Tips for home office dwellers: Taming the paper overload

 

No matter WHAT do, I seem to get overwhelmed by paper. It comes in every crack and crevice (sort of like the letter from Hogwarts to Harry Potter in Book I).

While I admit to having some stacks still lurking, I thought I would share a few of my favorite easy to use technologies that are helping me tame to paper overload. I have actually had all these parts in pieces in my home office for a while and just recently sat down to figure out how to make them all work together.

Key Ingredients:

A computer. In this case I am using an Intel vPro™ desktop running Windows 7.

HP Officejet Pro 8500 A909g Series WiFi multifunction printer

Western Digital My Book World Edition 1 TB Network Attached Storage WDH1NC10000N

These three devices are connected to a Cisco Linksys E1000 WiFi Router although this will work with any WiFi network. The PC and the My Book are connected directly via Ethernet and the Printer is in my husband’s office down the hall connected via Wi-Fi.

Follow the manufacturers directions for attaching each device to your network. Once the devices are connected this is where the magic begins.

Starting with the My Book, launch WD Discovery (which you should have installed as part of setting up the drive) and “Map Network Drive.” You may have done this step already.

Say YES to automatically map the drives and the wizard will walk you through assigning drive letters. Feel free to go into Configure and customize the drive folders, etc. but for the purposes of this example, we are just using the defaults.

This will result in 2 network folders that you can now access via clicking on Computer in Explorer. 

I suggest creating a folder structure for the types of paperwork you are planning on scanning and storing. Make a note of the drives actually name and the folders you are wanting to use.

Example:

\\MyBookWorld\Public\Scans\Receipts
\\MyBookWorld\Public\Scans\Taxes
\\MyBookWorld\Public\Scans\Correspondence
\\MyBookWorld\Public\Scans\Bills

Next, go to your Windows Start menu and navigate to Devices and Printers. Find your Printer, right click and select Properties.  Click the Hardware tab and toward the bottom you will see a URL. In this case it’s http://192.168.1.111/ (ignore the information after the colon, in this case :3910). By double clicking on the URL, it will be highlighted and you can copy it to your clipboard by right-clicking and selecting copy.

Open your Internet Browser and type or paste in the URL.

Your printer will graciously present you with the following webpage:

The option we are most interested is the Scan to Network Folder Setup option under Digital Filing. (I highly recommend configuring your Scan to E-mail Setup as well. The setup wizard is easy to follow.)

Once you Click Scan to Network Folder Setup you will click the button. Fill out all of the fields using the pathnames you defined above (i.e. \\MyBookWorld\Public\Scans\Receipts), including whatever password you configured for your My Book.

Once you have saved your settings, you will now be able to go to your printer and the locations you set up will be available on the printer’s scan menu.

Do a test scan and Voila! You are on your way to digitizing your filing!

If my explanations are missing something, please do not hesitate to post a comment and I will get you an answer!

Happy decluttering…

~Maven

If the world didn’t suck…

Ok, so 3 months have passed since I posted. I can’t seem to find a cadence that works and when I sit down to write, the cursor blinks…nothing. Sigh.

I have to say I’ve had an insane week. The most insane thing is my daughter getting bit by a rabid bat. I won’t go into the details but write this down…

1. Bats should not be out in the day.
2. Normal bats do not land in little girls hair.
3. If you see a bat in broad daylight, call animal control immediately.
4. Take a box of chocolates to all doctor appointments for rabies vaccinations (yes, plan on 5 visits).

Remember these rules and everyone will be happier…even the bats who can then concentrate on only coming out when they are supposed to and helping keep down the mosquito population!

This was a reality check in the middle of a chaotic month of change at the office, business travel, non-profit volunteer demands, and more. My daughter’s well being is my #1 priority and the rest can wait (and pile up… which it did and is).

So yes, I feel like I’m on roller skates… going downhill.

After having a mini-panic attack (sorry, hubby), I reach out to a few girlfriends. Having a support structure of friends is not something that I ever thought I had much need for but as I grow wiser over time (no age jokes, please) I have come to appreciate the friends who will just pick up the phone and listen to the rant while making nonsensical soothing noises.

Result? My sense of humor resurfaced (thank goodness!) and perspective was restored… Even the roller skating seems more thrilling. Just gotta roll with it. The piles will grow and shrink but hey, in the context of everything else, they are just piles. Nothing to stress over… maybe pull up a trashcan and just push one or two of them in. Hmmmmm.

I love this quote and it seems so appropriate this week:

“Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.”  ~Author Unknown

Heh. That makes me laugh.

~Maven

Do you have a split personality? Embrace it!

