Scott Bridwell's Productivity Hints and Tips

Anyone Can Steer the Ship in Calm Waters

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:30:00 +0000

What will set you apart in your career is how you perform during the tough times. Don't become complacent and relax just because things are going well. Plan ahead for the downturn.

Store Sent Mail Efficiently in Outlook

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:31:00 +0000

When you reply to an e-mail, Outlook stores a copy of that message in the Sent folder.

Instead, you might your replies with the original message. For instance, suppose you automatically route all your messages from your boss into a folder named, appropriately enough, MyBoss. If you want Outlook to store your replies in MyBoss with the original messages, do the following:

From the Tools menu, choose Options.
On the Preferences tab (which should be selected by default), click E-mail Options in the E-mail section.
Click Advanced E-mail Options at the bottom of the Message Handling section.
In the Save Messages section, select the In Folders Other Than The Inbox, Save Replies With Original Message check box and then click OK three times to return to Outlook.

Outlook will apply this setting to all of your personal folders. Just remember that Outlook saves replies with the original message and not in the Sent folder only when the original message is in a folder other than the Inbox. Outlook continues to save all replies sent from messages in the Inbox in the Sent folder.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:28:00 +0000

You can trick your body into relaxing by using breathing techniques.

Breathe in slowly for a count of 7, then breathe out for a count of 11.
Repeat the "7-11" breathing pattern until your heart rate slows down and things start to feel more normal.

Save Changes to All Open Word Documents at One Time

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:54:00 +0000

This simple technique comes in handy when you are working in multiple documents and want to make sure you have saved your changes to all of them.

All you have to do is:

Press the [Shift] key and click on the File menu.
Word will add the Save All command to the menu, above the Save As command.
Choose Save All and Word will prompt you to save each document (or template) that has any unsaved changes.

This is more efficient than having to navigate to each document individually and click Save.

Just a little something to think about...

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:19:00 +0000

If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play;
and z is keeping your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein

Want to Add the Show Desktop Button to Your Windows Toolbar?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Follow these steps to add the Show Desktop button to your Windows tool bar:

Right-click on any portion of the task bar at the bottom of your screen.
Choose Properties.
Check the box to Show Quick Launch.
Click OK.

You should see a few icons immediately to the right of your Start button. Sometimes you will have so many icons that the Show Desktop icon will be pushed off the screen. If that is the case, right-click on icons you don't want, and choose Delete. Repeat until you've removed all extraneous icons from the toolbar.
You can also adjust the order of the icons if you'd like. Simply click on the icon you want to move. While keeping the mouse button depressed, drag it to a new location. Repeat with other icons until they are in your desired order.

Options for Excel's Text-to-Speech Functionality

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:11:00 +0000

You can choose either LH Michael or LH Michelle as the voice to read back your text in the Excel Text-to-Speech feature.

To change the Text-to-Speech voice, follow these steps:

On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Speech icon.
Click the Text-to-Speech tab.
In the Voice selection box, click the voice that you want to use.
Click OK.

NOTE: The available voices depend on your default language installation and any language packs that you may have installed.

Did you know...

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:15:00 +0000

The original proposal for the creation of Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) codes was made in 1944, but the US Postal Service did not implement them until July 1, 1963. The optional +4 ZIP codes were added in 1983.

Use Excel as a Time Saver in Reading Back Long Legal Descriptions

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:36:00 +0000

Excel can read text such as legal descriptions back to you.

The following instructions are for Excel's Text to Voice functionality:

Copy the legal description or text of what you want to have read back to you.
Paste it into Cell A-1 in Excel.
Under View chose Toolbars and enable the Text to Speak toolbar.
A tool bar will pop-up. Click on the first icon which is a dialogue box with a green arrow.

The computer will start reading your text back to you. If the text is really long, it may help to paste it in portions into Excel in case something happens or you need to stop partway through.

Use Outlook to Send E-mail to a Cell Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Outlook is flexible enough to send e-mail to cell phones.

You can send e-mail to anybody, as long as their cell phone supports Short Message Service (SMS). You just need the cell phone's 10-digit number and the carrier's domain. Fortunately, it’s a truly simple process:

Create a new e-mail message in Outlook
In the To text box, enter the cell phone number using the following syntax: 10-digit-number@carrierdomain.com
Create a message of 160 characters or less. Or attach a .jpg file, if the cell phone is also a camera phone.
Send the e-mail.

