Wow, Wordpress update 2.7 rocks!

This is wordpress on steroids.  The uber wordpress.  This is wordpress drinks a double shot of genius.

One added benefit is that this may be my last wordpress upgrade I have to do via FTP.  Yeah, baby!  From what wordpress is saying, they are going to make the future wordpress upgrades push-button simple from now on.  That is great news!

iPod Touch!! Wow, best iPod ever!

My husband got me an iPod Touch for my anniversary.  This thing is so neat it makes me giddy.  Swishing my finger across the screen to make it unlock, tapping the screen to open applications, downloading applications from the app store… I have practically achieved gadgetry nirvana.

The only thing that would make it better would be for it to be an iPhone with internet connectivity at all times and a camera and mic.

I LOVE this iPod!

I have already installed the “Remember the Milk” application and the Google calendar, gmail, google reader, and a few other great fun apps!  I am looking forward to using this to keep organized as a student/entrepreneur/mother/busy human being!

Back to College… Organizing for College

Well, I am in college full time and getting my degree.  I will still be working on my entrepreneurial endeavors and working on projects so I will continue to blog about organizing for home, business, projects, and life, but now will be including a category on organizing for college!

TweetDeck - the best Twitter app I have used so far

I have been using Twitter for my social networking for a while and mostly I have been using the Twitter website to “tweet” from.

I am glad to say that I have found “TweetDeck” to help me to organize and improve my twitter experience.

TweetDeck is a desktop application that runs on AdobeAir.  The owner of TweetDeck is VERY responsive to suggestions and feedback is constantly working to keep his free application up to date.  I am able to see my friend timeline, my direct messages, and my replies all at one time plus I am able to have windows that track any person or topic that I wish to track.

This really handy twitter app is found at http://tweetdeck.com and is HIGHLY recommended for any twitterers reading this blog post!

Using Yahoo Groups to work on projects

Sometimes, simple tools are really the best.  Especially when working with team members or project members who aren’t very computer literate.  A simple tool for group communication is Yahoo Groups.  It is very user friendly, straight-forward, and accessible to most computer users.

Some benefits for team members who aren’t very computer literate:

  • they don’t have to download or install anything
  • they can interact with the group via email or on a website, however they feel most comfortable
  • they can access the group on any computer that they have internet access
  • they can manage their own group membership settings
  • they probably already have a Yahoo id or at least have heard of Yahoo
  • they can use the group whether they are on Mac or Windows

Am I suggesting this is the BEST way to organize a project team?   Heck no.  But, I believe it may be a great way to organize a project team of people who have differing computer skillsets or computer technology.

Also, according to the Yahoo Groups Blog post dated July 14 http://www.ygroupsblog.com/blog/2008/07/14/whats-in-store-for-yahoo-groups/ there are some improvements planned for Yahoo Groups to make them even more useful for project members.

Busy Work = Job Security?

Working as a government civilian has been a fascinating look into the world of “Status Quo”.  With my background in Lean Six Sigma and my fascination with productivity and work optimization, I find myself constantly asking, “Why do we do this this way?”

The answers I get are “because that is the way it is done” or “a regulation mandates it is done this way” or even, and I swear this is true… , “don’t worry about it… it is job security”!

What?? That concept just boggles my mind.  Busy work is okay because it is job security??  I just can’t abide that philosophy.  I really can’t.

Look, here is the reality.

My time has value.  I am a busy woman with a family and with side businesses and with church, family, and friend commitments… I don’t need to trade busy work for job security.  I want to exchange meaningful work for meaningful income.

I know I can work hard.  I can and will work hard every day.  Every. Day.  Period.

But give me effective work to do or let me figure out how to do my work effectively.

Is that REALLY the way it has to be done?

Is there REALLY a regulation that says I have to do it this way?  If so, is this regulation really up to date and applicable?

Is this really job security?  What about if I figured out how to do my job better, faster, and more comprehensive?  Is THAT better job security?

One thing this has shown me… I need to go back to school to get my degree and I also want to get my Black Belt certification.  I need more authority to make a difference in my work and to do work in a meaningful way.

Quick Tip: Weather On Your Calendar

Quick tip regarding Google Calendar

As you look ahead for the next few days, google calendar can help you to factor in the weather forecast for your area.  This little quick tip has helped me a couple of times to rethink my plans and to consider indoor options instead on days I otherwise might have been unknowingly planned to get soaked.

Adding the weather forecast to your google calendar is easy.  (As are all things Google in my opinion.)

Select “Settings”

Under General Tab, select show weather based on my location.  Make sure you have entered your location of course.  Select Celsius or Fahrenheit.

And now, Voila.  Weather on your Google Calendar.

Enjoy your quick tip!

Another Good “Makeover the Home Office” Post

I always enjoy reading about organizing a home office. Perhaps that is because my home office has always had to be some corner of a room that is already full of purpose.

In Hawaii, it was a corner in my bedroom. In Arizona, it was a corner in a family room. In Georgia, it was a corner in our living room, and now in Kansas it is a corner in our dining room.

Having the luxury of a home office that is just a home office… that is something I really look forward to.

Here is another great post on 10 Steps To Rejuvenate Your Messy Home-Office that will just have to hold me over until my next address which I get in a month. Back to Hawaii. Should be interesting to see where my home office is this time!

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Cleaning up old logins

In the transition from PC to Mac, I moved over my logins from roboform to 1password.  I moved over a lot of logins (1315 to be exact) and as I look over them, I see that quite a few of them are to sites I never visit anymore or are to sites that no longer even exist.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning up these old logins but I do think it is worth a little bit of my time to get rid of logins that are completely useless.  Why carry the clutter over to my new laptop?

It will be interesting to see how many logins are left after  go through the list by the time I am done.

Since this isn’t a “money producing” activity, it is one that I will tackle in small chunks, so I think it will be a while before I am done going through all these logins.  When I am done, I will report in how many logins survived the purge.   Will keep you posted!

Evernote Grand Opening!

Evernote, a service that I have been using for a long time as a desktop application and that I have just recently been using as a beta web application, opens its doors today!

You don’t need an invite to get in anymore! The free version is great. I doubt you will need more than that. But if you do, it is only 5 bucks a month to get the premium version. I haven’t hit that limit yet, but I am using Evernote more and more everyday so I may need to upgrade.

I recommend it highly!

Getting Started | Evernote Corporation

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