Category: Computer Organization

Best Mail Folders

by Edna Butler, posted in Computer Organization, Email, Tech Tools, Working From Home

For years my e-mail approach was like killing a Hydra. For each email I deleted, two more arrived in my inbox. Part of the problem, I knew, was the nature of my job.

My best friend works for a large consulting firm and I was grateful to outline the approximate strategy that his company shares with consultants to help them manage their volatile mailboxes. The technology is delivered with all the beauty and simplicity expected of a company that calculates seven digits per action and depends on a folder system that can count on one hand.

DITCH SUBJECTS FOR CONDITIONS

The major fault in my experience is forming folders based on subjects. E-mails, such as meetings, seldom fall by the wayside. Where do you archive an important update that covers two independent projects? What do you do with the same email if you need an answer?

The second mistake I’ve seen, and the personal commitment, is trying to use a mailbox as a to-do list. There simply are not enough hours on the workday to respond to the emails that are accumulating there. Over time, just because of the way I “organized” my mailbox, the e-mails that I should have answered were pushed deeper and deeper and eventually they were forgotten.

The system that saved my mental balance needs only five folders:

  • Inbox: The input tray is a holding pen. Emails should not stay here longer than necessary to be saved in another folder. The exception to this rule is when you respond immediately and wait for an immediate response.
  • This week: everything that needs to be answered before the end of the week.
  • This month/quarter: everything that requires a long-term answer. Depending on their function, some emails may need a month’s time to respond, others can operate quarterly.
  • For Your Information (FYI): Most of the articles I receive are informative. If I think I should get an email, I will save it in this folder.

SHOW NO MERCY

The email will quickly become your teacher if you take no responsibility. So, once you have adopted this system, you must follow without mercy; there are no half measures. We tend to be more relaxed about the new adoption habits as their novelty fades. But I’ve improved over time by sticking to my Five-Folder Rule. I’m relentless with deleting emails that do not require my attention.

Here are five suggestions that make the system more effective:

First of all, I keep a real list of pending activities. Occasionally I add items to this list based on the content of an email that does not require an answer. For example, if an email thread causes us to schedule a meeting, I’ll write a note to prepare my boss with certain information from those emails, but I’ll delete it after completing the preparation session.

Second, do not overstate your importance. Too many people want to express their opinions about too many things. We all have leadership aspirations and that is generally a good thing. One way to increase your influence is to take on more responsibility. But do not confuse the opinion with the leadership, or increase the number of emails with more difficult tasks. If you do not need to answer, put it in the folder “FYI” or delete it, it’s either. And if it stays in “cc,” you get the last thread if all respond, so you should not worry.

Third, do not overstate the importance of others. Many people want answers today. I’m one of them. But I’ve learned that today I do not always need or deserve an answer. This is especially true if you have obligations that directly affect customers or the financial health of your business. Do not put emails in the Today folder that you do not own. If it is in the Today folder, it must respond without exception on that day.

Fourth, you can work in multiple folders at the same time. Aim to maintain the “Today” folder little for obvious motives. If it’s empty and you have time to send longer-term emails, go to the “This Week” folder. I usually spend Friday mornings writing emails this week. If I do not have all the information I need, I can start my answer, but save it as a draft and send it only when everything is grilled.

Finally, if your work is project-based, you can create this system from five folders for each project. It is possible to run two or three projects simultaneously, and technically a total of 10 to 15 folders are created, but the system is retained. Once the project is completed, it saves the entire structure.

As with any new work habits, especially personal organization, it may seem unnatural at first; I found out that I had to get used to it. Shortly after that, I was still stressed because I felt I was missing something. In reality, however, everything was finished and gradually I began to see it. I was doing a lot of SEO work at the time and implementing some tips I found on Domain Authority Links. It turned out that I was used to feeling the weight of the e-mail, and I confused it with productivity. Armed with only five folders, these days are over.

Helpful Tips While Choosing Office Printers

by Edna Butler, posted in Computer Organization, My Blog, Office Supplies, Tech Tools

The printer is an essential electronic equipment used to print your documents. Many people keep a printer at home or office because they need a print out of documents on regular basis to meet their business demands. Choosing a printer for office or home can be a challenging decision because there are so many printers out there that make your choice difficult especially if you don’t have a printer before.

Printer considerations

There are certain basic functionalities that you need for printer to operate as per business needs. Certain research can help you choose the best possible local price. If the printer meets your demand then you don’t have to worry about price as well. It is not a bad idea to check the requirements in advance before selecting a printer because some of the best office printers have different functionalities and it is important to choose a printer that help you run your business smoothly on daily basis. Beyond price considerations, you have different other considerations like mentioned below.

  • Product support– One of the major considerations while buying any printer is to check whether there is support warrantee that comes with it. You can choose a branded product that comes with one-year free warrantee and it helps you get any repair required in case of any problem. You can also consider increasing its warrantee period if you are looking to use the product for longer period or the price is high for a specific printer.
  • Frequency and cost of Printer Ink– While choosing the best office printers, it is essential to check what is the frequency and cost of printer ink replacement. You need to check how long the printer cartridge works and how many pages it can print in one complete fill of the ink. Accordingly, you need to check your daily page requirement and then plan to choose a printer.
  • Size of Printer– Many printers vary in terms of size and you can choose a small sized printer or large printer which also comes with photocopy and scan option. Depending on your requirement, you can choose a printer.
  • Colored or Black Printer– Printers are available in different sizes and have the ability to print both colored and black pages so you need to check what is your requirement in business that you are running.
  • Extended functionalities -Many printers have additional enhanced functionalities like enhanced speed of printing, photocopy or scan a page. You can choose a printer depending on what additional printer functionality you need in the product.

Importance of Getting best customer support

When you walk to a local Staples or Office Depot, you might be looking for a low priced multi-function printer that would be having a good support. This is the basic requirement that most people search for while choosing a printer. Some stores offer a good product support locally while others just don’t provide good support. In such cases, you might get a printer at low cost without support but another same printer with additional support availability. Many people choose a low priced option and leave expensive product but what if your printer gets into a problem after using for few days. All your money spent on low priced product goes away. Therefore, you need to choose a printer which is having an authorized service center and comes with a warranty. It might come at a slightly expensive cost but you will get a good support which is critical in resolving any problem that may arise while working on a typical office printer. If you get a good technical support on hand then you are going to have a good time working with the office printer.

Getting a multifunctional printer for office

Most of the companies and multinationals rely on purchasing a multifunctional printer for the company because it offers range of services with extended support for different features. You can use different features in the printer like sending an email, taking a photocopy or even getting a scan through the same device. However, multifunctional printers come at a heavy price and also takes a lot of space so these heavy machines also need more space to accommodate. This is possible only if you have a large office space but in case if you don’t have enough space then it is better to install a medium sized printer which is not over-sized or bulky. Final consideration would be to select the ink for your office printer. Some of the offices choose a black ink but most of them choose printer that has ability to print colored page.

Above mentioned are some of the considerations that help you choose the right office printer and it is a good option especially when you want to get your pages printed without any hassle.