Changing the subject
Ever get
frustrated by email messages with vague or generic subject lines? I once had a colleague who would use “From Mary” as the subject line of every email. This wasn’t helpful because, of course, her sender email already told me it was from her – what I wanted to know was what it was about!
It is particularly frustrating if you need to keep these emails for later reference. If you use Outlook however, there is a solution. Did you know you can edit the subject line of received emails? With the email open simply click in the subject line and type the new subject. When you close the email you’ll be asked if you want to save the changes you’ve made. Just click yes and your new subject line is saved. Then you can file the message knowing it will be easy to locate when required.
In some versions of Outlook you can even change the content of received messages and save those changes. I must caution against this in certain professions or circumstances. If you ever need to rely on the email as evidence it may be complicated if you have made changes. In these circumstances it would be good practice to leave the original subject line and add your own to it, rather than replacing it entirely. In the example above I would leave the original and add my specifics as “ From Mary – re client requirements XYZ Co”.
Tempted to buy a new laptop?
End of financial year (EFY) sales are starting and the government has just given small business owners a huge incentive to purchase for EFY (complete write off for assets less $20,000*). But, before you run out and buy that new laptop, make a check list of the things you like and more importantly, the things you don’t like, in your existing laptop.
Here are some of the features people forget to consider when buying a new laptop:
- How many USB ports do you use?
- Do you use a camera USB port?
- If you use the function keys – are they function keys or do you need to press the FN key to make the function keys work (this is one thing I forgot last time and I hate having to press the FN key)?
- Do you need a network connection or you are happy to work with Wi-fi?
- How does your printer connect – via cable or Bluetooth?
- Do you want to read or write to a CD/DVD?
- Are you looking for a touch screen?
- Do you like the layout (and feel) of the keyboard?
Lastly, but importantly, how much grunt do you need? Look for at least an i7 processor with a minimum of 8 gig of RAM (you may have to get this installed when purchasing) and Windows 8 Professional (this provides better security).
* If you are unsure if you are eligible for this tax deduction please refer to your accountant.
Easy attachments in Outlook
Here’s a neat trick for those using Outlook trying to add an attachment to a new email.
Normally when you forward an email, any attachments on the original won’t attach to the forward automatically. To avoid the hassle of saving the attachment(s) to your system and re-attaching them, try this …
Open your original email (or view it in the reading panel), right click on the attachment you want and select copy. Then go to your new email and anywhere in the content area, right click and select paste – a neat little trick.
PS: If you want to use all the attachments from the original email, when you right click, first choose “select all”, then right click again as per the previous example. Your chosen attachment(s) will then be included in your new email.
10, 9, 8….2, 1, we have a launch!
This week was an exciting one for me. Although my book “Technology Made Simple for Start-up Businesses” has been published for some time, it was officially launched earlier this week.
The book has been written in an easy to understand style, just like having coffee with a knowledgeable friend. In keeping with that style a launch event was held at Nude Deli Cafe and the book was introduced by local business celebrity, Vicki Clark. Thanks to both Vicki and the cafe for their support.
The idea for this book was ignited by receiving many of the same questions from clients and colleagues. Questions like “how do I know what technology I need for my business?” or “how do I decide what new gadgets or software to buy?”.
In “Technology Made Simple” the key ingredients of a successful small business are examined and linked to what technology you need and more importantly, how you make the right choices for your business.
Whether you’re starting your own business or simply need help navigating the maze of technology options available to us today, this book will help demystify the constantly changing and seemingly confusing world of IT.
“Technology Made Simple” is available now via Amazon Kindle or in print version. I hope it helps you in your business venture!
Useful Windows keyboard shortcuts
Here are some of my favourite Window shortcuts. Yes, you can click with your mouse but you may find mastering some of the more common commands will help you work faster and without interruption.
Try these out:
F1 – Windows Help
F10 – Shows menu options
CTRL + ESC – Opens the Start Menu
CTRL + SHIFT + ESC – Opens the Task Manager Dialog box
ALT + F4 – Closes the application or current window you are in
Windows + M – Minimises all windows to desktop
ALT + F6 – Move between multiple windows in the same program
ALT + TAB – Move between open programs.
The subject of your message
How important is the subject line in your emails?
These days everybody is time poor and most people are very savvy when it comes to dealing with messages. I scan the subject line of every email to assess whether to open it, ignore it or file it to review later. Your subject line is your advertisement of why someone should read your email – so make it count! Short, sharp and to the point is best and if your message is time sensitive or needs action by a certain date/time, include that in the subject line. Never have a blank subject because you will lose the majority of recipients straight away.
Try to make the subject line a summary of your message or a key action requirement, for example, “Friday meeting re-scheduled to Monday”. If you’re replying to an earlier email that isn’t related to your current topic, either start a new message or make sure you change the subject line. If the recipient thinks you’re sending another message on an old subject they may ignore it.
Helping your recipients with their time management, by using clear, actionable subject lines, will by default help you manage your time and will ensure your communication style looks professional.
Clean up with Notepad
My favourite piece of PC software is Notepad. It is a free Microsoft application which you will find under Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad.
Why is it so good? Because it cleans any text of formatting, hyperlinks, fonts, etc ready for pasting into your chosen application (for example this tips page!).
How many times have you found something interesting on the Internet that you want to use somewhere else? You copy and paste it into your document, email, blog or website only to find that it has crazy fonts, weird layout and hyperlinks attached to it.