Below is a list of the major carrier domains:

Alltel - @message.alltel.com
Cingular/AT&T - @txt.att.net
Nextel - @messaging.nextel.com
Sprint - @messaging.sprintpcs.com
SunCom - @tms.suncom.com
T-mobile - @tmomail.net
VoiceStream - @voicestream.net
Verizon - @vtext.com

Do You Ever Open a Long Email Message on Your BlackBerry and Only See Part of the Message?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:16:00 +0000

Your BlackBerry only downloads the beginning of long emails to save resources.
However, you can download an entire email to your BlackBerry using these steps:

Open the email on your BlackBerry.
Press down on the track wheel or pearl to open the drop-down menu.
Scroll down and select the to the More option with the track wheel or pearl.
The rest of the message arrives in a few minutes.

Note: This tip is, of course, contingent on you being in an area with BlackBerry wireless service.

Gas Wasting Habit #6 - Short Hops

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:22:00 +0000

It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank. In this series we will review ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip.

Short Hops

For really short trips, take advantage of the opportunity to get some exercise. Try walking to the store instead of driving. You can save gas and burn a few calories instead.

If you can't hoof it, save up your errands. A lot of short hops that let the engine cool down at home between trips can use twice as much gas as starting the car once and making a big sweep to all your stops, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Go to your farthest destination first so your engine has a chance to reach its optimal operating temperature. Then make your other stops on the way back. With the engine warmed up, the car will restart easily and run efficiently all the way home.

Changes to the Daily Hints and Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:16:00 +0000

Starting this week the Productivity Hints and Tips will become what I'm calling a "Friday Eve" (that's Thursday for those of you that are calendar challenged) special feature.

This means that instead of getting hints and tips on a daily basis you will now get them weekly.

By the way, if you have a helpful productivity hint or tip send it to me and if I post it I'll link it back to you and make sure you get the credit.

Streamline Customer Communications

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:21:00 +0000

Delivering fast, knowledgeable service is the best way to keep customers satisfied.

Save Time Reformatting by Using Excel’s Fill Function Across Worksheets

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:10:00 +0000

You have three worksheets in your workbook. They are all formatted the same; only the data is different. You’ve just made some changes to the font color and the background of a range of cells in Sheet 1 and would like to copy that formatting to the other sheets. Follow these steps:

Select the range of cells you have formatted in Sheet 1.
Click the tab for Sheet 1. Press and hold down Shift and then click Sheet 3 to select all 3 tabs.
In Word 2007: On the Home tab, click the arrow of the Fill button in the Editing group. In Word 2002/2003: Go to Edit-->Fill.)
Click Across Worksheets.
Click Formats and then click OK.
Right-click any worksheet tab, and select Ungroup Sheets.

Now when you look at the cells in Sheets 2 and 3, you'll see they have the same formatting as the cells in Sheet 1.

Gas Wasting Habit #5 - Driving Standing Still

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:07:00 +0000

It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank. In this series we will review ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip.

Driving Standing Still

You've probably heard that it takes more gas to restart a car than to let it run. Maybe that used to be true, but it isn't anymore. With modern fuel-injection engines, it takes very little extra gas to restart a car once it's warmed up.

Idling, meanwhile, burns about a half-mile worth of gas every minute, according to the California Energy Commission. That's why hybrid cars shut down their gasoline engines whenever they stop, even for a moment.

Now you don't want to shut your engine down for every little stop in your regular, non-hybrid car - it's not designed for that - but if you're waiting for someone to run in and out of a convenience store, turn off the engine.

And don't go through the drive-through at fast food restaurants. You're already paying enough for the oil in those chicken nuggets.

Bonus tip: Don't idle your engine to let it warm up before driving. It does your engine no good and it wastes gas. Instead, start driving right away, but drive gently until the engine is warm. (Unless you drive a 1965 T-Bird like me and the choke needs a bit to warm up or it will die...of course I could also just take the time to propery adjust the choke or replace it.)

You Never Have to Make Up for a Good Start

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:07:00 +0000

If a project or a job gets off to a bad start it can be difficult to catch up. Do your planning up front so you get a good start and you won't regret it.