A few weeks ago (maybe it was months ago?) someone handed me a clipping of Petula Dvorak’s column with the title “Working moms: Navigating our double lives.” If you haven’t read it, I recommend it as a quick little reality check.

I must say I laughed at the example of the woman on the playground with her blackberry.  I admire women’s general ability to switch gears on a dime and make the best of the time they have.  A few weeks ago, a co-working was mentioning that her daughter’s gymnastics school now has WiFi and she sits in the bleacher with her laptop during class. (Apparently this had an added benefit of helping her avoid having to talk with another particularly annoying parent!) Hooray for technology!

How do we manage it all? Is the famous “work-life balance” an achievable reality? Or do we need to continue to evolve our dual personalities? A senior colleague once put it in terms of “choices”… something along the lines of “there is no such thing as work life balance, it’s all about choices.”

I found this quote that I think sums it up:

“To acquire balance means to achieve that happy medium between the minimum and the maximum that represents your optimum. The minimum is the least you can get by with. The maximum is the most you're capable of. The optimum is the amount or degree of anything that is most favorable toward the ends you desire.” Nido Qubein

Maven’s advice: Embrace your split personality… it’s not really a split personality, you just have many facets of you and you know how to use them. And the more facets a diamond has, the more it shines.

p.s. In fairness, here in California, men seem to be culturally more inclined to put on the daddy hat, take bonding leave, and generally shoulder a portion of the overall “kid-sized” burden.

“Ho, ho, ho. It's magic, you know. Never believe it's not so.” Easily keep your website up to date…it really is Magic-ally possible.

Disclaimer… my thoughts and opinions are my own and do not represent the opinion of anyone other than me…

So, as you know, I don’t normally cover product recommendations but today’s blog is an exception. And only because it allows me to make address a very big Maven pet peeve: Out of date websites. Now, in one of my past lives I was a webmaster and can honestly say I have quite a few websites and web-based applications (now called “cloud apps”) under my belt. But seeing as I have mostly left web development and design to others these days, I can honestly say that as a user of many of today’s business websites I have a much more critical view of the lack of up-to-date information. Oh, of course, large companies have whole departments just to keep the online content flowing. But for the everyday small or medium business, your digital face to the world is the 24 hour a day image and believe me, your potential and existing customers have formed an opinion.

Fortunately, it’s no longer necessary to explain to business owners the importance of a website. Most everyone understands how crucial an online presence is, especially with the current number of smart phone users. It is really just easier to go to a company's website than look up a phone number, dial it, navigate the menu, sit on hold...you get the idea. 

What has not quite gotten through to many business owners, however, is the importance of keeping your website updated, interesting, and relevant. And I don't just mean in terms of design, which is very important, but the content itself. You may have a beautiful site that customers enjoy visiting, but eventually they will tire of it if there is nothing new for them to read.

Now, Maven understands that, updating your site is not always a simple task, especially if you are a very busy business owner (or a very busy marketing manager) with little to no HTML experience. If any of the following scenarios sounds like you, I apologize for giving you one more thing that wakes you up in a panic in the middle of the night:

1) “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!” My website has all my contact information. I’d love to add new content to my website but I don't know any HTML, don't really have the time or interest to learn, and worry that I’ll mess something up.

2) “I’m saving up!” My web designer charges me per hour and I would rather contact her when I have a lot of major changes. I don't want to spend the money to add three sentences and fix my spelling error!

3) “I have the power but where’s the manual?” My web designer gave me Joomla/Drupal/some other CMS (Content Management System) and showed me how to use it to update my site. My designer said it would be easy except for some reason I have to look up the instructions every time I need to change something. I end up having to call my web designer anyway so how is this easier? (And my web designer is as tired of taking my calls as I am of calling him! He really is a great guy… ) Bleh.

Fortunately ( or should I say “magically,” <snicker>), I have found a better way. There is a cloud service called MagicEdit (www.magicedit.com) that works as advertised; it's the simplest tool that I've seen by far, yet it is quite powerful and can handle much more than just text replacement. MagicEdit was offering a two-week free trial and I had a couple free hours to kill so I decided to try it out on one of my personal, all-but-forgotten, sites.  Being and crusty, ex-web developer myself, I approached my experiment with a good deal of skepticism. The instructions for setting up the text replacement fields are surprisingly straightforward. In fact, once I had my site uploaded to the service, it took me less than two minutes to get MagicEdit working. Seriously, I just installed a basic Content Management System in two minutes. I don't know if anyone out there is aware of how long it takes to configure a site with Wordpress, Joomla, or Drupal, but it's not two minutes. It's probably not two hours either. (Not that I don’t love those capabilities but Maven firmly believes in the right tool for the right problem.)

