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Co-Workers Not Cleaning Up After Themselves? [Digg]
2008-02-19 23:47:00
Do you find that staff members leave their garbage around the kitchen area? Do you get annoyed that you are always the one that has to clean up after them? Do you start wondering if they treat their own house the same way?
More About: Workers , Cleaning , Digg

Adhering to the "Open Door" Policy
2008-02-19 12:59:00
In my last job, I had my own office. I worked as an Investment Advisor’s Assistant, completed my CSC (Canadian Securities Course), but soon after, I realized that this wasn’t really for me.   It was great having my own office. I would be able to do work without too many interruptions, have quiet time, since the walls and the closed door (at times) would stop the noise from reaching in.   I work in a large firm now where it’s mainly an open concept area, with only the managers having their own offices. We strive for an “open door” policy, but of course, there are times when the managers hold meetings or make phone calls and have their door closed.   One thing that always bothered me in my last job was when I had my door closed, people would still knock and ask me questions that weren’t urgent. If it was my boss that showed up, well, that’s a different story.   Just remember, if your company has an &ldqu...
More About: Open , Policy , Meetings , Tasks , Door

6 Easy Steps to a Better Work-Life Balance
2008-02-19 12:58:00
Do you find that you are working way too much? Do you feel that you want to spend more time with your family, friends or by yourself?   Many people are stuck in this situation where they can’t seem to find a good work-life balance. This can be difficult for many, but unfortunately, there is no simple answer. You have to understand that each person has to find balance in their life in their own way. There is really no right or wrong answer.   Here are 6 key strategies to reflect on when you are trying to figure out your own work-life balance:   If you are an office type worker, make sure to get up from your desk every so often to stretch, take a break or clear your mind.  Getting regular exercise of 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week is crucial. Try to squeeze it in where you can. Even if it’s 5 minutes here and there, it does add up.  “I don’t mix business with pleasure!” Adopt...
More About: Organize , Life , Work , Productivity , Balance

Got A Large Print Job From Your Boss? Not Sure What To Do?
2008-02-15 14:40:00
Your boss comes to your cubicle and asks you to make 10 copies of 5 different sets of publications. She also mentions that she needs it completed urgently, since she had to schedule a meeting with some clients right away. What do you do next?I've been in these types of situations quite often, but have learned over time that many photocopiers these days have functions so advanced that it can clean your floors, do your dishes and tuck your kids in at night. Ok, maybe not these functions, but it does have the ability to do a "Build Job" function.In a nutshell, you press a few buttons, feed in the different sections of the publications into the photocopier and it makes 10 perfect copies, with all publications in order within each copy. This can save you tremendous amounts of time, since you don't want to stand there for hours photocopying each publication 10 times.Unfortunately, each copier's method is different, but there are some basic rules to follow: Press the buttons you need to...
More About: Boss , Print , Large

Tired of Sending Recurring E-mails?
2008-02-14 14:42:00
Do you find that you write the same e-mails over and over again? Do you feel that there should be an easier way of doing this?   Of course there is. It all depends on how you need to do this. There are two different methods that you can follow to creating recurring e-mails.   You can create a Microsoft Outlook e-mail template, which you can open and manipulate as you go along. The only downfall is that you would have to send manually each time.  You can use either an online service called LetterMeLater.com or purchase SendLater for Microsoft Outlook.  LetterMeLater.com allows you to send e-mails via an online application for free. You can send recurring e-mails as many or as few times as you want.  SendLater for Microsoft Outlook allows you to send e-mails directly from your software on your computer (this is an add-on for Microsoft Outlook), but then there is a cost associated with it.&n...
More About: Organize , Productivity , E-Mail , Tasks

Too Many People Need Your Help At Once?
2008-02-13 14:44:00
Are you having difficulty with overcoming a problem? Do you have too many people coming to you at once asking for your help?   This happens to me quite often, since I help about 30 people, including 6 managers. It's either dead quiet or everyone needs you all at the same time.   The best way to deal with stressful situations like this is to stop, take a breath and relax for a few minutes. I know that you might have a large workload to deal with, but this will definitely help.   Once you get your body to relax for a bit, your focus will be much more productive on what you have to accomplish. Taking a few slow, deep breaths in between can also help.  Try removing yourself from the situation by taking a short walk.  Exercise can do wonders.  Try venting to someone you confide in.  Just getting out the tension will release any anxiety and stress you may have.   Just remember to take one task at a time and cross it off you...
More About: Organize , People , Productivity , Lists , Tasks

