Good Ideas

Is it me, or does it seem like the bad idea spread like wildfire, but the good ideas are guarded as secrets? You’d think that we’d like to help one another succeed and would love to share anything that makes life easier. I’ll do it. Here are some good ideas I’ve picked up that I’m happy to pass along to you:
 

1. Back up your computer files. I pass this tip along every November as we enter National Novel Writing Month, and now it’s easier than ever with Cloud technology. I’m fastidious about file backups because they’ve saved me at both home and work several times. If you want a free option for this, set up a Gmail account and use the Google Drive. Just copy and paste your documents into the appropriate Google type file (Word files can go into Google Documents, Excel Spreadsheets can go into Google Sheets, etc.) Not only does it back up to their drive, but you can access it from multiple devices. If you prefer to use external devices, I suggest an external hard drive or a USB drive. Whatever you use, please be sure to save your files to more than just your hard drive. Computers are funny, and you never know when a virus or a glitch will take things out.
2. Update passwords for your email and any website where you manage or pay money 2-3 times a year. Hackers never quit trying, and the only way to stay ahead of them is through good virus software, and changing these passwords frequently. You probably also know this, but also use passwords that are a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
3. Use a Dead Sea Salt Hand Scrub. This is a tip I picked up on a business trip to Arizona in 2013, and I went through 3 jars of the stuff last winter. You can get a jar of Dead Sea Salt hand scrub at Ross (and sometimes T J Maxx) for less than $10, and it’s better at locking in and maintaining moisture in dry skin than any lotion I’ve ever used!
4. Go low-tech on your office music. Lots of people with desk jobs like to listen to music while they work, and Internet radio is a popular option. Unfortunately, it eats up bandwidth, which usually means slower Internet and networks – so much that many employers are blocking access to it. Playing music through your cell phone can also drain your battery, so this is a place where low-tech options may be your best. Here are three options for having your tunes within company policy:

Buy an FM/AM radio, copper crafting wire, a roll of packing tape, and a pack of alligator clips. Extend the antenna and wrap the copper wire around it. If you have static, extend the copper wire as far as you can and tape it to the top of your cubical if you work in a cubby farm, or near a window if you have an office. If the reception still has static, attach alligator clips along the antenna and wire. I put one at the top of the radio antenna and one at the end of the wire on top of my cubical, and I get a good radio signal. Also, keep the radio as far from your computer as you can to prevent further interference.
Get a portable CD player. You can play old CD’s, or burn your favorite MP3 songs to CD to play in the office.
Get a cheap or older model MP3 player at a secondhand store or on clearance to keep at the office. 

5. Take 1000 mg of Vitamin C every day. People I know who work in schools and the medical field have been suggesting this to me for years, but I passed it off as an old wives tale - until I caught a cold right after getting an ear infection, and was desperate enough to try it. Turns out, they swear by it for a reason. Vitamin C really does work to boost your immune system. Try it this winter. What do you have to lose?
 
See, good ideas aren’t hard to find. If you don’t horde the wisdom you gain, you can spread the wealth of helpful knowledge to make countless lives easier and happier.
 
That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.
 
Bye!