Productivity Linked To Clean Desks

Productivity Linked To Clean Desks

It may not be a surprise that recent studies have shown that people with clean desks tend to be, well, more productive. Thirty-three percent more productive to be exact. Is it because they have less work to clutter up their desktops? Hardly. The study also measured productivity in relation to organization skills and those who stay better organized, not only have tidier offices, but they also waste less time looking for things through piles of disorganized paperwork and more time getting their work done.

Whether you’re naturally neat and clean or messy may have a lot to do with how you were raised and whether you are a right- or left-brained thinker. But that doesn’t mean that your genes need to dictate how productive you can be. There are several ways to tidy up that workspace and here are some tips to help you get started even if you’re a complete pack rat.

First, focus on keeping your desk clean. Lots of workspace will help you spread out your paper work when you need to, without losing papers, misplacing things, forgetting documents or misfiling the wrong items together. Start by freeing up some desktop space by getting that bulky computer monitor off the desk. A monitor arm, mounted to the side or back of your desk, will not only give you about twenty-five percent more room to work, it’ll also allow you to tilt your monitor to control glare.

Second, never, ever keep your keyboard on your desktop. If you’re still reaching up to your desktop to type on your keyboard, it’s time to move into the new millennium. Articulating keyboard trays and drawers not only give you added space, but they provide the ergonomics your body needs to prevent fatigue and other more serious conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Third, keep only the items you use often on your desk. Take a good look at some of the things you may keep within reach daily, but only use a few times a week: staplers, three-hole punches, reference books, calculators, etc. If you don’t use them every single day, put them away and take them out only when you’re working on a project that requires them.

Fourth, create files and use them. As soon as a project begins, create a file for it—even if it’s only temporary—and keep the files for your active projects close to your desk. Move all other files to a filing cabinet.

Fifth, stop using sticky notes. Nothing clutters up a workspace faster than sticky notes that tend to fall off the thing they’re supposed to be stuck to anyway. Keep a single notebook on your desk and write all pertinent information in your notebook throughout the day. If you need something, you’ll know exactly where to find it and when it’s no longer important, rip out the page and file it in the appropriate file.

With a little overhaul of your behavior and your desk, you can become much more productive and that may mean the difference between a promotion or not.

Microsoft Postpones Plan To Introduce At Least One Original Idea

Microsoft Postpones Plan To Introduce At Least One Original Idea

Imagine the complexities, not to mention the complexes, attendant to being the world’s largest software manufacturer when your principal original idea so far has been a cheaper price than Apple?

Microsoft may well qualify as the American company to achieve the most success without introducing to the needy world at least one original idea, unless, of course, a low-down price can be construed as such a welcome contribution.

Let’s look at the spotty history of, not innovation, but imitation.

Remember when the Mac had point and click, drop-down menus, and the capacity to keep more than one program open at a time but eddying Microsoft didn’t?

Yet, ever resourceful but never innovative, Microsoft managed to imitate the features in ways that kept Gates and company in front of bars and, voila!, the world had Windows and then Office.

And what about search? Google virtually invented it. Yahoo got into the game by acquiring Overture. Finally, we have Microsoft trundling in with vows to chase Google and Yahoo in the lucrative venue.

As if that recent news weren’t embarrassing enough, now Microsoft has announced it’s about to chase down the iPod with its own Billy-come-lately hand-held music and video player.

And tune into the amazing innovation it brings to the fingertips. Microsoft’s player will have at least one feature the iPod doesn’t: wireless Internet capability. So those who express a preference for the device at the cash register will be able to download music without being connected to a PC.

Tres strange, is it not, that Microsoft longed so for any advantage it would present us with a feature that encourages users away from the PC, which is, thanks to various fortuitous stumblings and cheapenings, its home turf.

But let’s not be unfairly critical and admit that the wondrous innovation will also feature a more advanced video screen.

In fact, let’s be proactively fair, as we always strive to be, and mention that Apple is not above imitation, either. For instance, after years of counterproductive soul searching, Jobs and crew finally figured out they could sell a lot more computers if theirs were compatible with the software that controls 90% of the world’s desktops. So in went Intel.

The only outfit that seems bent on sending the creative flame burning across the page in an uncompromising way is Goggle. But let’s not let its inventive duo of founders wiggle off the hook without a bit of a dunk in the wide waters of imitation. As we’ve all learned, one of Google The Great’s lastest forefronts is offering programs via the Internet that manage the same tasks the software does that Microsoft sells on a disk. How stunning is that innovation?

But taking Apple, Google, and Yahoo to task amounts to relative quibbles.

The seemingly hopeless wait is for the advent of at least one revelatory idea from Microsoft. Considering the host of accomplished techies they have in their employ, the most extraordinary astonishment is that we’re still experiencing only flagging anticipation.

Things That You Need To Know About Mobile Marketing 5

Things That You Need To Know About Mobile Marketing

Learn some tips that can help you start creating your mobile marketing plan. You can figure out everything you need to not fall for legal traps and how to earn money and customers by choosing a good format that offers more to your customers. It’s not so scary once you know the basics.

Remember that people who are using a mobile device to see your website will have a harder time navigating through. Make your mobile marketing campaign very easy to use, and though it may seem simple if you are using a computer, it will be perfect for those looking at it on a mobile device.

Don’t use text abbreviations any where in your marketing campaign. Even though many people that are using their phones for the Internet text, not everyone will know what the abbreviations mean. If someone cannot understand your advertisement, they will not look at it, and you will lose a potential customer.

Compared to general Internet marketing, mobile marketing must be short and specific. For example, when targeting users on desktops, it is fine to use a banner ad that points to the main page of your web based store. However, on a mobile ad, even if you manage to get users to visit your website, the vast majority of visitors will not spend time browsing your website. It is far more effective to choose a specific product, and use a concise message that links them directly to a purchase page.

Keep it brief! The messages that you include in your mobile marketing campaign should be short, urgent and clear! If you include a bunch of filler in them, the reader is not going to take the time to read through it. They will not find out what you are offering them. It will be a waste of your time!

When sending out information using mobile marketing, make sure that you take advantage of this type of media and cater the message directly to the person’s interests. This is important because this is already a very personal form of communication and you want to further solidify the bond between you and and customer.

Create a message that is crafted to utilize your limits perfectly. You could shorten some words using text lingo, or create a message in any way that is going to fit the short amount of characters allotted per message while still sending the message that you wish to share.

Try to set a budget and stick to it if you want to market effectively. Shooting past your budget can quickly cause your campaign to fall apart, if only because you may start to change how you handle things due to a fear of money. Work meticulously to stay within your budget for mobile marketing success.

As you can see, creating a mobile marketing plan that works for you and your business isn’t as difficult as it may appear. It just requires doing research, doing heavy networking, and lots of patience. The work will pay off once you see how it can help promote your business.