Resizing Pictures in Microsoft Word
2008-02-12 18:21:00
Your boss comes up to you and asks you to take a look at an e-mail that he/she just sent you. You open the e-mail and open the Microsoft Word attachment. You notice that there is a picture within the file and your boss asks you to resize it. What do you do next?   Some people have asked me this recently and I thought that I'd share my knowledge of this task with all of you. This is actually quite a very simple thing to do.   Here are the steps to do this:   Click anywhere on the picture that you want to resize.  You will notice that the picture now has 8 different sections you can use to resize it with, shown with the red circles along the edges.   Left click and hold any one of these little boxes and you will notice that your picture is being resized.  Once you are done resizing, let go of the mouse button and voila! You have your new picture. If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get ...
More About: Pictures , E-Mail , Microsoft Word

Co-Workers Not Cleaning Up After Themselves?
2008-02-11 14:47:00
Do you find that staff members leave their garbage around the kitchen area? Do you get annoyed that you are always the one that has to clean up after them? Do you start wondering if they treat their own house the same way?   You’re not alone. One of my readers asked me for some tips on handling annoying co-workers that don’t throw out their tea bags, leave used paper towels around the sink area or just leave their dirty dishes in the dish rack.   Here are 3 suggestions that I remember hearing about from other sources that have been proven to be effective:   You can send out an e-mail to everyone asking them to clean up after themselves and not leave garbage in the dish tray. Make sure that you don't point fingers at anyone, just to lighten the blow.  Put up a sign that says something like, "Please don't put garbage in the dish tray", "Your mother doesn't work here, clean up after yourself" or "...
More About: Organize , Workers , Cleaning , Labels , Productivity

Using Microsoft Office E-mail Templates [Digg]
2008-02-08 22:20:00
Do you wite reccurring e-mails on a regular basis? Are your hands getting tired from constantly having to retype the same e-mail over and over again? There is a simple solution to this - E-mail Templates !
More About: Mail , Microsoft , Office , Microsoft Office

Using Microsoft Office E-mail Templates
2008-02-08 14:57:00
Do you wite reccurring e-mails on a regular basis? Are your hands getting tired from constantly having to retype the same e-mail over and over again? There is a simple solution to this - E-mail Templates!   There are certain tasks that I need to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, etc. basis and it usually involves e-mail. About 90% of my work comes in the form of e-mails, since I want to be able to track anything and everything that managers and fellow staff members send me.   To be a little more productive at my job, I thought I'd create e-mail templates, which save quite a bit of time in the long run.   Here are 9 steps to creating an e-mail template in Microsoft Outlook:   On the Tools menu, click Options, then click the Mail Format tab.  Clear the Use Mircosoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages check box.  Click Apply, then OK.  On the File menu, point to New, then click Mail Message.  When ...
More About: Organize , Microsoft Office

Falling Behind on Your Workload?
2008-02-07 11:00:00
Are you falling behind on your work? Do you feel that too many people are coming to you and overloading your workload?   This happens to me from time to time. Since I am an administrative assistant for 30 staff, which includes 6 managers, it can get a little hectic at times.   Imagine at times that you are bored out of your mind, going around to other staff members asking for work. Then there are times when everyone is coming to you for something all at the same time. This is how it usually goes in any office.   But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. One of the best ways to combat this is to schedule a meeting with your boss to discuss how this can be tackled in a productive way.   Here are some to-do tips before you head into the meeting:   Create a list of all of the main tasks that you are doing. Don't write each task out, but summarize them into main groups.  Think of ways you can help manage the wor...
More About: Workload

Having Trouble Booking Meetings for Many People?
2008-02-06 11:00:00
Are you trying to book a meeting with lots of people? Are you having trouble trying to get everyone's schedule in order, to have this meeting?   Just recently, I was stuck with this dilemma as well. I started thinking, what would be the best way to be able to get everyone on the same page?   Sending a meeting request to everyone usually is the best option, but at times, it isn't. Let me explain. The problem is that if the people that need to be in the meeting are from outside of your office, it wouldn't be a good idea to keep sending meeting updates over and over again. If they are in your office, it's easier to see what everyone's schedule is like on Microsoft Outlook.   The simplest way to do this is to either send everyone an e-mail asking them what dates/times they are available. Another suggestion for this method would be to provide some dates/times that you think would work for everyone. This way, they would try to alter t...
More About: People , Meetings , Booking