I quickly added an editable text area (yes, dear readers, I edited “the code”… The code does need to be touched at least once to mark editable areas). It was just a basic home page greeting. "Hello World," or something like that. I went to my site to try it out. The directions for logging in were easy, so I took a look at my home page and there it was. A shiny little red "edit" button. Not quite so direct as the "Eat Me" cake or "Drink Me" bottle from Alice and Wonderland, but equally as tempting. I clicked the edit button, et voila, a text box (dare I say “magic” again?). I typed my new text and clicked submit, et voila again, "Hello, and welcome to my new home page." Not very eloquent, I know, but I was amazed at how easy it was. Three steps: edit, type, submit.

Hmmpf…well, that’s just text. I’m sure in my bad programming old days I coulda come up with that! Accept that I found out that I could also add images, update news pages, create blog entries… double hmmpf… and all for about $15 a month (that includes hosting fee), no repeat calls to my guy. Well, I thought brightly, it’s about darn time!! Too bad I’m not still designing web pages… I’d be the hottest designer around and EVERY one of my clients would be on MagicEdit. Freeeeedom! Who says you can’t have your cake and eat to? Certainly not me. Try it… I dare you. And demand nothing less for your web designer. Be free! Start at http://magicedit.com.

Magically yours,

Maven

“Magic” lyrics in title by Pilot

Exit strategies aren’t just for small business owners; you need one too.

I subscribe to a great e-newslettercalled “little PINK book” from Pink Magazine. The May 24th article is a good one for business owners and emphasizes the need to go really make sure you have an exit strategy in place. This can be really difficult because as the owner/founder; there is always something that seems you are certain is simply going to fail if you aren’t there. There is also the guilt over abandoning something that is your legacy.

Personally, I believe that there are a lot of similarities between business owners and career professionals in the area of exit strategies. Most of us might be more comfortable in thinking of “exit strategy” more in the terms of “plan b” but regardless of what you want to call it, an alternative plan is a must.

Some things to consider when thinking about your own plan:

• What are your current assets and can you write them down (aka Resume)?
• Are there any gaps in your skills (assets) that you should take the time to fill by taking on special projects or attending a training class?
• How healthy is your network and what is your plan to make it healthier?
• What are your financial requirements and do you have a plan in place to achieve “money” goals?
• If you were to do something else, what type of work would you love to do? What job characteristics would appeal to you the most? What would you absolutely hate?

Having a “plan b” doesn’t mean you have to execute it but you’ll be surprised at how much more confident you’ll be in your current job when you know you have other options.

Happy planning!
Maven

ZERO guilt achieved! Days 5 and 6 of the “guilt-free vacation” filled with seahorses and great coastal dining

Days 5 and 6 of my “guilt free vacation” and ZERO guilt achieved! In fact, it was so successful that when we checked out of the hotel this morning I had NO CLUE where my Blackberry was. When I tried to call it, it went straight to voicemail (the battery must be dead… muahahahahaha…. ). Anyway, I did locate it (or at least I saw the corner of it stuffed down inside my bag).

Yesterday (Day 5) we strolled from Old Fisherman’s Wharf down to Cannery Row… grabbed some mediocre breakfast at Austino’s across from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Cannery Row is sorely lacking in decent dining).

Day 1: Saturday	4
Day 2: Sunday	3
Day 3: Monday	6
Day 4: Tuesday	1
Day 5: Wednesday	0
Day 6: Thursday	0
Day 7: Friday
Day 8: Saturday
Day 9: Sunday

Scale: 0 = no guilt, no work thoughts
10 = high guilt, significant work thoughts

The Aquarium has an amazing seahorse exhibit! I had no idea they came in so many different types.

Later in the evening we snuck out for drinks at Lallapalooza. Then it was off to a late night small plates style dinner and an amazing Williams Salyem 2007 Coastlands Pinot Noir at Passionfish.

Day 6 and time to head home. However, we did manage to sneak in one final stop in Carmel-by-the-Sea for a simply fantastic breakfast at Katy’s Place (cash only at this hotspot, folks) before making it back home in record time.

Now I’m off to a retirement party for one of my favorite non-work people!

Signed,  “Vacationing” Maven

p.s. I think I could get good at this vacationing stuff if I practiced a bit longer!