If you paste it into Notepad first, then do [Ctrl + A] and a [Ctrl + X] from there, and paste into your new location, your pasted text will be clean and matching the format of your existing document or page.
Mysteries of the human brain
This has been floating around the internet for a while now with letters out of order, but this is the first time I have seen it with numbers. It is truly fascinating to see how the human brain works!
Apparently, if you can read this you may expect Alzheimer’s to be a long way down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.
7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17. B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15. PL3453 SH4R3 1F U C4N R34D 7H15.
It is weird, but interesting. If you can raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid, too. Can you raed this? Olny 55 people out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?
And I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Take action on filing!
If you took the advice in the last article and organised your filing systems, you are now ready to make sure you have an effective action and follow up system in place.
There is no sense filing documents well if that’s the last thing you do with them. You should only keep essential documents so it follows that some action or follow up might be required.
Here’s how I make it easy for myself to keep track of what I’m working on and what I need to do.
Organise your documents by date
For paper documents, note the date on the top of it – this will make it easier to file and later locate without having to trawl through all the documents in a folder. Likewise for soft copy, try including a date in your file name when you save it.
A simple trick for keeping soft copy documents in order, particularly if the rest of the file name is the same as others, is to write the date backwards. When sorting file names, computers automatically sort numerically, so if you write a date of 11 May 2014 as 110514, it will come after the date of 01 December 2014 which becomes 011214. Even if you use the full day month format your computer will sort alphabetically and the months will be out of order. However, if you reverse the date as YYMMDD, making the above examples 140511 and 141201 respectively, they will be sorted correctly in chronological order.
Use “tickler” files, also known as the “43 folders” method
This is a handy system used by many people to organise files. You create 12 folders (one for each month of the year) and an additional 31 subfolders (for each day of the month). Then fill each folder with the documents that you need to action or follow up on that day. At the beginning of each day, open the folder for that day. Take all the items out and move them into a “today” folder or onto your desktop. Then move the empty folder into its place in the next month.
If you can’t complete some work items by the end of the day, transfer them to the folder for the next convenient day. At the end of each month take the items out of the next month’s folder and place them into the correct daily folders (which by now have all been moved forward a month as you progressed through the current month). This system of file management helps you keep track of your action and follow up items and also doubles as a diary. It can work in both hard and soft copy as long as you make it a habit to do it properly.
These methods work for me, but remember, for any system to be useful and effective it must be convenient for you. To a large extent, the methodology you use will depend on the nature of your business or the type of work that you do. So although there is no “one size fits all” solution to file management, these tips may give you a good starting point and allow you to customise a method that is effective for you. In the long run, setting yourself up a simple filing system and habitualising your use of it, will help reduce your stress levels and make running your business and personal life easier.
New Year, fresh start to a more organised you!
Well it’s a new year so let’s make 2015 the year you get more organised and make your life simpler. Filing sounds boring, I know, but the reality is you often need to be able to find a document or file quickly and the tips below should help you to do that. You might be lucky to still have a few quieter moments until the full workload of the year starts, so take advantage of them and get your filing in order. Most people don’t enjoy this activity but spending a small amount of time regularly will make your life easier in the long run.
The principles below apply equally to hard copy or soft copy and if put into practice properly should mean you can quickly and easily lay your hands on the information you (or a client, manager or supplier) need.
Many people fall into the habit of saving things for “later” – you receive a letter or document and think “I’ll put that in a tray or folder or leave it in my inbox and have a closer look at it later”. For most people that elusive time “later” never comes! What you’re left with is a pile of paper, or a long list of emails, that you never get around to reading or attending to.
To avoid this, I have two simple rules for dealing with filing (of paper or soft copy documents).
- Don’t keep unnecessary documents. Glance through the content of each document when it arrives and if it is not essential to your business (invoices, client agreements etc) or personal life (insurance policies, bank statements etc), then throw it away or delete it.
- Work out a system of folders (both hard copy and on your computer) by category and in a sequence that makes sense to you and then follow it consistently.
Here are a few ideas that might help you organise your filing system,
- Work out a consistent naming system for your files and folders. You can divide a main folder into subfolders. You might choose to have a main “Work” folder, then divide it into different client sub-folders then within each client folder are sub-folders for invoices, correspondence, contracts etc. If you shorten names, try to ensure they still make sense and you can differentiate them easily. In hard copy you can even use different coloured folders to make it easier to locate and identify.
- Keep related documents together – for example, all the letters, reports, presentations, spreadsheets, that are related to a particular project should be together.
- Separate ongoing work from completed work. Some people find it easier to keep current or ongoing work on their desk until a job is completed. Then, once it’s done, they move it to the appropriate location, where files of the same category are stored. Periodically, perhaps ever couple of weeks, it is good to get into the habit of moving files you’re no longer working on to the appropriate completed work folders,
- Try to avoid overfilling folders – this applies to hard and soft copy. Often files will be superseded, for example, a contract document you sent out for signing should eventually come back signed making the unsigned version obsolete. If you have too many files in one folder it is too hard to find what you need so break them into smaller groups of subfolders. An easy way is to separate by time. For long term clients you might have a subfolder for each year or even month you work for them. Likewise you’ll have your own business planning or sales which can be separated by year. But be wary of getting too small – there is usually little point in creating a folder for fewer than about five documents.
Once you have your filing system organised, you can then create some easy ways to take actions. In my next article we’ll take a look at some helpful ways to manage your time and ensure you act on documents when necessary.