We’ve talked about how easy it is to get distracted while working with the Internet at your fingertips. The Internet is one of the greatest technological advancements of the past 30 years, but workers have been getting distracted in the office long before the World Wide Web. Here are three of the most frequent ways that workers can get distracted in the office without the aid of the Internet (as well as a few steps on how to combat these bad habits).

The Water Cooler

A strong work culture is important for any business. Research has shown that workers who have developed a strong community will be more productive. However, making this community constructive for productivity is also a necessity. It’s easy to spend too much time discussing your personal life with coworkers during working hours. To help combat this, try planning a weekly after-work-hours gathering with your coworkers. This will help you stay up to date on each other’s lives without decreasing productivity during office hours.

Minesweeper

No matter what computer you use, there is likely some kind of preloaded game saved to the hard drive. Whether it’s Minesweeper, Chess or Solitaire, there is always a mind numbing game to indulge in during work hours. With these games, it’s easy to let a few minutes of distraction turn into hours of wasted work time. In this case, the best thing to do is to simply delete the game off your computer. Let’s be honest, you probably don’t even enjoy playing these games that much anymore.

Daydream

We all know what it’s like to get lost in thought, daydreaming about our favorite TV show, book or movie. It’s something we do when we have low focus and it can be a big time waster. Try changing your lifestyle to help increase your focus to avoid daydreaming. Simple changes can help, like getting more sleep or eating foods that are low in processed sugar.

Working without distractions can be a challenge. Even without the multiple distractions offered by the Internet, staying focused on your work can be difficult. Remember these tips during the workweek and do your best to stay on top of things. Don’t forget, 90% of productivity is focus! Do you have any additional ideas or thoughts?

No matter how sophisticated your email password is, there is always a chance that a hacker will find a way to decipher your information and gain access to your digital personality. So what do you do once you’ve realized that your personal email account has been compromised? It is important to be proactive in this type of situation. Taking the appropriate steps can help you repair any damage done by a hacker as well as help prevent future hacks from being successful. Here are some important steps to take.

Notify Webmail Provider

    Letting your webmail provider know that your account has been compromised is an important step that many email users might not think of. When you notify your webmail provider of a problem it gives them the chance to rectify the situation and further strengthen their security against future hacks. Your particular hack could be a part of a much larger security breach, letting your webmail provider know about it gives them the opportunity to fix it.

Change Password

    This is most likely the most important thing to do once you’ve regained control of your email account. Doing so will prevent whomever hacked your account from taking over again or from selling your password to another hacker. Make sure to make your password completely different and, if possible, make sure it shares no characters with your previous password. Also, remember to make it complex. The hacker who broke into your account may have personal information, like your birthday, that would help them decipher any new password you created that was too simple.

Notify your contact list

    One of the main reasons hackers break into personal email accounts is to send out well disguised spam. A spam email is more likely to be successful if it is sent to a victim through a recognized account. Letting your contact list know that your account has been compromised can warn them against these attempts and likely prevent the transfer of viruses or a successful scam. Make sure and relay the message clearly in your subject line, so that your contacts will know that you’ve regained control over your account without needing to open your email.

No one likes having his or her personal information compromised. It’s important to remember that, if your email has been hacked, your online banking and other Internet managed services may also be compromised. If you’d like additional information on what you should with a hacked email, please take a look at this article.

Business cards are an integral part of competent networking. The standard is simple, a small piece of rectangular paper with fundamental contact information printed somewhere on it. However, more and more businesses are getting creative with they way they use their business cards. These new creative designs are increasing memorability and therefore producing more positive networking results. If you’re looking to create a business card that won’t be easy to forget, consider a few of these great tips.

Add Texture

This is one of the most common ways businesses create a more memorable business card. The effect is simple; creating a unique texture for the card gives the brain one more thing to remember due to the extra sense that is being engaged.

Take a look at this great example of adding a simple texture to any business card.

Make Them Share-worthy

If your card is worth sharing, the results from networking will be multiplied. Adding a relatively easy and creative design to your card will make the receiver want to show his or her friends or hang it up in his or her office. Consider the hilarious mustache-design included on this creative business card. The idea is that the card can double as a quirky mustache disguise. The receiver places the card in front of their face and shows it to their friends, which is genius, because then their friends see the card as well. It’s inventive marketing. Here is an example.

Make Them Digital

There is no rule that demands business cards be actual cards.

Creating a digital business card that your audience can access remotely is a great way to engage your audience. The easiest way to do this is by generating a QR code that leads to a digital copy of your card. QR codes are great ways to engage your audience with any information you want, combining them with your business cards will help increase your networking efforts. Check out these tips on using QR codes.

Author: Jenny Mays

Ever since Elle Woods stepped on the big screen in Legally Blonde and showed off her pink laptop, pink laptops have been flying off the shelves. Laptops are no longer being used only to satisfy computing needs but can be a way to express oneself stylistically i.e. being technologically savvy while being fashion forward.

 Legally Blonde’s pink laptop computer may have started the trend and more companies have started manufacturing pink computers in various shades. From the look at me bright pinks to the more muted pinks that can be used professionally and otherwise. Other shades such as red are also being produced. (more…)