Day 4 and we are down to a 1 on the guilt-free vacation scale

Day 4 of my “guilt free vacation” and I only did one guilty thing. I plugged my Blackberry in after noticing that the battery had died to the point of the radio being off. Ok, and a snuck a look at my inbox but I didn’t reply to anything (at least I don’t think I did…so maybe that should earn me a 2 instead of a 1 but since I’m the judge, I get to pick the score!).

We had a fantastic day! Whale watching was a success and we were in the middle of a huge pod of 500-900 pacific white sided dolphins before we headed off to see a couple of grey whales. The grey whales were being harassed by a bunch of dolphins who were trying to get them to start swimming so they could go along for a joy ride. Not something you can see if you are working!

Day 1: Saturday	4
Day 2: Sunday	3
Day 3: Monday	6
Day 4: Tuesday	1
Day 5: Wednesday
Day 6: Thursday
Day 7: Friday
Day 8: Saturday
Day 9: Sunday

Scale: 0 = no guilt, no work thoughts
10 = high guilt, significant work thoughts

After squeezing in lunch, a nap (who gets a nap on a normal day??), shopping and a birthday cake for my other half, we abandoned the kids to the in-laws and had a nice dinner out at Montrio.

One more day to go in lovely Monterey…

Signed,  “Vacationing” Maven

Worked 1/2 day on Guilt-Free vacation Day 3

Day 3 of my “guilt free vacation” and due to a re-org at work and new employees being transferred to my department, it was a semi-work day. I feel that transition management is vital and speaking to these new employees and welcoming them to the team was important to me.

I did a bit of email on my Blackberry on the long drive to Monterey (I was bored), but I did appreciate N’s email response that said “WE GOT IT… RELAX!” Thanks, N!

The day ended with a fantastic walk along the coast to Cannery Row, mediocre Pizza and a walk back that included a lesson on Astronomy from my 6 year old. What we didn’t know, we made up! We certainly decided that despite the prevailing scientific opinion, we think Pluto should still be a planet.

Day 1: Saturday	4
Day 2: Sunday	3
Day 3: Monday	6
Day 4: Tuesday
Day 5: Wednesday
Day 6: Thursday
Day 7: Friday
Day 8: Saturday
Day 9: Sunday

Scale: 0 = no guilt, no work thoughts
10 = high guilt, significant work thoughts

Looking forward to whale watching, wandering, eating and shopping. Blackberry stays in the hotel.

Signed,  “Vacationing” Maven

Guilt-free vacation – Day 2 Guilt free until 9pm.

Day 2 of my “guilt free vacation” and it was a pretty fabulous day. Out to brunch at Tulí Bistro with the whole family and then to the Matinee of the Sacramento Ballet’s rendition of Carmena Burana followed by dinner at friends (after squeezing in a quick run out to the airport to pick up the mini-van).

After hustling 2 tired kids home to bed (6 year olds really need their sleep while 8 year olds still bounce), I decided to put together my “keeping me up at night” list and send it off to my employee who is lucky enough to be me for the week. Writing this email required opening my inbox and frankly, I am not sure how I feel about the shot of adrenaline at 9 pm. On the positive side, I’m typing faster!

Day 1: Saturday	4
Day 2: Sunday	3 – Managed to limit the damage to about 60 minutes.
Day 3: Monday
Day 4: Tuesday
Day 5: Wednesday
Day 6: Thursday
Day 7: Friday
Day 8: Saturday
Day 9: Sunday

Scale: 0 = no guilt, no work thoughts
10 = high guilt, significant work thoughts

I do have a few work related items that will encroach tomorrow. Feeling positive that we can get to near zero at some point during the week! Off to bed since it’s early to rise tomorrow. Hopefully my packing for travel expertise will come in handy in the morning.

Signed,  “Vacationing” Maven

Guilt-free vacation – Day 1

Well, it’s day 1 of my “guilt free vacation” and things are going pretty good so far.

There are several work-related items on my list that are causing some guilt. I am debating whether or not I delegate them or do them myself.

My colleagues have been very supportive. We have agreed on a special SMS code to my non-work cell phone should I need to look for something which should all but eliminate the need to watch for the little red blackberry blinking led.

So on a scale of 0 = no guilt, no work thoughts, to 10 = high guilt, significant work thoughts, I give today about a 6.

Day 1: Saturday	4 – have to log into work email to delegate some “critical” tasks at some point before Monday morning.
Day 2: Sunday
Day 3: Monday
Day 4: Tuesday
Day 5: Wednesday
Day 6: Thursday
Day 7: Friday
Day 8: Saturday
Day 9: Sunday

I did get all of my hotel, rental car and activities reservations done though! Actually leaving town for vacation should really help in the “now work” categories.

Off to run some errands!

