk(s) properly optimized and always use the Full option. For best performance you should disable any screen saver or other automated software you may have running such as an anti-virus program.
If you don’t have an IT Department that creates backups on a regular basis:
Backup Your Hard Drive
Run a backup of your programs and files to prevent data loss and damage caused by disk failures, power outages, virus infections and other damaging events.
1. Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup
2. Click on Backup Wizard and follow the on screen instructions.
3. Be sure to make a set of emergency repair disks by clicking on Emergency Repair Disk, if you haven't already done so.
Here’s to healthier computing for 2009!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Happy Holidays
As a continuation of the November newsletter and in the spirit of the holiday season, let me remind everyone that with this is a stressful time of year and I want to encourage all to take time out to enjoy time with family and friends, as well as treat yourself to a little “down” time, reflecting on the past year and getting refreshed for the upcoming New Year.
Not finished with your holiday shopping yet, or even better, haven’t started with your holiday shopping? Here is an interesting idea for the techie in your life, or to put on your own wish list.
Pulse Smartpen – The Smartpen is part pen, part audio recorder. Using specially marked paper (which can be printed from your own printer) to take notes, etc., you can then transfer your handwritten notes in electronic-ink form to a computer, where they’re archivable and searchable; the Smartpen synchronizes your notes with its audio. An additional application called MyScript will allow the ability to convert your handwritten notes into editable text on a PC.
Flip Video Mino – A portable video camera that is small, easy to operate and uses flash memory instead of a tape or hard drive to record. Videos are easily transferred to your PC with the included software, as well as the video can be instantly played on your television with the included component cable.
Have a child that may be thinking of attending law school? Save yourself some money, and buy them Law School In a Box. This boxed university offers a complete legal education for just $14.95. The program includes: -Law School in 96 Pages: Your Comprehensive Textbook -10 Heroes of the Courtroom Trading Cards -10 "You Be the Judge" Cards -A complicated legal trivia bar exam -A rolled diploma with real Latin words
Have a wonderful and safe holiday!
Not finished with your holiday shopping yet, or even better, haven’t started with your holiday shopping? Here is an interesting idea for the techie in your life, or to put on your own wish list.
Pulse Smartpen – The Smartpen is part pen, part audio recorder. Using specially marked paper (which can be printed from your own printer) to take notes, etc., you can then transfer your handwritten notes in electronic-ink form to a computer, where they’re archivable and searchable; the Smartpen synchronizes your notes with its audio. An additional application called MyScript will allow the ability to convert your handwritten notes into editable text on a PC.
Flip Video Mino – A portable video camera that is small, easy to operate and uses flash memory instead of a tape or hard drive to record. Videos are easily transferred to your PC with the included software, as well as the video can be instantly played on your television with the included component cable.
Have a child that may be thinking of attending law school? Save yourself some money, and buy them Law School In a Box. This boxed university offers a complete legal education for just $14.95. The program includes: -Law School in 96 Pages: Your Comprehensive Textbook -10 Heroes of the Courtroom Trading Cards -10 "You Be the Judge" Cards -A complicated legal trivia bar exam -A rolled diploma with real Latin words
Have a wonderful and safe holiday!
Happy Stress Season
As we enter the beginning of the holiday season, most of us experience more stress than we do at any other time of the year. What should be a joyous time turns into pressure of making the family get-togethers idyllic, and for you procrastinators, the start of the shopping season and finding the perfect gifts for loved ones and friends.
What can you do to make this holiday season more enjoyable?
DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Plan in advance for your upcoming events.
GET ORGANIZED. Don’t hit the grocery store or the mall without a list. On your list, have a budget and stick to it.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE. Does your Thanksgiving meal take up to a week to prepare? Why not pare the festivities down a little this year and prepare the sentimental traditional dishes, and forget about the rest. Not only will you be under less pressure, but your waistband will too.
TREAT YOURSELF. Don’t forget about #1 during the holidays. Get enough sleep, eat well and continue to exercise. The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to let your routine fall by the wayside. Take 30 minutes, or longer, and relax; or better yet, get a massage.
Be realistic about your expectations. What can your Virtual Assistant do for you to make this holiday season less stressful?
