Productivity – Page 6

Must Have iPad App: Air Display

I am in love with a new (new to me!) iPad app! Air Display allows you to add an additional screen to your desktop (PC or Mac) and at $9.99 is far less expensive than a new monitor (available in the iTunes store). Anyone who knows me also knows I love screen real estate. I have an extra monitor on my desktop, my phone system is digital and on my laptop, and now, with Air Display, I can drag windows from my desktop right onto my iPad (I use it for my website visitor monitoring, webcam window so far I’m sure I’ll find more!) and be even more productive! For me it’s a no-brainer, this is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Speaking on investments, I was reading the 17 trading books and got some great ideas on how I can invest and make money. So now, I’m using my iPad even more as an extension to my office. When I’m away from the office, I log in using Logmein.com’s Ignition, and at the desk, I easily incorporate a third screen. Now that I have it, I wonder why I never invested in a third screen before! 🙂 Thank you Ed Kaplan for the heads up! (One thing to note, it would be efficient to use a power supply with it since it is always ‘on’ and doesn’t allow the iPad to sleep.) Make it a great day! Kathy McCabe]]>

Fun in the Office

Play your favorite music – just be sure to mute it during client phone calls. It doesn’t matter how loud you play it, who are you going to disturb? (Sometimes my husband will work from home too so I have to be quieter then)

Put up fun twinkle lights around your desk

Deck out your office with fun gadgets from places like Office Playground

Put up artwork from your kids and favorite pictures of playtime

I have a stuffed animal collection – all the adorable little cuties Michael’s given me since we met

Create nooks in your office that inspire you and bring happiness to your soul (here is where I’ve created my Castle).

Have your pet provide comic relief – our pet Patches is a nut, and we’ve decided she’s our Director of Puplick Relations.

The list of things you can do to make your day fun while working from home are endless. Use your imagination, and remember, it’s YOUR space – go crazy! [caption id="attachment_572" align="alignleft" width="168"]

Castle Nook[/caption]]]>

Another Productivity Tip

article about productivity. I’m already using a couple of them:

TV: Adam says to put on a station you wouldn’t watch just to have noise, that’s very helpful to me also in that it tends to distract me from my tinnitus.
Wear Dress Clothes: I generally wear a nice top (Or at least not a torn t-shirt or pajamas… 🙂 it makes me feel more ‘at work and in the moment’.

Some of my productivity tips are:

I use for productivity is to keep the cell phone downstairs, or turned off and out of my line of site.
I like to keep my iPad on my desk, but its generally closed unless I’m working on an article or book.
I keep my email up on the second screen, however I don’t check it often. In between projects is generally my time to checking and weeding email. I prioritize, client email always first, everything else comes second. Newsletters I generally read after work hours.
I use a webcam. Many years ago I added a webcam for the ‘virtual but real’ aspect. I can’t tell you how many times I’m heard “Does virtual mean you’re not really there?” Its an added bonus to those who are looking to use my services, I’m actually there, at my desk and working. Its a boost to my clients’ confidence in me. I don’t use an expensive service, but I do use a fairly decent webcam, auto focus is a must, and it should be one that doesn’t require tons of extra software. I use EarthCam.com which is a free service, and I’ve embedded the webcam applet into my page. Check it out here.

I’ll post more great tips as I find them. Meanwhile, have a really productive Monday! Kathy McCabe ]]>