Results: Work From Home Poll
2008-02-05 14:45:00
Last month, I conducted a voting poll to find out what readers would do if they became sick during work time. The results were actually not surprising.   Most readers would work from home while they are sick. This shows that most of us really care about our work, want to impress the boss or just don't really have anything else to do.   When you are sick, your body is trying to tell you to slow down and get some much needed rest. If you feel well enough to tackle a few e-mails and phone calls, go ahead and do it, but remember to take breaks in between. If you are feeling completely lousy, call it a day and take a sick day. You're body will thank you for it later.   You can also read the article entitled "Got the Flu? Work From Home !" which explains this poll's results in more detail and how to be able to work from home if you need to. If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you. ...
More About: Results , Productivity , Poll

Worry Free Confidential Document Printing [Digg]
2008-02-01 16:18:00
Do you have confidential documents that you need to send to your network printer? Do you not want to run back and forth between your desk and the printer to make sure that no one can see what you are printing?
More About: Free , Digg , Worry , Document , Printing

Worry Free Confidential Document Printing
2008-02-01 14:42:00
Do you have confidential documents that you need to send to your network printer? Do you not want to run back and forth between your desk and the printer to make sure that no one can see what you are printing?Ok, the last sentence sounds like you are doing something wrong at work (and you may be, which is obviously not a good thing), but you might be trying to print something that has sensitive information.There are times where managers ask me to print documents that have to be kept private either for a period of time or completely. Since I am at one end of the office (other staff members call this area "oblivion") and the printer is on the other end, it makes it difficult for me to run back and forth.Most printers nowadays come with a simple function called the "Hold and Print" function. This allows you to print a document or several documents and asks you to enter a 4-digit PIN on your computer. Once you get a chance to go to the printer and want to release the one or several prin...
More About: Organize , Free , Productivity , Worry , Document

Microsoft Outlook Shared Mailboxes Etiquette
2008-01-31 14:44:00
Do you have more than one mailbox in your Microsoft Outlook , other than your inbox? Do you share these other mailboxes with other staff members?   I have shared access to 4 different mailboxes for various products and projects. We use these mainly for e-mail campaigns and has shown to be very successful.   One thing that some people tend to do is read an e-mail that they think might be for them. Since this is a shared mailbox, it's considered acceptable. Once they read the e-mail and realize it's not for them, they leave it as is.   This causes a problem for the rest of the staff members that also have access to this mailbox, since the message is marked "Read" and the number of "Unread" messages doesn't show up on the left side in bold, if this was the only e-mail message or all of them have been marked as "Read".   Remind your staff members to mark items as "Unread" if the e-mail doesn't pertain to ...
More About: Etiquette , Productivity , E-Mail

Using Subtotals Function in Microsoft Excel
2008-01-30 14:48:00
Do you have a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet where you have firm names and figures? The spreadsheet might contain other types of data, but is similar to this example?Imagine your boss comes to your desk and asks you to provide him/her with details of how much each firm earned in revenue on this spreadsheet. You think to yourself, how can I do this quickly, without much manual work?Here are the 6 simple steps to using the subtotal function in Microsoft Excel:Highlight the firm names and figures. Click Data, then Sort, then sort by the firm name.Highlight the firm names and figures again. Click Data, then Subtotals, click OK. Select "At each change in:" should be Firm1, "Use function:" should be Sum and "Add subtotal to:" should only have $100 .00 checked (in this example). You only need to have "Summary below data" checked if you don't currently have subtotals shown.Now you have the total for each firm as well as the grand total listed.If you need to do this for other functions, make s...
More About: Productivity , Tasks , Function

