Articles – Page 4

The Password "Book"

The Password “Book” I have this book of passwords, logins and so on, I’ve actually gone through several, and this is my latest one. [caption id="attachment_915" align="alignnone" width="300"] Kathy's 'Book' Kathy’s ‘Book’[/caption] This is also my last book like this one. I can’t believe its taken me over 20 years to get my logins and passwords all organized. I mean, the other was ok, just put a rubber band on it and throw it in the safe and you’re good to go. But, ugh!, it was a beast to manage. Every new ‘key’ or login was stuffed in there wherever it would fit. Finding anything was a chore. I would have to do a task and suddenly realize I don’t remember the password, or it wasn’t in the digital manager yet, so I’d have to wade through pages and pages of logins and passwords to find what I needed – hence all the stickie notes and flags! It was very frustrating to page through the old book when you’re on the phone trying to get something done with a client. So, over the past few days I have revamped my ‘book’. Its still small enough to fit in the safe, but its now arranged by alphabet, and each client has their own sheet(s). It works so much better now! Its still the 5.5 x 8.5 size, so it fits where I want it, it has a built in pocket for holding notes I haven’t categorized yet, and I used an old set of contacts tabs from my DayTimer , with notes pages. I love it, I feel so organized now! For those of you who are yelling at me from afar and saying, “Digital password manager!!!” well, I have one of those too, but, its always a good idea to have a paper backup. wp_20160927_16_11_29_rich wp_20160927_16_12_15_rich I’m so proud of myself – it only took 20+ years!! :-)]]>

A Change in Perspective

The Treehouse Office[/caption] This week I’ve been blessed to work outside my office. Literally, outside in our lovely forested backyard on the screened in balcony. Everyday I’m treated to a cacophony of birds and other sounds of nature. Enjoying breezes and warmth, the occasional dog barking and squirrels yelling at each other. Its delightful! This morning I saw a brilliant cardinal on my porch rail, so beautiful! Yesterday, two deer walked calmly through the backyard that is carved out of the forest, then back into the trees, pausing to nibble at little green dainties along the way. This is the first time in the lifetime of my business that I’ve had the space and the surroundings to create an outdoor office. Nearly twenty-one years in business and only since 2011 have I had this perfect space with which to work and be productive while taking in nature’s bounty and refreshing my soul. Sure, its only good in the spring and summer before it gets too hot in the day, and rainstorms drive me indoors. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Thanks to technology such as Splashtop for ‘remoting in’ and VoIP phone systems like my RingCentral, I’m able to do all this and still get everything done I need to. Makes me realize how much I missed before moving to our amazing home in Pennsylvania. 🙂 I hope you’re enjoying your office wherever that may be. ]]>