Signed,  “Vacationing” Maven

Guilt-free vacation starts in less than 24 hours

As you recall from a few days ago, I posted about vacation guilt.

Well, it’s Thursday night and my “guilt free” vacation begins tomorrow after work. It’s 5 days off work and 4 days of weekends.

I am planning on keeping a “work guilt” scoreboard of any work related thoughts or activities.

Day 1: Saturday
Day 2: Sunday
Day 3: Monday
Day 4: Tuesday
Day 5: Wednesday
Day 6: Thursday
Day 7: Friday
Day 8: Saturday
Day 9: Sunday

Right now I’m feeling guilty for thinking about my time off vs. doing late night inbox management. Fortunately I’m jet lagged from my business trip to UK so sleep deprivation trumps guilt.

I’ll post a list of guilt minimizers tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a feeling I’m going to need additional help with “guilt-free” tips and tricks. Please post yours!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz,
Maven

Vacation guilt? Girls, we have to get over it!

I just ran across a link to the Expedia.com – 2009 International Vacation Deprivation™ Survey Results in this morning’s Pink Magazine ‘Mini Getaways” Newsletter.

Some of the horrifying highlights (Source: Expedia):

About one-third of employed U.S. adults (34%) usually do not take all of the vacation days they receive each year

24 percent – of employed adults check work email or voicemail while vacationing.

Men are more likely than women to take a 2-week vacation (12% men vs. 8% women). However, women are more likely than men to feel guilty about taking time off from work (40% women vs. 29% men).

And guess what?? I am GUILTY AS CHARGED! I am planning to take next week off for spring break while my children are out of school. It’s only 5 days and I hope to role model a actually taking time off and skipping the guilt.

Stay posted and I’ll let you know if I come up with any musings on guilt reduction methods.

Wish me luck.

Feeling dubious,  Maven.

Links:

Expedia.com Vacation Deprivation™ site: www.vacationdeprivation.com.

Need more ideas? Girlfriend Getaways: http://www.girlgetaways.com/

Subscribe to the Little Pink Book Newsletter: http://www.pinkmagazine.com/newsletter/subscribe.aspx

Personal is personal… don’t be confused

In this day and age of the Blackberry, iPhone or name your flavor of smart phone, there is absolutely no reason to tell your boss about every non-work related item that you might need to take care of during work hours. And when are work hours anyway??

Many jobs are more structured but most corporate professionals “own their own” calendars and work whatever hours need to be scheduled to get the job done. With instant access to email, corporate IM on smart phones and more, being out of touch is a choice not a technical limitation.

So why do we still feel compelled to fill our boss and co-workers in when we have to go to the dentist or go to a quick parent teacher conference or run our grandmother to her doctor appointment?  Stuff happens… we deal with it. While you are driving from point to point, you are probably on a conference call. When you arrive, you flip open your Blackberry and check for any urgent emails. While in the waiting room (waiting…) you log into IM and make yourself accessible for any quick questions.

As your boss, as long as I can get a hold of you in a reasonable amount of time, I don’t need the details and where you are. If I get too many details, over time those details start to “pile up” and even if your work has NEVER been impacted, doubts start to creep in. I start to wonder that if you are a teeny bit late on a deliverable that perhaps you’ve been out shopping for bonbons.

Oh, and don’t fill me in on your medical history during happy hour… I DON’T WANT TO KNOW!

Best, Maven

P.S. Maven Tip: If the personal stuff is out of whack, I’ll eventually notice…even if you don’t tell me. Keep it reasonable and ruthlessly manage your priorities and schedule.

Earn leadership stripes off the job

I wrote a blog last April ‘09 called “Need a job? Use volunteering to gain leadership experience” that highlighted the opportunity keep your resume fresh even if you lost your job. I want to emphasize that taking volunteer assignments is not only a great way to prevent gaps in your resume but it is also an excellent way to network and we all know that more than 56% of all jobs are landed due to a referral.

Maven Quick Tip: Volunteer assignments can also be excellent for gaining leadership experience quicker and more easily that may be available in your every day job.  No one is going to turn down free labor so volunteer for a position that is greater than your every day job scope.  Give back to your community AND build your resume at the same time. It’s a WIN/WIN!

Beyond Fear to Power

I ran across this quote again the other day when I was flipping back through the book "The Power of Focus" by by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. Power of Focus is a book that goes with me pretty much everywhere, by the way.

To me, this quote is about looking inside and embracing one's true self. It is about moving beyond having our self-worth being based on things that are external. It is about shedding those things that hold us back. Enjoy.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson from A Return To Love:
Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Buy this book
A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3 (Pg. 190-191)