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I like to use Notepad to make notes as I work. In July, I described how I type .LOG at the top of the Notepad file, so the date and time are automatically entered when the file opens.
That's a handy feature, but I wanted to timestamp the files as I was working to, to record my start and stop times. There are date and time shortcuts in Excel and Access, but unfortunately those shortcuts don't work in Notepad.
I obviously hadn't looked too hard, because today I found the shortcut that I've been looking for -- listed right there on the Edit menu in Notepad. Now, if I want to insert the date and time, I press the F5 key, and it's automatically entered for me.
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Yes, I definitely need more space for all this office stuff. At least that was my first thought as I looked around my office on the weekend. Even though I cleared out a few bookshelves recently, there's just not enough room in here for all the remaining books, files, computers, printers, gadgets, project binders, and penguins.
So, I thought about a trip to Home Depot, to buy a shelving unit that would make better use of the corner space, and maybe hide some of the tangle of wiring.
Fortunately, I came to my senses and realized that the problem isn't storage space. The problem is stuff.
Do I really need those notes from projects I worked on in 1995. (No, I'm not exaggerating.) Why am I keeping those disks for CorelDraw 7? I haven't installed it on my past 4 machines. When was the last time I
Continue reading I Need More Storage Space
A couple of weeks ago I started reading Never Procrastinate Again, and promised to report on what I thought of the material, and how well it worked for me.
Reasons For Procrastination
This is an audio course with written transcript and worksheets, by Dave Navarro from the Rock Your Day blog. I listened to a few minutes of the audio files, but those just don't suit my learning style, so I used the written transcript instead. There are also video files (about 100 MB) that you can download separately, but I didn't bother with those.
The key to this course is identifying why you're procrastinating, by reviewing ten possible reasons in a worksheet. The ten procrastination causes fall into three basic categories:
I don't like to do it. I don't know how to do it. I'm afraid to do it.
Beside each of the ten reasons there's a suggested method
Continue reading Procrastination Revisited
When I open Google Reader first thing in the morning, there are a few blogs that I always read, if they've posted any new articles. Most of those I read within Google Reader, and occasionally click the link to go to the blog, to read the comments or find the end of a partial feed's article.
Mark Them
Then I click the All Items link, skim through the articles in List view, and add a star to any items that look interesting. This keeps me from spending a couple of hours reading blogs, when I should be getting down to work.
Read Them
Later in the day I view the list of Starred items, and click on an item to skim through it.
After reading an article (or the first couple of sentences), I usually remove the star, but leave a few marked so I can go back
Continue reading Are You a Star Maker?
Yesterday I posted a tip for adding the Refresh All button to the PivotTable toolbar, so you can quickly update all the pivot tables and queries in a workbook. In the comments, Jan Karel Pieterse mentioned that he can press Ctrl+Shift, or hold the Alt key, then drag toolbar buttons to a different toolbar. I can't get that Ctrl+Shift shortcut to work, but often use the Alt key to adjust toolbars on the fly.
In another comment, AlexJ described how he moves well-hidden menu commands, such as Show Formula Auditing Toolbar, to a toolbar, so they're easier to use. Great idea!
Besides the Refresh All button, there are a few others that I add to my Excel toolbars. For instance, when I'm creating data entry forms it helps to know if a cell is locked or unlocked. I copy the Lock Cell button from the Protection toolbar to my Standard
Continue reading Your Customized Excel Toolbars
Okay, maybe it's more aggravating than traumatic, but a few times each day I accidentally hit the Caps Lock key when I meant to hit Shift or Tab. Then, if I'm not paying attention, I type a few words (or paragraphs) before I notice, and have to retype everything.
Fortunately, I finally found a way to prevent accidental Caps Locks, using ToggleKeys, one of the Accessibility features in Windows.
To turn on the ToggleKeys feature:
Open the Control Panel, and double-click on the Accessibility Options icon.
On the Keyboard tab, add a check mark to Use ToggleKeys, then click OK.
Now, when you hit Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock, you'll hear a beep. Hit the key again to turn it off, then hit the key you really wanted.
More Noise
There's also a Feedback with Noise option in the Tools>Options dialog box
Continue reading Avoid Caps Lock Trauma
Do you procrastinate? I'm pretty good at it, and that's why I ordered a copy of Dave Navarro's text/audio program, Never Procrastinate Again. Maybe I won't live up to the title of this article, but at least I'm moving forward!
There are mp3 files with the recorded program, and a pdf file with the printed transcript. It's only 47 pages, and I'm already about halfway through it. That's good, because I won't get stuck a few chapters in, and set it aside to read "later". There are also a couple of worksheets to help you get started.
It's a very practical approach to dealing with procrastination, and makes it seem possible to overcome. I liked this quote:
"You don’t have to beat procrastination. You just have stop avoiding this one next thing - and that’s manageable."
Don't Procrastinate!
Take a couple of minutes and visit the Rock Your
Continue reading Never Procrastinate Again
It's been a long week. Do you still have the ability to count?
If your machine has Java installed, and it's active in your browser, you can watch this brief video. Your task is to count the number of times that the basketballs change hands.
How many did you count?
To see the answer, you can read the results of this experiment.
Maybe that's why so few people read the messages that we put in our Excel applications. They don't even see them!
If you're a software developer, you might be interested in this. Neil Davidson has created the Business of Software social network, "For anybody interested in building long term, sustainable, profitable software businesses."
Getting Unstuck
Meanwhile, if you're stuck on a project, whether it's software or something else, the SCAMPER Random Question Tool might help dislodge your mental blocks.
To understand the theory behind the tool, you can read the SCAMPER guide.
Last month, Dick Kusleika, at Daily Dose of Excel, said, "Get the same laptop at work that you have at home. I liked my D810 so much that when I started a new job I got a virtually identical machine. Now that my personal D810 is at Dell getting fixed, I can use my work laptop by just swapping hard drives."
They're using a similar idea at Citrix, where employees can buy their own laptop and maintenance plan, then use it at work, as well as home. The company provides $2100 for the purchase, but if employees leave within three years they'll have to repay some of the money. Maintenance will be the employee's responsibility.
What's the advantage?
Why would you want to buy your own computer and use it at work?
I guess it's a nice perk if you can't afford your own computer at home, since you'd own
Continue reading Bring Your Laptop to Work
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