| Greetings!
Hope you're enjoying March! It's beautiful here in Sydney.
We are working on refining our subscription lists so that you only receive what is applicable to your location. Please be patient, so that we can sort it out. Thanks for your patience.
In the meantime, please enjoy. Happy Organising! |
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Organise Your Office part 3
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Getting organised can remove unnecessary stress and enable efficiency. It can all be so much quicker and easier if you are organised. Here are some tips to help you set your office up in an organised manner. Each month we will tackle a different part of your office.
Computer
Files
Just as with your real desk, please don't clutter your desktop. Clutter creates stress and
inefficiencies. Here's some tips:
1. Delete any icons you don't use
by right clicking on the icon and clicking delete. The programs will still be there under
the "All Programs" function.
2. Don't save files on the desktop
unless you use them everyday.
3. Use the "Auto Arrange" function
to keep the icons organized.
4. Plan out your folders. If possible, use the same format as your
paper files.
5. Name sub-folders so that they make
sense. Use major categories, such as "Clients" and then for each Client
create a sub-folder with their name.
6. Delete old files periodically,
preferably on a regular or a scheduled basis. Always make sure to have a Virus program
and SpyWare and set them to run and update automatically.
7. Make sure to set up a backup
system. If you don't have an IT consultant and are in Sydney,
try David MacMillan at Mosaic IT.
8. Set your Internet Explorer
tool/options to save zero days history.
9. Make sure to delete temp files
regularly through IE tool/options.
10. Pick a screensaver and
background that are calming.
It seems like a lot, but it won't take much time and will relieve a lot
of stress, visually and mentally. The
key is maintenance; make sure to do this with each computer and follow your
plan.
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Sugarsync: my favourite backup/filesynchronization service
Guest writer: Helen Crozier
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As
we start to work more and more "in the cloud" it becomes important to
have a way of connecting all our data together and making sure the
latest documents we have worked on are synchronised (and backed up).
Numerous
services exist. I have tried Beinsync but found it confusing and it has
made one client's computer extremely slow while backing up. Another
client has used Carbonite with some success. The product I'm most
excited about right now is Sugarsync.
For $24.99 USD per year you can synchronise/backup 10gb of files. That's
a hefty amount of data. Business accounts are available for up to 250GB!
How Much Storage Do You Need?
Here is what you can fit in a 10GB account:
File Type # of Files Avg File Size Storage
Office Docs 5,000 <1MB 1GB
Photos 1,500 3MB 4.5GB
Music 1,500 3MB 4.5GB
Once
you have set up what folders you would like to use the service on it's
a breeze to use. You install Sugarsync on every computer (including
MAC) that you will be using or use the web interface to access your
files. Both web and mobile phone access to your files is then possible
. You can open or email links to files in a snap from whatever
computer/mobile phone you are on. The iPhone application is sensational.
Why do I love it?
1. The interface is not only pretty to look at, it's intuitive.
2. It doesn't seem to be a resource hog - you don't notice it's there.
3. It's
very affordable - I'm thinking about taking the step of moving up to
30GB of critical data for $49.99US a year - so I can sleep better at
night and have access to that many files wherever I choose to work.
What will make me love it more?
Outlook PST file synchronisation - as in emails, calendar, contacts and tasks (big ask I know...) (using Mozy purely for that as a supplement right now)
Being
able to backup "My Websites" - it doesn't seem to like html files so
they aren't carried over - bit of a pity but maybe that will be fixed.
I keep those on a memory stick for portability.
Sugarsync is
owned by Sharpcast - I tested out their photo synchronising software a
little over a year ago and thought it was amazing. This document/file
facility is mind blowing really. I'm so pleased they've received a
funding boost and can't wait to see what comes out next!
There's
a 45 day 10gb trial if you want to test it out. I can't emphasise
enough the importance of having at least some of your 'criticals'
backed up offsite and this for me seems to be the smartest way to do it.
Helen Crozier is The Calm Tech Coach, a Technology Coach who specialises in
helping time-poor people who are frustrated with technology. She is passionate in her belief that computers,
software, gadgets and the internet should be a source of inspiration,
success and pleasure rather than frustration.
Her areas of
expertise are email management, information overload,
calendar/task/time management, web tools and the iPhone. She provides help face to face if in Sydney, and remotely using special web software and
conference calls. Workshops and seminars are available on request. Check out her blog and newsletter at www.thecalmtechcoach.com.
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I look forward to continued contact with you and the opportunity to assist you with your organising projects!
We would love to hear your organising questions and what has worked for you!
Best wishes for continued success and a clear focus on your goals!
Warm regards,
Karen Koedding
A Little Elf |
Do you want to become a
Professional Organiser?
Would you like to learn from Karen?
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I have created a Mentoring Program for aspiring Professional Organisers...so that I can share my experiences and education with you. Click for more information here.
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| About A Little Elf |
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A Little Elf is a Professional Organising Firm based in Sydney and New York City. The firm was founded by Karen Koedding in May 2004. A Little Elf offers hands-on organising, organising consulting, training seminars, relocation unpacking services, and one-day re-design services for residences and small businesses/shops.
Karen is Australia's first and only Certified Professional Organiser after receiving the prestigious CPO certification from the Board of Certification for Professional Organisers (BCPO).
Karen's background includes degrees in Accounting and Interior Design, along with extensive experience as an Accountant and Financial Controller. She was recently selected to work with Peter Walsh in organising a home for a feature on Australian television. She is currently serving on the AAPO National Committee.
What is CPO Certification?
CPO Certification is a voluntary, industry-led effort which benefits the public and members of the organising profession. CPO Certification recognizes those professionals who have met specific minimum qualifications and proven through examination and client interaction to possess the body of knowledge and experience required for certification. |
Now offering Business Card Scanning
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A Little Elf is now offering business card scanning services. Let us scan that drawer full of business cards for you! We'll scan them into a file that you can download from the net, and into your Outlook or ACT! contacts database...think of all the new clients/customers you can be in touch of!
Contact us, we're happy to provide a no obligation quote for you!
A Little Elf can help!
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