I love using Microsoft 'Outlook'. Like the rest of the Microsoft Office suite this gem is a must for me, as the features it has are great for keeping emails, calendar appointments and tasks organized.  

Features like 'categories', 'drag and drop' capabilities, 'reminders' and 'flags' make organizing email, time and tasks much easier. 

Today, for all you 'Outlook' users I have a few helpful links to learn how to set up Auto Reminders...  Enjoy!

*Click here to learn about 'Auto Responses' for Outlook 2010:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/automatically-reply-to-e-mail-messages-HA010354932.aspx
 
*Click here to learn about 'Auto Responses' for Outlook 2007:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/automatically-reply-to-messages-with-the-out-of-office-assistant-HP001232830.aspx?CTT=1

*Click here to learn about 'Auto Responses' for Outlook 2003:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/automatically-reply-to-incoming-messages-with-a-pop3-or-imap-e-mail-account-HA001122385.aspx?CTT=1

While you're visiting 'office.microsoft.com' why don't you check out the other software files too? After all, you never know what you can find to make your job easier.

PS: If you use Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail or anything else and are looking for some good tips on how to perform a certain functions that will make your work easier, please email me. If I don't already know the answer, I will take time to find some answers for you and pass them on in a following ezine.

 

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Once while I was visiting with my dad we decided it would be a great idea to give my laptop a cleaning. Now I have done this before so I wasn't too worried, yet I think my dad's vacuum is a little more powerful than the one I have because as we were giving the key board a once over my 'J' key disappeared. Yikes!!

Of course you can imagine my shear first reaction of terror. This might be slight exaggeration yet indeed it did make me pause with concern.

Luckily my dad just popped open his vacuum, found my 'J' and it was still looking ok. I managed to get it placed back on my laptop keyboard and all was well again. Now I make sure to use the small attachment I have at home that the key wont fit through. Overall I am very careful with my laptop because, it cost a lot of money and I want it to last a long time.

What about your computer, what about your companies systems? Did you want your investment to last a long time and run well too?

Let me ask you, did you know...

The average business spends more per month on its coffee supplies than it spends in an entire year providing preventive maintenance service on it’s computer hardware system, which they have invested anywhere from several thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchasing.

Modern computers with their powerful computing ability no longer need to be replaced every 2-4 years. If properly maintained, computer hardware can last 7-10 years or longer, saving your company several thousand to hundreds of thousands in capital investment. Employees appreciate a clean, healthy work place environment and customer testimonials report a noticeable reduction in employee sick time. What does one employee sick day equate to in costs to your business not only in unrecoverable salary and benefits expense, but also disruption to the workplace productivity, fumbled orders / customers, lost sales?

Think your janitorial service is cleaning your computers, better think again. At best, janitorial companies will do little more than wave a feather duster over your equipment. This is usually the janitorial company’s policy for insurance reasons.

But don't worry, I found a solution for you:

 Let me introduce you to Dataclean Computer Services. Their client list speaks to both their reliability and integrity, providing service to the banking industry, call centre’s, law firms, municipal police, crown corporation offices, provincial utilities companies, municipal city facilities and small to corporate sized independent business.

Datacleans service maintenance schedules are custom tailored to fit your business based on your specific office environment requirements. i.e. shared vs. exclusive use of equipment.

For an online quotation for your equipment cleaning requirements visit www.dataclean.ca and click on the "Online Quote" tab.
Dataclean Computer Services
Contact: Willard Wilton
Email: wwilton@dataclean.ca
Phone: 604-258-8837
Fax: 604-582-5197
 
Willard’s got my support:

"What impressed me the most about the service and products that Willard at Dataclean provides his clients is the outstanding integrity and commitment he demonstrates while doing so. The level of dedication and care that Willard puts into his work, in my perspective, is the most valuable aspect of working with him. The product options are fantastic too, yet it's the people thatdo it for me. Thanks again Willard!"  Michelle Panzlaff – Tidy Tiger Solutions

 

 
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From my 20 Step Office Organizing Checklist, the task for this week is:
  •  Create a 'Workflow Strategy' and post in your view.
 A workflow strategy is a picture or 'graphic representation' of all of the major steps of a work process.

