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by Angela on November 2, 2011
Last week I told you that October is Cyber security Awareness month and that I would fill you in on my story.
What’s that old saying? “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of…” Well in relation to your computer, it’s definitely worth the time it would take you to fix your computer. A few weeks ago I started to notice one of our computers was acting odd. One morning I walked into my office and found the computer was on, even thought the day before I know I had turned it off. I then of course tried to turn it off and found that was the problem – the computer would not shut down. I had to manually hit the off button. So I called Laurie, who had been referred to me by a friend. Laurie came over and worked on all three of my computers. She updated, got them all protected with a software she recommended, and cleared off a virus from my computer that was not turning off. Of course…just as you might suspect, when Laurie came the computer had no problem shutting off for her! Isn’t it funny how that works?
So about a week later I turned the computer on and it started making this screeching beeping sound. I instantly shut the computer down and restarted it. So then I brought in my husband in and asked him if he knew what it was. He did not, but opened the computer up and started jiggling things and banging around. Hmmm…this was going nowhere fast. So I thought about Laurie and gave her a call. I left her a message telling her what was going on and held the phone so she could hear the screeching beeping sound.
Minutes later Laurie called me back and said “whatever you do, DO NOT turn the computer off, your hard drive is about to die”! She told me to make sure everything was backed up before I turn it off and that once I turned it off it would likely not come back on. Fortunately, this is not my main computer, it’s the computer my assistant uses when she is in the office so I didn’t have much on it but I DID have some very vital documents on this computer. So we did back up the documents we did have. The entire ordeal was quite nerve racking. I was so grateful to have Laurie’s advice at that moment when I needed it most!
Above is a picture of the old dead computer sitting on top of some of the new computer boxes.
Laurie had mentioned she had a list of the computers she recommends and she sent those over. I reviewed them and just this week I got my brand new computer! I’m so excited! My new computer will take the place of my old CPU and my assistant will use my old CPU. Fortunately I do backup my main computer with an external hard drive here at home and with an online backup site.
Are you ready to see what you could do to better protect your family computer? After working with Laurie I was so impressed with her skill and knowledge that I interviewed her to pick her brain. You can purchase this audio Security in a Digital World, which is the first of my POSH Audio Interview Series by clicking here. Or visit Laurie’s blog to get more tips for keeping safe during Cyber Security Month.
by Angela on January 26, 2011
Are you ready to get organized but don’t know where to start? Have you tried to get organized in the past and you end up frustrated or with a bigger mess? Join me on Tuesday, February 8th at 9:30 AM CST for the first teleclass in my new monthly series entitled Seven Steps for Creating a GREAT Space.
If you’ve listened to my free audio course Finding the PULSE of Your Home: Five Keys to Whole Home Balance, available on the main page of the POSH website, then you’ve already learned that getting your space organized is just one part of the PULSE system. The other part is staying organized, and that’s where GREAT (short for Group, Reduce, Evaluate, Acquire [Containers], and Transform) comes in.
On this call you will learn:
- A seven step process to organize any space
- The biggest mistake people make when trying to get organized
- Strategies to make your next organizing project easier
- Strategies for letting go of the clutter
- What you can do to help stay organized
Each month we will go through one area of the PULSE System. By the end of the five months you will have completed all areas of the PULSE system and be well on your way to a more organized home. Purchase this teleclass today by clicking here!
by Angela on January 21, 2011
If you haven’t yet visited our new website, click here to check it out! In the past couple of weeks, we’ve redesigned our layout and graphics, made it easier to navigate, and added a lot of new content!
To go with our new site, I’m currently offering a free audio course for people who would like to sign up for e-mails from The POSH Space. Entitled “Find the PULSE of Your Home: Five Keys to Whole Home Balance”, this 7-part course based on my PULSE system gives an intruduction to each letter of the system (Paper, User’s Guide, Lists, Space, Engage) as well as a bonus tip for cutting the clutter in your home.