What can you do to make this holiday season more enjoyable?
DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Plan in advance for your upcoming events.
GET ORGANIZED. Don’t hit the grocery store or the mall without a list. On your list, have a budget and stick to it.
KEEP THINGS SIMPLE. Does your Thanksgiving meal take up to a week to prepare? Why not pare the festivities down a little this year and prepare the sentimental traditional dishes, and forget about the rest. Not only will you be under less pressure, but your waistband will too.
TREAT YOURSELF. Don’t forget about #1 during the holidays. Get enough sleep, eat well and continue to exercise. The holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to let your routine fall by the wayside. Take 30 minutes, or longer, and relax; or better yet, get a massage.
Be realistic about your expectations. What can your Virtual Assistant do for you to make this holiday season less stressful?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Outsourcing
Did you know when you call jetBlue to make flight plans, the person you are talking to you on the other end of the line is working from his or her house? Yes, jetBlue has a completely home-based reservation system.
Just think, if a company as large as jetBlue can outsource some of their departments, why shouldn’t you consider it?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
“Outsource
: to procure (as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) under contract with an outside supplier”
Outsourcing should not be confused with offshoring, which is the transfer of an organizational function to another country, regardless of whether the work is outsourced or stays within the same corporation/company.
Law firms looking to cut costs by outsourcing/offshoring their legal support services overseas could be jeopardizing their client confidentiality. Joseph Hennessey, a Maryland attorney, is in the process of preparing a class action lawsuit on the outsourcing of privileged client data which may be subject to eavesdropping by the U.S. government.
Hennessey says foreign companies have no presumption of privacy because the National Security Agency is free to spy on them without constitutional constraints.
The American Bar Association released its formal opinion on August 5, 2008, as to Lawyer’s Obligations When Outsourcing Legal and Nonlegal Support Services. http://www.abanet.org/cpr/08-451.pdf
Stay Tuned.
Just think, if a company as large as jetBlue can outsource some of their departments, why shouldn’t you consider it?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
“Outsource
: to procure (as some goods or services needed by a business or organization) under contract with an outside supplier
Outsourcing should not be confused with offshoring, which is the transfer of an organizational function to another country, regardless of whether the work is outsourced or stays within the same corporation/company.
Law firms looking to cut costs by outsourcing/offshoring their legal support services overseas could be jeopardizing their client confidentiality. Joseph Hennessey, a Maryland attorney, is in the process of preparing a class action lawsuit on the outsourcing of privileged client data which may be subject to eavesdropping by the U.S. government.
Hennessey says foreign companies have no presumption of privacy because the National Security Agency is free to spy on them without constitutional constraints.
The American Bar Association released its formal opinion on August 5, 2008, as to Lawyer’s Obligations When Outsourcing Legal and Nonlegal Support Services. http://www.abanet.org/cpr/08-451.pdf
Stay Tuned.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Technology 2.0
While doing business over the internet is easy and convenient, the door has been opened as to possible chances of confidentiality being breached as documents are e-mailed from one party to another with the possibility of them being intercepted. I recently attended a webinar and learned of a service through Backupmyinfo.com called Qwipit. Because Federal (and certain States) law now prohibits the transmission of Social Security numbers and other information from being sent over the internet without being encrypted, Qwipit has developed encryption technology that protects data that would otherwise be vulnerable to interception when sent via email. Qwipit offers a service where one party (with an account) loads their documents to a secure site on Qwipit's website, and the other party can log on and retrieve the documents, upload and save them on their own computer.
If you're interested in keeping up with the latest online legal technology, you can find downloads of legal software at Law.com. Demonstrations are available on their Legal Technology page, and are easy to find as they are categorized, such as Bankruptcy, Calendaring, Case Management, Document Management, Estate Planning, Forms and more.
They have also included demo versions of business, audio/video, design/photo, Internet software and web design utilities.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Get Organized - And Stay That Way!!!
Doesn't it seem that sometimes we need an extra ten to 20 hours added to our work week just to get everything accomplished?
Maybe its not more hours that are needed, but time management and organization. If your time is managed properly, you may even find an extra 10 hours a week to play instead of work.