This visual map can help you in several ways:
Gain a more complete understanding of the process
Identify problem areas and find solutions to close any gaps
Locate the critical stages of a process
Show the relationsips beween different steps  

For many it is hard to know where to start on creating such a strategy, figuring out just how complex it should be, or what software they can use to create a professioanl looking one.  

Try these resources or call me and I will be happy to help.
Not only can we work work together to create this tool for you, I can help you streamline the physical systems to match.  
SmartDraw.com
Edrawsoft.com
LovelyCharts.com
DiagramDesigner1.22
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By Melia Goertzen, of Caron Business Solutions

You get regular oil changes for your car. You drag your kids to the dentist every six months. You worry about replacing your roof this summer, even though you know you could probably wait another few years. You are proactive about all the things around you, yet you never focus on yourself...

What about the time you spend working? Do you make the most of it? Doing the books, keeping records, time and billing, working on payroll... and what about that dreaded time we call tax season? How much time do you spend scrunched over your computer, paper covering your desk, pencil in hand, reaching for the Tylenol? If you're like most people, it's probably more than you care to admit.

Once Michelle at Tidy Tiger has done a number on the piles of paper, maybe it's time to learn the most effective ways to use your computer software. Whether you're a larger business running on Accpac, a smaller business using Simply Accounting, or just using Microsoft Excel to keep track of the day-to-day "stuff", chances are you could be using the program more efficiently.

By spending one day in a classroom, learning from Certified Trainers and using hands-on practical examples, you will gain new insight into how to use the tools you already have more successfully. Make the jump from a plain old Excel table to a Pivot Graph. Stop spending time on repetitive tasks, and set up recurring transactions in Simply Accounting. Don't just track your inventory, but control it using Accpac.

You invest in so many things around you, isn't it time you focus on yourself? Don't you think you're worth it? If you're ready to take your knowledge to the next level, check out www.caronbusiness.com/training, or contact Melia at 604-291-6311. Mention this article for 5% off any course. 
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Imagine the next time you are visiting your mechanic; you witness him using his high-tech diagnostic tool for your car, as a hammer. Wouldn't you ask, "Isn't that a valuable piece of technology that could be put to better use?"

I mean, perhaps the tool works well as a hammer, yet it is capable of so much more, so I think that the mechanic would want to get the most out of it, and leave hammering for a hammer, right?
Now, take a moment to think about your "high-tech" devices, for instance; your computer, the software and any peripherals. They are designed with features and functions that for the most part can make your life easier, if you know how to operate them well. 
 
Take for example, Microsoft Outlook, sure it handles email, yet did you know you can manage tasks and appointments with drag and drop features too? Now consider what can be done with Excel. That simple list of vendor contacts you may have, can be mail-merged to mass mail out letters, emails or labels. 

These two examples are just simple features and there are many more to explore. If we never get to use these features or see them in action, we are not even in a position to consider our options. What I have found is that once someone knows what their devices and software are capable of, they can discover doors and solutions never even considered before.  

So, you may ask, where to start, to learn more? 

One of my first suggestions is to open the software you use the most, or one in which you may have seen or heard others use a lot which you feel will serve your needs best. 

Open the “Help” file, then go to the “Table of Contents” and explore.
For devices such as phones and other peripherals, find your manual and do the same.

I know for some, terminology and jargon can seem unfamiliar and intimidating, but don’t let that stop you. We can’t possibly all “know everything” can we? I know business professionals that are experts at what they do yet don’t know half of what their software can do to make their work easier.

When you are exploring, try a few things out that you never did before. Use the experience to get familiar with the style of direction that the information provides so when using again you will be able to go faster. 

The last bit of advice I have is to give yourself a little time to learn something everyday and schedule time to review terminology as well.
 
To your ever increasing productivity!
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Do you have too many emails and can’t get to everything, yet don’t want to leave your co-workers and clients hanging wondering if you even opened their email? Then like with the mail you should open and decide on each message right away and preferably over the trash.

If you find yourself reading all your emails in a row and then afterwards re-reading the important ones and only then respond or perhaps sometimes letting hours or days pass before returning them or forgetting about them altogether try applying the “one-touch” rule.