Interested? Click here to visit my home page and sign up for this course!
by Angela on November 10, 2010
I love it when things just work out. When you don’t really have a set plan but everything just lines up like it’s supposed to. I have experienced synchronicity a lot lately and rather than dismissing it I have been embracing it. Sometimes it seems easy to just dismiss something because you don’t think you have time to deal with it or it isn’t what you had your mind set on. But other times an easy path is just laid out in front of you and it’s just as easy to go along with it.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, “you’re an organizer, aren’t you supposed to tell us we should have every minute of our day planned out?”. Well, if that’s what you think about me and POSH Space, well you don’t know us at all. Yes, generally speaking having a plan in place to use as a guide for our day, week, and month is important. But, one thing that I always tell my clients and groups I’m speaking to is that we have to maintain flexibility and be willing to change our plan. Unfortunately all the planning in the world cannot predict unexpected things that come up. So remaining flexible to shift your plan is SO important.
Synchronicity can show up in many ways from something as simple as going to the grocery store not knowing what you are going to make for dinner and then sampling some delicious dish that the cook is making and viola you have your dinner plan. Another example could be opening an e-mail from a colleague on one topic that gives you exactly what you needed for another project. I say go for it! Embrace these little things to help simplify your life. If something is presenting itself to you why fight it or delay it.
Part of what I do as an organizer is to help people simplify their processes. I have found that often time’s people try to overcomplicate what they are doing in their homes and offices and when that happens, systems often fail. That is exactly when the clutter starts to accumulate and the piles begin.
Keep an eye on the opportunities that are popping up in your life. Are they things that can help make your life easier? I’d love to hear about it.
I hope this article on synchronicity comes at the right time for you. Maybe it is coming just in time for you to make an easy decision.
Cheers,
Angela
by Angela on October 12, 2010
Just a reminder: Boss’s Day is October 16th. Started as a national holiday in 1958, it’s now celebrated around the world in countries such as Australia, India, South Africa, and the UK. You can even buy Boss’s Day cards from most major retailers.
Take some time this week to do something nice for your boss, and let them know how much you appreciate them!
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
by Angela on June 22, 2010
In last week’s post Are You Too Organized I discussed how sometimes we can create over complex systems or ways of doing things that actually cause us to steer clear from using them rather than encourage us to use them. I received several comments and e-mails about that article so I wanted to take that thought a little bit deeper.
Here’s something you don’t hear every day, did you know that perfectionism can actually lead to disorganization? Yes, it is commonly perceived that someone who is a perfectionist is meticulously organized, but many people don’t understand that what perfectionists want more than anything is for things to be “perfect”. If a perfectionist cannot create the “perfect” system for doing something in many cases they would rather not do it at all. This can lead to the exact opposite result of organization.
Let me give you an example. When I first start working with clients I asses their personality as it relates to organization. After seeing their space and interviewing them I am usually able to tell if they are a perfectionist. This person will often tell me that they really want to be organized but have tried and it just doesn’t work. Also at a quick glace there are usually piles and piles of paper or clothes or whatever the case may be. The perfectionist often self sabotages her or himself by coming up with multiple things that need to get done before he or she can actually do the simple task of filing a piece of paper or hanging up an article of clothing. If they can’t do those other things first, then things won’t be exactly perfect and therefore they just should not be done at all. Which makes perfect sense really, because who would want to do 11 things prior to doing a one minute task?
As mentioned in my Are You Too Organized article. The perfectionist needs to embrace simplicity. Part of staying organized has to do with how flexible you are. Your systems are going to have to change as your life changes and as your needs change. You cannot create a filing system when you are single and in your 20’s that will still be effective when you are in your 40’s married with two teenagers.
Embrace simplicity, flexibility, and the power of a deadline!
Angela
Copyright (C) 2010 Angela Ploetz, POSH Space www.theposhspace.com.
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