Computer Corner with Joshua
 | | Joshua |
Think of your computer less
like a technological marvel and more like a file cabinet next to your
desk. You wouldn’t just throw papers into your filing cabinet,
right? You’d never be able to find
what you wanted. Same with your
computer. Follow these steps
to keep your PC organized, and you’ll cut some stress out of your e-life:
Keep like with like.Start by putting all of your documents and letters in the “My Documents”
folder of your computer. Under “My
Documents,” you’ll see other folders, such as “My Pictures” and “My Music,” where
you can place your photos and music files. By putting like with like, you’re halfway to organizing your
computer.
Nesting folders is an effective tool.
Create more folders under
“My Documents” to store related material.
For example, you might create “Work Projects,” “Reference” and
“Correspondence” folders.
Then under “Work Projects,” you might create a folder for each project. Under “Correspondence,” create
subfolders for personal and business.
More general always contains more specific. Remember, when
searching for a document, it’s easier to look through 10 files in one folder than
to browse through hundreds of files.
Did you lose a file?
Press the
Start button in Windows, then click on “Search.” The search function will help you find documents, programs,
pictures… just about anything that you can’t locate on your own.
Defragment is your friend.
Defragment your computer
about once a month. This will ensure
that the data on the hard drive is organized in a way that makes sense to your
computer’s “brain.” To defragment,
open a search window from your Start button, and type DEFRAG. Double click “Disk Defragmenter” when
it comes up, and start it up. In a
few hours, your computer will start to act happier.
Antivirus: Defender of the Hard Drive.
It’s impossible to
overemphasize how important a good antivirus program is. Regularly run, your antivirus scanner will
ensure that no bugs or viruses are hurting your files. Two of the best antivirus programs on
the market are McAfee and Norton.
If you want to save some money, AVG (Anti-Virus Guard) offers a free
antivirus at http://free.avg.com/us-en/download-avg-anti-virus-free. This great little program has saved
millions of people a lot of money.
Spyware is bad.
Running a good anti-spyware
program on your computer weekly will help keep your data, your documents, and
your identity safe. My top pick, Malware Bytes, offers a
free and easy-to-use version. Download it at
http://www.malwarebytes.org.
Backup your files regularly.
Nothing causes chaos in a
computer – or in your life -- like a hard drive crash, virus or system
failure. For free, you can save
your data to a CD, DVD or Flash Drive.
For as low as $45 a year, you can subscribe to an online service such as
www.carbonite.com. Such a service automatically and securely backs up your files
to a server, keeping your data safe.
Reduce your risk.
Don’t keep copies of files
with the original files, because if that disk crashes, is stolen, gets a virus,
etc., you’ll lose all your data, including copies. Back up data to a flashdrive or disks, which can be stored
elsewhere, so that if catastrophe strikes, you’ll be able to recover much more
quickly.
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| Miss Olive's Green Scene
It’s no
 | | Miss Olive |
coincidence that my name is Olive, because I was certainly
born to be green.
When
it comes to paper, dears, I must advise you to rigorously question whether you
need to keep each piece of paper that comes into your life. My Betties
tell me that about 70% of office trash is waste paper. And the average
American company could recycle 50% of its current waste.
Please,
dears, consider tossing unnecessary papers (shredding those with sensitive
information).
Scan documents and store them electronically when possible. And do cancel subscriptions to unread publications, and remove yourself
from mailing lists, dears. They are ever so unseemly.
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Out of Clutter,
Find Simplicity.
--Albert Einstein
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 The world holds its breath as the dazzling
geodesic ball in Times Square is dropping… and three… two… one… the clocks
strike midnight, and the deafening cheer goes up:Happy Get
Organized Month!!
Okay… maybe that’s not what they were
shouting. There were a million people there -– it was hard to make
out the exact words. But January is, indeed, National Get Organized
Month. And no one could be happier than The Betty Brigade.
Organization is, after all, our specialty, our forte, our sine qua non,
you might even say… if you spoke Latin.
Why January? Getting organized is among
most people’s top 10 New Year’s resolutions. It’s right up there with
losing weight and quitting smoking. And it’s worthwhile. Becoming
more organized saves time and money and probably reduces the need for high
blood pressure medication.
According to a recent survey by Brother
International, disorganization in the workplace costs American companies
roughly 178 billion dollars per year. An average office worker wastes 76 hours
per year looking for lost items or files. In the average home, getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40%
of all housework, according to the National
Soap and Detergent Association.
