Blog – Page 8

Staying Productive with a Chronic Illness

Keep Your Mind Active Even when I feel my worst, I find it is helpful to keep my mind active. If I’m not up to being physically active I will research my hobbies for new information, or research new herbal remedies (and no, I haven’t found one to help me yet but I’m researching that too!), or study techniques for photography. Learn New Things In an effort to keep my mind off my illnesses I’ve been learning how to work with wood. I’m not great yet but I’m loving it. I’ve created a beautiful entryway cabinet, boxes and cutting boards. I don’t care if its wood burning or constructing something – its been so beneficial in helping to keep my mind active and off my pain and it helps me to feel more productive. Exercise When You’re Able I mean, use common sense… if you’re dizzy, don’t get on the treadmill and go hog wild – you could injure yourself! However, if you’re able, mild exercise is an excellent way to help your mind – and your pain. Exercise releases endorphin’s which are a natural pain reliever, and it helps your heart too. Reach Out When you’re living with chronic illnesses it can be very isolating because getting out can be difficult. I am a huge letter writer with pen pals around the world so I spend hours each month corresponding – actual ink to paper – with friends. I joined Facebook support groups which have been very beneficial because I know I’m not alone. Reaching out- whichever way you choose – decreases feelings of being alone and improves your outlook. Ask for Help If you find that you can’t shake your depression – which is very common in chronic illness patients – ask for help! Depression is an illness and can be treated. Don’t feel you need to be strong every moment. Thanks, and be well, Kathy ]]>

Happy Holidays!

New Technology

Needless to say, I think the iPad Air is wonderful. I have outfitted it with a great Zagg keyboard case, and it is just like typing on a laptop, keys are nice and large, and very responsive. I’ve also got the Jot Script, Evernote edition and have to say that is a really useful tool. Not only does it do great on Penultimate, but I can also use it for nearly every other app that allows ‘writing/drawing’. I especially love that I can handwrite a note in Penultimate and it syncs to evernote – then to all my devices. Most people know that I’m just a huge fan of technology – when it works. And this combination really works. Another great advantage now with the newest technology artifacts in the audio visual equipment is with the enterprise digital signage solutions which is the top quality in IPTV for digital signage in the market that will work with your Plasma, LCD, or LED system. The reason digital signage has become so popular is that it engages with the audience in a more effective way than static signage also by being more controlled and with the fact that you can now playback digital content to one or many screens. Looking forward to putting it into practice in the ‘real world’. Look for updates on that soon. Have a great day! Kathy]]>

Reliability

re·li·a·ble (r-l-bl) adj. 1. Capable of being relied on; dependable: a reliable assistant; a reliable car. 2. Yielding the same or compatible results in different clinical experiments or statistical trials. When you are working your virtual assistant business, do you endeavor to come in and leave at specific times? Are you available when you state? When you quote a job do you let the client know you’re approaching the top threshold? Being reliable is being trustworthy. Your clients trust you will complete their work on time and within budget. Your colleagues trust you will do the things you say you will do. I once had a client who initially sent their work ‘offshore’, believing that the low price and the ‘we work while you sleep’ slogan would take care of the project both timely and affordably. They were wrong; the client was entirely unhappy with the project and contacted me to fix it. I think it would have been simpler for me to start fresh and complete the project from scratch but they wanted me to work with what the client received back from the offshore company. Honestly, it was terrible. The project demanded I go line by line and correct where needed – which was extensive. My point is sometimes less is not more. Being reliable, but not the cheapest is often the less expensive way to go. I had another client who was completely floored by the cost of their supposedly affordable assistant and contacted me to simply provide an honest assessment of how long a project should have cost. That’s not easy to do especially since no two assistants are the same. In the end, I got opinions from several VAs I trust and we averaged out the cost and the client was still significantly overcharged. Here’s some on Reliability: State your hours of operation and stick to them. If you aren’t available on a certain day, have a calendar your clients can see so they don’t have to wonder. Email them with your calendar periodically, especially if you have out of office appointments. State your rates to your clients and stick to them. If you feel the project will require more time than you originally estimated, be sure to let your client know. Follow Through! If you say you’ll do something, do it! If someone is making their plans based on what you said you would be doing, be sure to complete your part as soon as possible to not delay the project. Your credibility is crucial to building your business. If you aren’t reliable, you aren’t credible and your business will not survive.]]>

