Outlook Productivity Tools Part II: EZDetach

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I receive tons of email messages every day, many with attachments. Outlook is a hog anyway when it comes to taking up disk space and memory, but when you add a large number of attachments and gigantic attachment file sizes to the mix (keep in mind that I deal with graphic files every day!), you have an Outlook file that weighs more than 800MB―that’s a LOT! And that is not good. About a month ago, I neglected to perform my usual archiving and maintenance, which landed me a big fat scolding from Outlook. I couldn’t send, receive, change options―nothing!

EZDetach
Once I archived my files, everything was fine again, but I knew it was just a matter of time before it happened again. During my research to determine the initial problem, I came across several links to Outlook add-ons on the Microsoft website, which led me to EZDetach, my new best email buddy. EZDetach is offered by TechHit.com and allows you to save and categorize attachments with a click of the mouse, all without ever opening the message!

Outlook Productivity Tools Part I: SpeedFiler

If you receive tons of email messages every day like I do, you probably find it hard to keep up with it all. I use MS Outlook as my email client, and my inbox is never empty. I’ve set up at least 50-75 folders in an attempt to organize all of my messages; I have folders for each client, each vendor, each team member, each networking group, and the list goes on. Email is the one area in my life where I would be considered a packrat―I throw nothing away! I have been known to dig up year-old email messages so I can review my correspondence with a client, a vendor, or a team member.

One thing that has always irked me is having to search for the email messages I’ve sent. Weeding through the thousands of messages in my Sent folder is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, especially if I’m looking for a message to someone whom I email frequently. This doesn’t take into account the enormous number of email messages I send and receive, which bogs down Outlook fast!

Recently I found not one but two pretty awesome add-ons for Outlook that I now cannot live without. Besides helping me reduce my email overload, they also allow me to organize on a whole new level and to keep my email account under control much more efficiently than before. This week, I’ll tell you all about the first tool I found. Read more

Ultimate Guide to Productivity: A Tip That Worx

I’ve been tagged! One of my very good and long-standing clients, Gillian Hood-Gabrielson of Healthier Outcomes, has tagged me once again. The last time she tagged me, I didn’t have a chance to participate because I was busy launching two new products: a resource site for the virtual assistance industry and a series of books I wrote with Jaime Lee Mann of Mann Made Time. As you can imagine, these projects took every spare second of my time, and then some. I didn’t want to miss out on this topic, although it is a little late. But better late than never, right?

The topic for this tag is favorite productivity tips, which was started by Ben Yoskovitz at the Instigator Blog. I have to admit that I haven’t been as productive as usual for the past few months, so this will be a hard one for me, especially after just returning from a much-needed vacation. I’m very good at helping my clients get organized and get things done, but lately I’ve had a harder time getting MY stuff done! My business has grown so much—and I’m certainly not complaining—but I often find it hard to keep up because I’ve taken on too much or overextended myself, even after adding several subcontractors to my team. For months I have been searching for that perfect system which will allow me to communicate with my team members and clients in a cohesive environment, and nothing seems to fit the bill. I am now testing yet another system and have high hopes that this will be THE ONE! Read more

Choosing the Right Colors for your Logo

As you delve into a new business idea, whether it’s a new product or a new business altogether, there is one thing that always follows: a new logo. A logo is the first item of business — the most important item — because it begins the branding process for said business or product. For some people, conceptualizing the logo isn’t hard. They have a vision of what they want, but choosing the colors for a logo can sometimes be difficult. So how do you decide what colors to use? Do you choose randomly by looking at a Crayola box or whipping out a color wheel? Or maybe you choose colors just because you like them. You might be thinking, “What do the colors I choose have to do with anything? It’s just a logo.” If this is your mentality and you’re not giving any consideration to the preferences of your target audience, you might be losing business already.

Choosing your logo colors isn’t just about picking colors out of a hat; it is about strategy and branding. Colors set the mood and tone for your business or product and everything that comes after: your marketing materials, your business stationery, your website, etc.

Colors are not just a combination of blue, red, yellow, and black; they represent a form of non-verbal communication to your target audience. Each color has symbolism and meaning, and our minds associate certain colors with specific meanings, even if we don’t realize it. Colors can create physical, emotional, and cultural reactions, so understanding the meaning and relationship of colors helps you (or your logo designer) determine the best choices for your business and target audience.

Is Your Business Secure?

Several weeks ago there was a thread in one of the forums I frequent about how they got scammed into giving all their private information to what they thought was PayPal. Instead it was an unknown party who just gained access to not only their PayPal account, but their bank account and social security number. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you know how to spot the scammers that inundate your email with urgent notices? If you don’t, here are a few tips to help you from falling prey to their schemes.

Convenience vs. Intelligence

I’m sure you have received those emails from PayPal or even one of your credit card companies or Ebay urging you to act quickly because a third party has tried to access your account and you need to restore your account information. These emails look exactly like the ones you normally receive; the company’s logo is there, their branding, their image. Unfortunately it is very easy to duplicate a web page and anyone can download an image from the Internet. They want you to feel safe, secure and as if they are looking out for your best interest so they can rob you of your money and your identity. Read more

How to Create Screenshots

I was speaking with a client this week as she was trying to explain to me the problem she was seeing on her computer monitor. I asked her if she could send me a screenshot, but she wasn’t sure how. I tend to take for granted the little things I do on a daily basis and thought other people might really want to know how to do this. It is really simple and could save you from trying to explain something across the phone when others cannot see the same thing.

There are many reasons to send a screenshot to someone, one is for those nasty little error message you get when your computer or software program isn’t cooperating or something is wrong with your Web site. Make a screenshot to send to your computer technician or Webmaster and they will be able to see exactly what is wrong. Another reason I use screenshots is to document steps for future reference or to even send step by step instructions to a client.

Make a screenshot

With this shortcut, whatever is viewable on your computer screen is what will be captured. Don’t worry if there are things on the screen that you don’t want as you can crop them out later. Just simply press the Print Screen button on your keyboard; typically it is located on the top row next to the F12 key. Once you’ve pressed it, it has basically copied your screen. You can now open Microsoft Word and paste by holding down the Ctrl button and pressing the ‘V’ key (Ctrl+V). You can also open your e-mail client like Outlook, create a New Message, place your cursor in the body of the message and again paste, Ctrl+V, to send via email. Read more

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Welcome to In The Worx! This blog is dedicated to the start-up business owner and the savvy solo entrepreneur...because after all, as business owners, isn’t everything always In The Worx?