· Clean out the clutter at your work space. Create an In-box and Out-box and keep them both up-to-date. Do you really need that rubber band ball rolling around on your desk, knocking over the stuffed animal and the six pictures of your kids/grandkids/pets? Remove anything from your desk that isn't essential to getting your day-to-day work done. Organize your work tools so there's a place for everything and everything is always in place. Everything should have a “home” and be returned to that home after use.
· Keep a large trash can next to your desk. Any papers that aren't essential need to be thrown away immediately.
· Create a To-Do List. Prioritize your day, week and month and stick to the plan. Creating a priority list is a way of cleaning out the clutter in your head.
· Put everything on your calendar (only use ONE calendar for both personal and business) and check items and events off once they have been accomplished. Make it a habit to look at your calendar every morning and again every evening before you leave the office. Not only will you be ready for a new day, you'll see what you accomplished yesterday!
· Set Goals for yourself and achieve them.
· Sort your mail as soon as it is delivered. Throw junk mail away immediately (in that large trash can next to your desk) and make separate piles for your bills and correspondence.
· Set time aside on Monday morning to pay bills all at once (they'll already be in their own little pile, neatly organized and waiting).
· Set specific times aside to return phone calls and read and reply to e-mails. Instead of multi-tasking, handle one project at a time and set an hour or two aside each day to return all your phone calls and e-mails so your project at hand goes uninterrupted.
· Color code your priorities. Use colored file folders or tabs and separate your projects (i.e., Red - Important/Immediate Project, Green - Ongoing Project, Yellow - Less Important Project). Take time to review your projects from time to time as priorities may change and your files will need to be updated accordingly.
· Clear and re-organize your work space at the end of the day. You'll be relieved to walk into an organized work space the next morning.
Now the only thing you need to worry about is how you’re going to enjoy your extra hours of play time every week.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Its Not Easy Being Green
Its Not Easy Being Green
Or is it? VA’s are already green (no, I don’t mean newbies). We have already started on creating an eco-friendly workspace - we don’t use gas commuting to and from work every day, we are “virtually” paperless, except what work may be printed out from the side of the client, and we aren’t arm wrestling with co-workers over where the thermostat should be set.
What else can we do to make our home office more environmentally friendly?
If you’re going to be away from your computer for a certain length of time (15 minutes or more), set your energy saver and have your computer go into “hibernation mode.” This is different than a screen saver, which doesn’t save energy.
Use Energy Star-rated light bulbs. They may be a little more expensive on the front end, but will pay off in the long run.
Recycle. If you have printable projects and you make a mistake, use the other side of the paper for scratch pads or draft paper
Recycle your old computer equipment by taking used equipment to an electronics recycler. There may be a fee, but that fee may be a tax deduction.
Let your clients and customers know that you’re doing your part to help save the environment. The next time you send out a mailing, print it out on recycled paper. When sending out e-mails, add a line at the bottom stating “Please think green before printing this e-mail.”
Consolidate your trips. Keep a list and run all your errands at one time.
Remember, every little bit helps!!
Or is it? VA’s are already green (no, I don’t mean newbies). We have already started on creating an eco-friendly workspace - we don’t use gas commuting to and from work every day, we are “virtually” paperless, except what work may be printed out from the side of the client, and we aren’t arm wrestling with co-workers over where the thermostat should be set.
What else can we do to make our home office more environmentally friendly?
If you’re going to be away from your computer for a certain length of time (15 minutes or more), set your energy saver and have your computer go into “hibernation mode.” This is different than a screen saver, which doesn’t save energy.
Use Energy Star-rated light bulbs. They may be a little more expensive on the front end, but will pay off in the long run.
Recycle. If you have printable projects and you make a mistake, use the other side of the paper for scratch pads or draft paper
Recycle your old computer equipment by taking used equipment to an electronics recycler. There may be a fee, but that fee may be a tax deduction.
Let your clients and customers know that you’re doing your part to help save the environment. The next time you send out a mailing, print it out on recycled paper. When sending out e-mails, add a line at the bottom stating “Please think green before printing this e-mail.”
Consolidate your trips. Keep a list and run all your errands at one time.
Remember, every little bit helps!!
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