Staying at your peak while Stuck at your desk

Computer Workstation Variables (Wikipedia)[/caption] Today we’re going to talk about Ergonomics. After 17+ years of working at a desk for long hours, I know a little something about keeping my best asset at its best. I can always tell when I haven’t been seated at my desk correctly, my back hurts. When I sit right in the chair, utilize the lumbar, footrest and position everything in the right place I don’t hurt. Having said that… over the years I have learned some lessons. Buy good ergonomic equipment: I prefer the natural wave type keyboard – I don’t care if its wireless and would probably not use it properly if it were. Your hands need to be at a natural position, its more natural for our wrist almost even your fingers so try to get used to a keyboard that lets you position them that way. Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is a good option. I have been using Microsoft’s natural keyboards for many years and consider them as important as a good computer. The keys are large and naturally spaced so you’re not over reaching – and this helps me since my hands are very small.

Your mouse is the next most important piece of equipment since you will be clicking hours at a time, especially during research. Its really important to use an ergonomic mouse since your index and middle fingers can develop repetitive motion disorders. I have used a trackball by Logitech for many years and since I made the transition I have never felt pain in my mousing hand. I love that I can program the buttons, and I no longer have feelings of numbness and tingling in my thumb, and fingers. Since I have had surgery for a radial nerve entrapment (workplace accident in 1993) I need to be especially cautious.
Your chair… There are several schools of thought on the correct chair to be ergonomic. I prefer an adjustable chair, good lumbar support, and armless. I’m short, and to get me where I need to be to actually be able to SEE the monitor, I scoot up as close as possible. (Yes, this sometimes means my keyboard is partly under the desk with the keyboard tray pushed in closer.) I prefer armless because invariably I’m scooting my chair in closer and pinching my fingers between the chair arms and keyboard tray! I think my next desk chair will be fabric or mesh, not leather. My office tends to get hot in the summer and I think fabric or mesh would be more comfortable.
Your footrest. If you’re short like I am, you’ll need a good footrest to rest your feet on. Since I have to raise the chair up to make my hands rest properly, my legs dangle… (Ok, I’m REALLY vertically challenged all right??? lol) The footrest doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve used a Fellowes Standard Foot Rest for years that was very inexpensive.

For your desk, I’m sure there are tons of different ideas on the proper desk. I purchased my desk configuration one step at a time. The main desk/workstation first, it has the drawers, printer trays and such to the right of the keyboard/monitor area. Then I found the hutch for on top of the desk, its got all the shelves, cubbies and cabinets to the right of the monitor except for the area above the monitor has a shelf which is removable. Since my eyesight is so bad, I can change the monitor for a larger one as I need. I have a left return (of sorts) that is actually a dining room table and is about 2 inches shorter than the desk. But, I don’t mind since I have my second monitor there and its adjustable in height. I keep my journal to the left, the phone (or laptop/ipad) and the TV is there. And, a second hutch, which gives me some more storage, and makes me feel more ‘executive’. Overall, the setup works well for me. Recently I changed my phone system to all digital on the laptop – which is older and beginning to be troublesome – to an IP phone on my desk. I still highly recommend a headset though. Since my IP phone is very basic, I don’t have the option of a cordless headset like I did with the laptop, but with a long cord this is all right for now. When I update the phone (I’ll want a larger display) I’ll update the headset then. I didn’t opt for a more advanced phone because my service provider and I were not sure the display would work for my particular setup and now that we know it does, I’ll upgrade later on.) How is your work area configured? I’d love to see your pictures and if you send them to me I’ll post them! Here’s mine. Have a great day! Kathy McCabe [caption id="attachment_638" align="alignnone" width="300"]

Kathy’s work area configuration[/caption]]]>