Need a Quick Way to Add an Accent Mark to a Word?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:04:00 +0000

For some names or words with origins other than English, you may need to add an accent mark.
For words that require an accent use the following keyboard shortcut:

Press [Ctrl] + apostrophe ['] + the letter.

For example, to put an accent mark over the letter "e" in Café:

Press [Ctrl] + ['] + [e].

Gas Wasting Habit #4 - Bumper-Buzzing

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

A basic human need is to feel significant. People must know that their work is appreciated and that their presence is valued. Everyone needs to know that their contribution matters.

It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank. In this series we will review ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip.

Bumper-buzzing

Tailgating is a bad move for many reasons. First of all, it's unsafe. You reduce your ability to react if the car in front of you slows or stops. It also means you have to pay ultra-close attention to that car which reduces your ability to scan for other hazards ahead of you and to the sides.

And tailgating wastes gas. Every time the driver ahead taps his brakes, you have to slow down even more than he did. (That's because you can't react immediately so you have to slow even more because you're slowing down later.) Then you accelerate again to get back up to speed and resume your bumper-buzzing routine.

Hang back and you'll be safer - plus you'll be able to drive more smoothly and use less fuel. A good rule of thumb is to allow two seconds of space between your car and the one ahead. You can figure that out by counting off two seconds after the car in front of you passes an obvious landmark like an overpass.

Change the Font Windows XP Displays in Windows Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:56:00 +0000

Windows Explorer and My Computer display the same font that Windows XP uses for icon titles on your desktop: Tahoma, 8 point.
If you want to change the font or font size used in Windows Explorer, follow these steps:

Access the Display Properties dialog box by right-clicking the desktop and selecting the Properties command.
Select the Appearance tab and click the Advanced button.
Select Icon from the Item drop-down list.
Use the Font drop-down arrow to select a font from the list.
Click OK twice — once to close the Advanced Appearance dialog box and once to close the Display Properties dialog box.

You can see the new font by launching Windows Explorer or My Computer. If you don’t like what you see, repeat the steps and select a different font.

Gas Wasting habit #3 - Confusing the Highway with a Speedway

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:49:00 +0000

It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank. In this series we will review ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip.

Confusing the Highway with a Speedway

Even if it doesn't involve hard acceleration, speeding wastes gas. The faster you go, the more air your vehicle has to push out of the way. It's like moving your hand through water. The faster you try to move your hand, the harder the water pushes back.

In tests by Consumer Reports, going 75 instead of 65 miles per hour reduced fuel economy by between 3 and 5 miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle.

How to Manage Effectively

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Agree on goals
Agree on level of performance
Diagnose development level
Agree on appropriate leadership style
Follow up on agreements

Gas Wasting Habit #2 - Racing up to Red Lights

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:15:00 +0000

It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank. In this series we will review ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip.

Racing up to Red Lights

When you're driving down the street and you see a light red light or stop sign up ahead, you should lay off the gas sooner rather than later.

There's no point in keeping your foot on the gas until just before you reach the intersection. Let off the pedal sooner and give your engine a rest as you coast to the stop while braking gently. As an added benefit, your brake pads will last longer, too.

Start An Unread E-mail File in Outlook

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:11:00 +0000

There seems to be no effective way to stop junk e-mails from filling your inbox (and hey, you might want to read some of it – just not today).

Move all of your less important e-mails to an "unread e-mail" file until you either have a bit more time or just need a quick pick-me-up.

Make a Vertical Text Selection

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Bridwell) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:11:00 +0000

Most of the time, we select text horizontally – a word, a series of words, a paragraph – from left to right or vice versa.
But occasionally, the selection has to be vertical. For instance, suppose you wanted to delete the leading characters in a list of items.
To make a vertical selection:

Hold down [Alt] as you drag down through the text you want to highlight.
Hit [Delete] and they’re gone.

You're not limited to selecting text at the beginning of the lines like in this example. You can make vertical selections anywhere on the page.
NOTE: If the Research pane appears when you try this selection technique, make sure to release the [Alt] key before you let up on the mouse button. Word should retain the selection. If you hold down [Alt] but release the mouse button, Word thinks “[Alt]-click” and opens the Research pane in response.