Sometimes, practical tips are just what is needed in this busy season.  I talk about Lean Office, Lean Management and two big "take-aways" of lean are:

• The customer IS why you are in business 
• Waste is the ultimate profit stealer

So, two of the biggest times wasters that don't add to the customer experience are Looking for Something and Fixing Something that should have been Done Correctly the First Time.

This leads to two tasks we really need do before the New Year if we are not already and making sure we have a system in place going forward.

1.  Back up our computers.

2.  Create an Internet Password Journal that doesn't rely on our memories.

These two jobs can save countless hours.  I actually create a clone of my hard drive so that when a crash occurs, I will be able to plug in a drive that is ready to go with all my data and programs. 

Although most of my passwords are stored in a database, I also keep an old fashioned written record.  I use a simple spiral journal that was actually designed for this to make sure I capture everything.  I can't tell you how many times I refer to it in a week.  Here is a link to one:  Internet Journal. 

Create a schedule so you are backing up regularly and do try to restore a file occasionally to make sure the backups are working .   

Happy Holidays and time spent now will save in the future as I've never met a hard drive that didn't want to crash. . .eventually.