Lots of good reasons to get organized, and
we’re ready with lots of great tips. This issue of the Betty Blast
features tips from the Betties themselves, advice from Joshua, our computer
expert, and some green organizing tips from Miss Olive, our environmental
advisor.
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Helpful Tips from the Betties
Sharon McRill, President Betty:
Give projects and daily tasks a priority of “hot” (do it today), “medium”
(do it this week), or “cold” (do it whenever there's time). You can
code these with little sticky notes – e.g., red for hot, yellow for warm and
blue for cold.
Ask people to e-mail important documents, and then you can search for
them in your computer, rather than searching through stack on your desk.
Clear desk, clear mind. Remove clutter from your desktop. If
you must display things, keep only one or two favorites. The fewer
distractions, the more easily you will focus on your priorities.
Michaela, One Busy Betty:
People commonly avoid organizing because they don't feel they have
enough time to tackle the job. So I suggest breaking it up into 15-minute
segments. Everyone can find 15 minutes in their day and you can actually
get a lot done in a concentrated 15 minute segment.
When organizing a drawer, make sure you leave time to put everything
back at the end of your session, even if you're not finished. Leaving the
clutter out will make your space look messy and make returning to the task more
overwhelming.
Amber, Administrative Betty:
Even if your goal is to organize your entire house, don’t try to tackle
it all at once. Focus on one room at a time; it’s less overwhelming, and each
success will motivate you to move to the next room.
Finish one project before you begin another. You will end up
frustrated if you have several unfinished projects throughout your house.
Brenda, Bona Fide Betty:
Planning an event often involves interviewing
numerous vendors for food, music, venue, photos, etc. To keep things in
order, I recommend using a binder. Keep paper in pocketed dividers for
each vendor category. Then outline your questions and write vendors’
answers on separate pages in sections for easy side-by-side comparisons.
When budgeting an event, create a simple Excel file to track expenses.
List each vendor with your estimated budget, then the actual cost next to that. At the bottom, have a total for each. As you continue planning and
spending before your big event, you can track whether you can splurge or need
to cut back in any given area.
Kori, Safety Officer Betty:
Turn picking up into a rescue mission for the
kids. Have them “save” dirty laundry from the floor and return it to its
hamper home. Once it’s a game, clearing clutter can be fun instead of a
dreaded chore.
Keep a small
laundry basket where “rogue laundry” tends to appear. The family will be
more likely to pick up after themselves.
Nadine, Stager Betty:
I always tell our clients when we’re organizing that
it will get worse before it gets better...but it will get better! It is often
best to tackle the biggest job first to get it out of the way.
One mistake many clients make is to run out and buy all sorts of
organizing items, such as bins, baskets, files, shelving, etc. before beginning
a project. The intention is good, but it’s better to first clear out what you
can (throw out, donate or sell), and then assess what you have left and how you
want it stored.
Judy, Byline Betty:
There is no magical right way to organize,
because it depends on the needs of the person. Being organized means you
can find what you want when you want it. Even if things are in messy looking
stacks, if you truly know exactly where everything is, consider yourself
organized!
Being organized
is a process. Staying organized requires near daily attention. If you have a
filing system, the daily task would be to file away any papers that have come
in that day. Once a month, go through files and shred anything from more
than 12 months ago.
Bernie, One Busy Betty:
I use a bill-paying organizer with dated slots
that holds bills, stamps, a pen, etc. I also use a spreadsheet-like expense
chart each year and a file folder organizer for alphabetically filing receipts,
pay stubs, and other items.
Another handy item I have found is a Special Occasion Reminder
Calendar with a permanent calendar. Next to any special date, I write
the person's name and occasion. I hangs it next to my regular yearly
calendar, thus not needing to re-write all the info every year.
Linda, Organizing Betty:
Bringing order to
your stuff helps you feel more in control of your life and your space. Things
are more likely to be used when they're easy to find, so be sure to label
boxes, bins and shelves if the items aren't readily visible.
The S.P.A.C.E technique can be very helpful
during most kinds of organizing:
Sort - pull everything out and group in like piles
by item,season, color, size, etc.
Purge - keep only what is used and love, designate
items to sell, donate and trash.
Assign - give things set homes; heavy items on low
shelves, most used in center.
Containerize - find a style that works best for
the area: baskets, boxes, plastic bins, etc.
Equalize - review priorities as life changes; kids grow, interests or
jobs change, etc.
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