For example, if an email comes in that requires no return mail and no follow up file it away in its appropriate folder or delete it immediately. Or if something comes in that requires you to take action soon, yet not at the very moment, make a calendar or task appointment to remind you to take action when you know you will have time, and then immediately following this file away the email into it’s appropriate folder. Here is where spending time to set up good folder systems within your email to find the emails again when you need them will become imperative.

For emails that regularly come in yet you know in advance that they will not require your immediate attention and can be put off until you require the information, such as newsletters or the odd report, set your email with a “Rule” to file away the email into the appropriate folder automatically. You can then look at it when you have time or even set a reoccurring calendar appointment to remind you to check it when you know you will have time to do so.

If you do get an email and the sender is in need of a response sooner than you know you will be able to give an appropriate one, try not to leave them stranded, wondering if their email was overlooked or forgotten, and send them a brief note as to when they can expect a proper answer. At least this way they will rest assured you have acknowledged them and will be more apt to wait patiently until they hear from you again.

As things are easier said then done, be sure that you set an appropriate reminder for yourself to get back to people when you said you would. Give yourself a bit of a buffer if you feel you need it too, because as they say “It is better to under promise and over deliver than to over promise and under deliver”.

For more tips and information on email management and email etiquette start by checking out the “Top 26 Most Important Rules of Email Etiquette” http://email.about.com/od/emailnetiquette/tp/core_netiquette.htm
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This week we have the pleasure of receiving some valuable tips on how to preserve your precious memories.

Our organizing partner “Golden Legacy Preserved Ltd” has thoughtfully provided some very good information and if you have photos that you want to make sure stay precious, I urge you to read this article for the full scoop…

Here is a common concern:
"My photos are fading away! I wanted to show to my grandchildren the photos when I was pregnant with their parents, but now is too late; the photos have scratches and have almost completely faded away".

Here is part of the problem:
Chemicals on the photos and slides keep reacting over time. Some color images show marked deterioration in only 10 years turning blue, yellow or red in most cases. The color dyes used in photo prints, slides and negatives will irreversibly decay overtime.

Changes in temperature and humidity produce one kind of fading, changes in lighting conditions are responsible for other kind of fading. The oil in our hands and dust in the environment are also responsible for deterioration that will become more evident overtime.

What can we do to protect our valuable photos?
The decaying process is progressive and irreversible but it can be slowed down by careful storage and handling of the photos.

Color photos will last longer if stored in the dark, in a cool dry location. The worst place to store old photographs is in the basement (too damp) or attic (too hot).

Do not stack them on top of each other, photos are easily scratched and should be stored in archival plastic or paper sleeves. Most inexpensive photo albums could damage the photos. Particularly, avoid albums with sticky adhesive pages.

Be careful when removing fragile photo prints, slides and negatives from boxes, sleeves and photo albums. Avoid touching of surface areas and do not force the photos off from the photo album or from each other.

Another more permanent solution would be to professionally transfer them to CD or DVD.

If professionally scanned, photos can then be digitally enhanced with specialized software to help restore the faded dyes to a point somewhere near to original appearance, depending on the extent of the damage. Some minor scratches could also be repaired by qualified technicians. This solution has many benefits; not only the photos will last a lifetime on a CD or DVD but you can also copy and share them with family and friends all around the world and the quality will never deteriorate regardless of how many times you play them or make copies out of them.

_______________________

Thank you Golden Legacy for your helpful information, I am sure many readers will learn some important things about storing their precious memories.

To help get your photo in order, call us, Tidy Tiger, yet when you need to have your memories preserved contact Golden Legacy Preserved Ltd

Golden Legacy professionally transfers Photos/Slides, VHS/Camcorder, LP/Cassettes to CD/DVD with great attention to details.. 

   "Golden Legacy Preserved Ltd. has my highest recommendation. What impressed me the most about Golden Legacy was Luis. He has passion and knowledge, so your legacy is in good hands!" Michelle

Visit them today to learn more… www.GoldenLegacy.ca
or call 604-527-0515 to speak with them today.
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