Category: 1-Minute Strategy

Always try rebooting your computer when encountering a tech problem that’s stopped you cold—even if it doesn’t seem like such a simple fix could possibly cure what’s ailing your system. (“Come on, how can turning this thing off and on again magically make the fonts in this PDF appear correctly?”) Chances are good that a […]

Email storage capacity in Gmail, Hotmail and most other free services nowadays is virtually unlimited, so emailing files to yourself is a very quick and easy safeguard against something disappearing. No cloud service, unfamiliar server or USB drive is required and your emails holding those valuable attachments will most likely be accessible for quite some […]

In our off-hours, we lay out a great deal of money to buy the things that make us comfortable, cheerful and content. Yet we tend to forget how much of our lives are spent at the office and simply accept its relative lack of amenities. Set aside some money from your budget every year to […]

There’s plenty of empty space on the front and sides of that big machine to affix cheat sheets and quick tips on changing toner and clearing easy jams, plus the number to call for help when you’re not around.

Or if that’s a bit extravagant, at least write them on a permanent, immobile structure to make sure they’re always exactly where you expect them to be—not hiding on rogue slips of paper, or in an online folder you might delete or whose location you could forget. Write them on a secret part of a […]

Try designating exactly one of your desk drawers as your happy place, and fill it only with the snacks you like most, the photos you love, your best music CDs, etc.—no tools of productivity allowed! It’s nice to have a tiny perfect retreat, a magical spot always guaranteeing a little workday happiness.

Remember that when you’re not at work, people really care about only one thing: when they’re going to hear back from you about something they need. In addition to telling emailers you’re gone, reassure them in your out-of-office message with a general estimate of when you’ll respond to what they just sent.

When you think of it, the office staff can be divided into two types of people: those who make eye contact, smile and say hello when they pass you in the hallway, and those who don’t. Think to yourself how much more pleasant it is to encounter someone from the former group, and how much […]

Faced with an unpleasant task at work tomorrow? Try this: Show up at the office just early enough to knock it out before the workday officially begins, when all is quiet and pressure is at its lowest. Getting past an onerous duty by the time you’re even officially responsible for starting your shift is a […]

Ensure that everyone is serious about getting on the same page by asking your team this one question: “Are we all now committed to doing this?” Those words change a group decision into a pact.