Pimp Your Work Asks: Do you still use a fax machine? How about your company? How often do you fax? Do you think it’s old technology that’s on its way out?
To participate, simply answer the question in the comments.
Photo Credit: Image by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media
I like to con people. And I like to insult people. If you combine con & insult, you get consult!
- from Dilbert by Scott Adams
Among friends, I’m known for taking chances. In work, love, and every aspect of my life. The more people tell me something is impossible, unreachable, or impractical, the more I find a way to do it - no matter how scary it is.
Because the one thing that is scarier than following your dreams is the regret you’ll face when you wake up one day and realize that you didn’t reach any of them.
When I started writing for a living, many people thought I couldn’t make it. I had some really low months where I wasn’t earning enough and people suggested that I just leave my writing dreams behind and just get a job at a call center (which is a popular career choice here in the Philippines). I refused because I loved writing and didn’t want to spend my time on the phone, getting yelled at by angry customers.
People called me impractical. I stuck with it. I took a chance, even if the future didn’t seem so bright. Because of the chance I took, I now earn more than the average call center agent.
I also read “The 4-Hour Workweek” and told my friends “Hey, I want to have a shorter workweek too. I love writing, but I also want to do other things with my time.” They laughed and said it was a gimmick. That it was impossible to have both free time and a good income.
It may have been a gimmick, I don’t know. But I experimented with my schedule and now work only 9 hours a week. I don’t want to cut back anymore because I absolutely love and cherish those 9 hours.
Have you ever taken a chance with your work? It doesn’t matter whether it’s sending in a telecommuting proposal, managing a big project for the first time, or simply accomplishing the best that was possible - all these chances are valid.
The next time you’re faced with a decision of taking your chances, instead of asking yourself “Can I afford to?”, ask yourself “Can I afford not to?” Write down what it would cost you, personally and financially, if you don’t take that chance. Keep that list nearby at all times (even if it’s just mentally) and look at it whenever you’re feeling doubt.
When something seems impossible, instead of giving up, ask yourself how you can make it possible. In the Philippines we have a saying that goes something like “If you really want it, you’ll find ways. If you don’t really want it, you’ll find excuses.” I think that applies here.
Other non-professional things I took a chance on:
Have you ever taken a chance in your life that everyone else was against? Are you afraid of regret? Please share your stories in the comments.
Photo Credit: Images by Asif Akbar from sxc.hu
Computers are an integral part of office life. Whether you love them or hate them, you’ll need to learn how to work with them. Here are some helpful articles to smoothen the process:
5 Ways to Make your computer Work for you and Not the Other Way Around and How to Tell When Your Hard Drive is Going to Fail from Lifehack
Top 12 Ways to Speed Up Your Computer from Dumb Little Man
Speed Up Windows Shutdown from Lifehacker
Encrypt your communications for added security and Mac vs. PC Speed: It Doesn’t Matter from Web Worker Daily
Photo Credit: Image from Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media
We all know that if we want to move folders or files within Windows and we have multiple target folders, we have to do it one by one. This is annoying, especially after reformatting and reinstalling your computer and you need to restore files to where they once were (what I’m doing right now, which is how I came upon this tool).
Piki Basket eliminates the painstaking one by one copy and pasting. Just copy, copy and copy some more and once you are done copying, paste them all at once to the target folders. And the best news is that Piky is integrated with Windows Explorer so there’s no need to run a separate program.
If for some reason, you need the file paths of your files, there is no way you can get it automatically with Windows. Here’s another handy feature from Piky Basket: just click ont he file and you’ll access the file path. Also, if you need the command prompt to point at a specific folder, no need to type in long commands. A single right click will give you the choice of opening a command prompt at that folder.
Piky Basket is compatible with Windows 9x, 2000, and XP. Click here for the PikiBasket’s official site.
Photo Credit: Screencapture by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media
I don’t intend to build in order to have clients; I intend to have clients in order to build.
- from “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand
Photo Credit: Image by Edmondo Dantes from sxc.hu
Pimp Your Work Asks: Which book transformed your career? How did it inspire a transformation? What changes happened in your life as a result of reading that book?
To participate, simply answer the question in the comments.
Photo Credit: Image by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media
Are you having a hard time writing because of all the clutter in your desktop, or maybe the persistent messengers you have installed? If this is your problem, then Dark Room might be for you. Contrary to what the name suggests, it’s not a photography tool.
Created with the sole purpose of providing a writing environment sans the distractions, Dark Room is all about you and what you are writing. No frills, no fancy stuff, it’s just you, a dark background and the text you are writing. The features available with Dark Room are the most basic ones found on other text editors. It starts up on full screen, hiding everything in your desktop and relieving you of almost anything that can distract your writing sessions.
Personally, it works for me as I used to get distracted with random surfing, instant messenger conversations, etc.
If the neon green text on a black background puts you off (as it did with me), you can change the background and font colors via the “Preferences” menu when you right-click on the Dark Room screen.
Dark Room is compatible with Windows XP, 2000, 2003 and requires the .NET 2.0 framework. Click here for the official site.
Photo Credit: Screencapture by Celine Roque from Blue Rabbit Media
I’ve mentioned in some previous posts that I live in a Third World country. This means that my area’s phone/internet cables can be stolen at night (presumably to be sold at junk shops) and I’ll be left disconnected from work.
Well, this happened last week.
Surprisingly, my productivity actually doubled. I was producing twice my regular output for the previous weeks of April. Is it possible that severing your connection to the net can make you more productive or is this some kind of fluke? I think it’s possible to be more productive without easy net access, and here’s why:
Your net time becomes precious. To compensate your lack of a connection at home, you probably resort to net cafes, free wi-fi areas, and the like. You can’t exactly sit in these places forever. Ergo, you only do the essential when you’re online. Goodbye to random surfing.
Less distractions. Additionally, when you’re working on your computer, you have less distractions because you’re not connected to the net. No random surfing, Twittering, checking your Facebook messages, or reading RSS feeds. When you’re working with the computer, you’re working with the computer.
Have there been instances where you found yourself without an internet connection? How did it affect your productivity?
Photo Credit: Image by redsd from stock.xchng
Putting some shizzle into your work ... and making your work day better
Written by Celine Roque [email] for b5media.
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