Alaska Office Specialists http://www.alaskaos.com Sat, 12 May 2012 00:33:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 AlaskaOfficeSpecialistshttp://feedburner.google.com 3 Android apps for productivity http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/QB6QDr8nUic/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2012/04/3-android-apps-for-productivity.html/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:22:19 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=214 Continue reading →]]> I have several apps I use on my android based tablet for productivity.  All of my apps work offline since my tablet is WIFI only and I don’t always have a connection.

First is the one being used to write this post, ToDo Task Manager – Pro. Yes, its a paid app but one of very few I chose to use. The suite is MS Office compatible, supports Word, Excel and PowerPoint and has the basic features I need to write or edit on the go.

My next favorite is which has both a free lite version and a paid version. The lite version is great if you don’t need to port your list to another app otherwise the paid version is much more robust. This quiet app sets reminders, can help you categorize your tasks using colors, numbers and other popular methods of breaking up tasks into manageable chunks.

Finally my last favorite app for my tablet is Mindjet for Android which is a great mind mapping tool. This little tool allows me to capture partial thoughts or ideas an then later on reorganize them into a plan to do a larger project or even outline a post. It is fully compatible with Freemind my favorite PC version of a mind mapping tool.

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2012/04/3-android-apps-for-productivity.html/feed/ 3 http://www.alaskaos.com/2012/04/3-android-apps-for-productivity.html/ 12 ways to generate more topics for posts http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/bveGjHVVWzs/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2012/02/12-ways-to-generate-more-topics-for-posts.html/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:27:10 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=149 Continue reading →]]> 12 ways to generate more topics for posts

  1. Ask your readers
  2. Setup a poll
  3. Brainstorm your topic
  4. Look at photos
  5. Go outside for a walk
  6. Go through a craft/sewing stash
  7. Clean out your computer files for forgotten projects
  8. Join the V7n’s blogging challenges
  9. Read other people’s blogs

10. Read articles on your favorite topics

11. Look for products or services that will compliment your own and write about them especially if you also use the other company’s product or service.

12. Check into affiliate programs for your favorite sites

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2012/02/12-ways-to-generate-more-topics-for-posts.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2012/02/12-ways-to-generate-more-topics-for-posts.html/ Bang Head Here….. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/ZWDv3PPsi6M/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/11/bang-head-here.html/#comments Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:27:33 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=143 Continue reading →]]> Bang Head Here Pillow 2011

Bang Head Here Pillow 2011

I’ve had a series of days recently where I’ve really felt like I was banging my head against the wall trying to come up with solutions to problems or just get something done! Here is a nice soft pillow and my soft answer to wanting to”Bang Head Here” when issues arise!

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/11/bang-head-here.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/11/bang-head-here.html/ Task Cards http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/cyVqxokLXLM/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/10/task-cards.html/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:16:01 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=94 Continue reading →]]> Projects abound in the workplace. Long and short term projects along with high priority and many other criteria. So how do we keep track of all of it to make sure each one is getting done?

I work on a 15 person team including as a support and as a lead for my own staff. We have adopted task cards. These were a communications brainstorm since sticky notes can often be lost or worse illegible these cards are recyclable and used for common tasks others ask my team to do since we’re their support! The other thing that Task Cards tracking is where a project is within a defined process. This ensures that if a boss walks into your office while you are out on vacation and needs something they can tell where you are on the process. It can even tell you where you left off at a later date!

We have task cards for nearly everything now. One deals with copies, fax, mailing and filing tasks. Another deals specifically with scanning and is used as a guide for file naming structures. Yet another task card deals in a screening process and the last in a file folder conversion process. Each one is 1/4 page on color paper and we only mark on them in pencil allowing us to recycle until the ink rubs off or the paper gives out! An added bonus is just about anyone incoming can check the card on an item and know what to do with it next!

Below you will find examples I hope will inspire your own task cards. If you do use the concept please come back and tell me about it!

Pre-Screening Processing Cards            Processing Cards for Dark Color Paper

Scanner Counts                        Scanning Cards

 

 

 

 

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/10/task-cards.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/10/task-cards.html/ Unstuffing Overstuffed File Drawers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/xPM_tqlM1do/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/10/unstuffing-overstuffed-file-drawers.html/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:08:37 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=123 Continue reading →]]> I have approximately 1000 files to get things into or add to the collection of files. Several of them take up a whole drawer by themselves and are several years old but because they are active files I can’t just send them to storage or archiving and so we have 10 years of “stuff” from each agency. One such provider file is a whole drawer by itself. Recently there have been discussions on how to cram more into the cabinets we have since there’s no more space for more cabinets! The brilliant brainstorm I came up with is to take that old historic data and put it into 3 ring binders on top of the cabinets and only keep the most current in the drawer. For several of the largest files that will free 2/3 to 3/4 of a drawer leaving space for more providers and future expansion. I can think of at least 3 files that are that large!

It will be a lot of work but in the long run we will have the space so desperately needed for more files!

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/10/unstuffing-overstuffed-file-drawers.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/10/unstuffing-overstuffed-file-drawers.html/ No More!!!! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/oUHBuPz6mRU/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/no-more.html/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:51:20 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=117 Continue reading →]]> Once in a while I get too many things to do and feel a little bit buried by it all. Recently one of my volunteers got a regular job (yay him!) but what he was doing fell to my remaining volunteer and I to try to divide up again…..we adapt well.

NO More!!!!

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/no-more.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/no-more.html/ Risk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/mSCxxtfFD_s/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/risk.html/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:04:15 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=104

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/risk.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/risk.html/ Catching up? Not likely…. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/IyqIDRAuSt0/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/catching-up-not-likely.html/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:36:34 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=107 Catching up? Nope!

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/catching-up-not-likely.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/catching-up-not-likely.html/ DANGER! Boredom! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/YNmCyon75-Q/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/danger-boredom.html/#comments Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:45:13 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=111 Continue reading →]]> Keep in mind that this sign caused my boss to nearly have a heart attack! I am dangerous when bored…. I come up with brainstorms to make things better! She found something for me to do tho but not before I came up with ideas!DANGER! Boredom!

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/danger-boredom.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/danger-boredom.html/ Office Signs – Writing Stuff Down http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AlaskaOfficeSpecialists/~3/MI43DcZDoNY/ http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/office-signs-writing-stuff-down.html/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:02:20 +0000 Sue http://www.alaskaos.com/?p=101 Continue reading →]]> I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.
- Beryl Pfizer

Sue Darby
BS Business Management & Information Technology
Chocolate Manager

]]> http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/office-signs-writing-stuff-down.html/feed/ 0 http://www.alaskaos.com/2011/09/office-signs-writing-stuff-down.html/