Closing Shared Files While Away From Desk
2008-01-29 14:40:00
Do you share files on a network within your office? Are you the type of person that needs to run between your desk and other places on a regular basis?   I am one of these people. Since I help out a staff of 30, which includes 6 managers, I constantly am away from my desk doing different tasks such as going to the printer on the other side of the office or bringing rush items to the mail room.   One thing that I've noticed and I have been a suspect of this as well in the past, is that people tend to leave their shared files open on their computers while they are gone for long periods of time. If someone else needs to access information, they can just click the "Read-Only" button. But if they need to change information, this could cause a problem.   So the next time you know you will be leaving your desk for a long period of time, please make sure to close any files that are shared among your staff. It will make everyone's life easi...
More About: Productivity , Files , Desk , Tasks

Copying Pictures To and From Microsoft Word
2008-01-28 14:35:00
Have you ever wondered how to copy pictures from and to Microsoft Word ? Do you have a big project coming up and want to show your boss that you can handle this type of task?   Recently, someone asked me how this is done. It’s actually quite simple.   To copy pictures from Microsoft Word , simply click on the picture that you want to copy and either right-click your mouse and click copy or hit CTRL-C:   You’ll notice that there is a light border around the picture, which means that it’s been selected and can be pasted to another program by right-clicking your mouse, then click paste or hit CTRL-V.   If you would like to copy pictures into Microsoft Word, copy the picture from another program (copying will depend on what program you are using). Click Insert, Picture, From File. Then select the picture you want to import and voila!   If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to yo...
More About: Pictures , Productivity

Cultural Differences in Jobs Around The World [Digg]
2008-01-25 14:48:00
Cultures and laws in different countries can vary quite largely. Here in North America, we have to abide by laws that do not discriminate against age, gender, race, etc. On the other hand, other parts of the world have different laws, where they do allow for this.
More About: World , Jobs , Digg , Around the world , Cultural differences

Cultural Differences in Jobs Around The World
2008-01-25 14:45:00
Cultures and laws in different countries can vary quite largely. Here in North America, we have to abide by laws that do not discriminate against age, gender, race, etc. On the other hand, other parts of the world have different laws, where they do allow for this.   I recently saw an ad for a Male Office Assistant and Female Receptionist to work in Pakistan. I'm not familiar with the laws of that particular country, but this comes to show how diverse our world really is. I have created a screenshot of the ad, since the job will be filled and the website will no longer represent it:     I live in Canada, where cultural diversity is very strong, but still has certain rules and regulations that does not discriminate against certain criteria for hiring a person. I believe that as long as the person is qualified to do the job, they should be hired.   I understand that there are cultural differences, which varies from country to country. ...
More About: World , Jobs , Productivity , Around the world , Cultural differences

Microsoft Customer Service Calls Back 10 Years Later
2008-01-24 17:16:00
You are probably reading the title of this post and scratching your head, thinking "Is this right?" Believe it or not, this is correct.I found an interesting article on a fellow blogger's site about customer service that was delayed by 10 years. This is something you really don't want to do, if you work in a customer service environment. You can find the article here.Human error always happens, but you should always double-check your work, to avoid mishaps such as this one.If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you.Until next time,Take care - of your clutter! Your Ad Here! Click to inquire!
More About: Microsoft , Customer Service , Service , Customer , Productivity

Sorting Tables in Microsoft Word
2008-01-23 14:37:00
Have you ever wondered or tried to sort a table within Microsoft Word ? Do you already have a table set up in Microsoft Word, but don't want to copy to Microsoft Excel and back again, just to sort it?   One of my colleagues came to me and asked about this very question. I wasn't sure if this was possible, but fiddled around on Google a bit and found that it is possible.   Here are the four simple steps to do this:   Highlight the table that you want to sort.  Click on "Table" on the menu bar, then select "Sort". You can also right-click your mouse and select "Sort".  Select your options (the column to sort by; sort according to text, number, or date) and the sequence of the sort (ascending or descending).  Click OK to finish the sort.  Now your table should be sorted properly. If you like this post, please subscribe to my feeds or get posts e-mailed directly to you. Until next ...
More About: Tables , Productivity , Sorting

Using Microsoft Outlook Calendar Properly
2008-01-22 14:39:00
Are you trying to book a meeting with someone or a group of people? Do you find that you book a meeting date/time, but one or more people from the group let you know that they can’t make it during that date/time?   This happens to me quite frequently. People are using their Microsoft Outlook calendars incorrectly. They either block off time that they shouldn’t have or they block it off so that it either shows that they’re busy, but really out of the office or vice versa. Then you end up going back and forth to try to figure out what works for everyone. Imagine if you had a large number of people doing this. How many times would you have to contact each person to find out what works for everyone?   Make sure to block off your calendar, whether it be tentatively busy, busy or out of the office. I can’t comment on the colours at this point, since each person can customize their calendar the way that works best for the...
More About: Organize , Productivity , Calendar

