Productivity Tip: Try Taking a Walking Break or a Meditation Session

productivity tip try taking a walking break or a meditation session

Business Productivity Tip

It may seem counterproductive to some especially busy executives and results-driven multitasking individuals out there, but one of the best computer productivity tips is to step away from the office, even for just five minutes and take a break.

Yes, too much uninterrupted time at your desk or in front of the computer can actually cause your productivity to break down a quite a bit.

It causes you to become extremely inefficient because you end up wasting so much time. Your eyes began to glaze over on the computer screen with irritation. You start to daydream while staring off into space thinking about vacations and winning the lottery, rather than creating workable solutions for that pesky project management issue you are working so hard on.

Meanwhile, if you just try getting up and taking a walk to the water cooler for five minutes, you would be surprised at how refreshed and ready for action you come back to work with. Consequently, the ideas will start flowing much faster again and your efficiency level re-energizes.

Of course, if you can take a walk around the building for 15 minutes or more, that’s even better. Try getting around to say “hello” to some co-workers, friends, and colleagues.

Better than that, a simple “Breathing Meditation” can do wonders for not only your productivity, but also your mental health as it relieves stress and anxiety with each intake and subsequent release of oxygen from your breath.

Meditation has been a proven effective technique for many working individuals. People think better, respond better, and even sleep better when practicing for as little as 10 minutes per day. Really, a 20-minute meditation is what most experts say is ideal, but anything is better than nothing.

After a week or two of steady meditation practice, you begin to realize how concentrating on the present moment becomes the only thing that really matters, and how all those busy schedules and crucial deadlines can wait at least 10 minutes while you take care of yourself and your productivity.

Plenty of good meditation techniques exist with a quick Google search. You can also enroll in group meditation classes or read a short how-to book. If that’s not your cup of tea, then a good old fashioned walk around the office can prove pretty effective as well.

“AE Technology Group” is an IT managed services company for New York and Long Island area businesses. Please contact us for more information on who we are and what we can do for your organization today.

 

Computer Tip of the Day: An Extra Layer of Backup

computer tip of the day an extra layer of backup

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You can never have too many backups. A standard backup plan should follow the “3-2-1” rule; have at least three copies of your important files, keep them on at least two different media, and store one of them offsite.

The offsite copy will usually be with a backup service provider on the Internet.

With critically important files that don’t change very often, an additional copy provides extra insurance. This can take the form of an external disk drive, a USB stick, or a DVD-ROM that you lock away in a safe place away from your installation. A disk drive gives the most storage but costs more; a DVD or USB stick is less expensive and easy to store in a small space.

  • Since the point of this is to store the device offsite, you should always encrypt it.
  • Make sure to save the decryption key, but don’t store it with the device.
  • Label your backup.
  • For a DVD, use a CD-safe marker; some markers can damage the disc, which is most vulnerable on the label side.

All devices have a limited life, even with good storage. Keep the backup in a place that won’t get too hot, cold, or humid. Don’t count on its lasting more than five years. Send a note to your future self to copy it to new media after four years.

Choose your files carefully for this. You can’t usefully store anything that’s subject to change this way, but it can help to guarantee that you won’t lose critical documents even if everything else goes wrong.

Please contact us for IT support, backup, and other services.

Tip of the Day: Managing Your Time

tip of the day managing your time

More than often, it can be tiresome working at the computer all day. When you look at the list of tasks which need to be completed, it may even be a bit intimidating.

While it’s always important to stay on top of your work, it’s also essential you manage your time wisely. That way, even if there are dozens of tasks which need to be accomplished, you aren’t trying to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Here are some computer productivity tips for managing your time better.

Plan Ahead of Time

An effective strategy for managing your time, is planning ahead. That way, you know what needs to be accomplished before it’s even done.

For example, let’s say it’s the end of the week, and you know it’s going to get pretty busy by Monday. Create a list of all the tasks that need to be accomplished during that week, and more importantly, make note of what you’re going to accomplish each day. If you had thirty computer tasks to complete that week, for example, and you focused on six per day, you would be finished by Friday.

Aside from planning ahead, you should also take breaks in between, so you don’t burn yourself out.

Eliminating The Shorter Tasks

Besides planning ahead of time, another way to remain productive on the computer, is by eliminating the shorter tasks first, or even the ones that could be completed another day.

When trying to stay productive, one problem some people have is that they’re under the impression that they have a lot of work to do, when there’s actually quite a bit of work that could be considered “fluff”, so to speak.

By dividing the simpler tasks between the more time-consuming ones, it helps you to get a clearer idea of what needs to be focused on, and the tasks which are ultimately important.

For more information, contact us today at AE Technology Group.

Easy Ways to Be More Productive

easy ways to be more productive

how to be more productive

If you are looking to improve your business, an easy way to start is by asking the question: how to be more productive? It seems like being productive should be easy. Smart phones make it so you have access to taking calls, email, video chat, and the internet at all times.

So why does it seem like at the end of the day, you still have so many things left on your to-do list?

Productivity is tricky, because it takes self-control. Only you can be in charge of how productive you are. Here are some easy ways to be more productive. According to Forbes.com it’s important to understand how your body plays into your productivity.

The article suggests you tackle your most complicated tasks in the morning, when you have the most energy. Everyone can relate to that afternoon slump. Save some of your more mindless tasks for then. Carson Tate, the founder of Working Simply managing consultants, suggests you take time to make your priorities in the morning when you have the most energy. Then you can just follow your to-do list throughout the parts of day when you don’t have as much energy to think about it.

Another way to up your productivity is to reassess your work week. Further supporting listening to you body and being productive when your body is ready, are start-ups that are not enforcing a 9-5 work week. One start-up is having its employees work from 8-1, knowing a shorter work day will force them to be more productive and waste less time in the office. If you are in charge of you own work schedule, consider mixing up your hours and seeing if you can get more done.

These are just a few simple ideas to get you started on a more productive path. If IT assistance can help you be more productive, contact us at AE Technology Group.

How to Avoid a Power Outage in Your Business

how to avoid a power outage in your business

how to avoid a power outage

In the business world, there are plenty of reasons why you should have contingency plans. After all, you never know what could happen. For example, what if your network became exposed to hackers due to outdated security? Much more common, though, is the loss of data due to a power outage.

Not only can these data losses be prevented, though, but they can also be avoided altogether. Here’s how to how to avoid a power outage and keep your information safe as well.

Backing up Your Data

First of all, it’s important to remember that not all power outages can be avoided. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do your best to avoid them, but on the other hand, it’s sometimes better to be more concerned with what needs to be done, in case an outage does occur in your business.

With that said, it’s important to back up your data on a regular basis. That way, if something were to happen, you wouldn’t lose any important information, putting your business at risk. However, don’t just keep the data backed up, but storing it on a portable USB flash drive is another effective contingency plan. After all, once said information is on the device, it’s portable and can be uploaded from any computer.

Having a Backup Generator

While backing up data will keep your information safe during a power outage, having an electrical backup generator will prevent any outages altogether. If your business has the money to invest in one, it should definitely be considered.

While it certainly isn’t required, especially if you have a contingency plan for your data loss, having a generator will make things much less of an inconvenience, and you’ll be able to work even if there’s an outage in the area.

For more information, and to get the support you need, contact us at AE Technology Group.