How to Cope With Co-Workers Arguing [Digg]
2008-01-21 14:38:00
You?re on the phone with a client and an argument breaks out between two of your colleagues. You try to plug your other ear to drown out the noise. The noise keeps getting louder and louder. What do you do?
More About: Workers , Digg , Cope

How to Cope With Co-Workers Arguing
2008-01-21 11:00:00
You’re on the phone with a client and an argument breaks out between two of your colleagues. You try to plug your other ear to drown out the noise. The noise keeps getting louder and louder. What do you do?   Has this ever happened to you? Do you feel helpless when a heated argument breaks out between co-workers and you’re not sure of how to stop it?   There are some simple things you can do to bring the office back to a reasonable state of noise:   Ask the people involved in the heated argument to lower their voice, but remember to do it in a calm way, otherwise you will be a part of the battle.  Ask them to go into a meeting room to discuss the issue at hand or even to go outside.  Ask them to take a breather from one another to cool off. This will help each person think rationally, since when you are upset, you think with your emotions and might say something you regret.  If all else fails, ...
More About: Workers , Cope

Do Not Disturb - Training In Progress
2008-01-18 14:43:00
Do you get staff members coming to you for all sorts of questions? Are you the main contact in your department? When you're on a phone call, do people hover over you?   You usually are the main source of contact for any and all questions in your department, including clients asking questions. It's inevitable, but it's part of your job description.   If you are on a training course via your computer (WebEx) and listening in to the presenter, you want your full attention on the seminar or workshop that you are attending at your cubicle. You don't want people coming up to you, hovering and waiting for you to put down the phone for a few seconds to let them know that you are in a training session.   The easiest way to avoid this is to create a "Do Not Disturb" sign and place it somewhere on your cubicle that can be seen clearly. Many of my colleagues have used this method and I have never seen anyone complain, from either side.  ...
More About: Customer Service , Training , Productivity , Progress , Meetings

Copying Tables, Pictures or Text in PDF Files to Other Sources
2008-01-17 14:41:00
Did your boss just ask you to copy a table, picture or text to another source of software, such as Microsoft Excel or Word? Are you struggling with trying to figure out how to do this in time?   This is actually quite a simple task to accomplish. There are two different ways to work within PDF files:   To copy a picture, simply click on the following icon shown below and the software will automatically copy it onto the clipboard:       All you need to do now is to paste it into the piece of software by either right-clicking your mouse and select paste or high CTRL-V.     If you want to copy text from a PDF file into another source, click on the following icon shown below. Then make sure to either right-click your mouse, then select copy or hit CTRL-C.     Paste the text into the software by either right-clicking your mouse and select paste or high CTRL-V.   Just don't forget to save your files....
More About: Pictures , Tables , Productivity , Text , Files

Declutter Your Desk - Ask Others to Use Your Mail Tray
2008-01-16 14:36:00
Do you find that when you come into the office in the morning and get to your desk that you have a large pile of papers placed neatly all over your desk or on your chair? Do you think that your staff members should be using the mail tray that's been provided right on the edge of your desk?   People tend to leave things on others' desks without noticing the mail tray that's been provided. This would help you organize things in a much more effective way.   I'm not sure if people think that if they leave something on your desk or chair, that it will get completed faster. If it's urgent, a sticky note would suffice. If it's a larger item that cannot fit in your mail tray or is too heavy, can be placed on your desk or chair. If you don't have a mail tray, get one. If you don't want to use one, then I would suggest placing the items on the person's chair.   People have to understand that each person prioritizes their work their own way...
More About: Organize , Mail , Productivity , Desk , Tasks

Dutch artist paints 1000 meters of road blue [Digg]
2008-01-15 19:05:00
The artist Henk Hofstra painted 1,000 metres of road blue to create anurban river with about 4000 liters of paint. Hofstra wants the work,to show up on Google Earth.
More About: Artist , Blue , Digg , Dutch , Paints