Dreams, Hopes, Computers?

Believe in your dreams — they may come true. Believe in yourself — they will come true. 

How does this possibly relate to computers?  If you have a business, it is almost a certainty you have a computer.  Whether or not you have a business, you certainly are in a business of sorts; that of managing the business of life.  If you are a parent or caregiver you may be managing the lives of others as well.  All of these roles require organization and, whether we like to admit it or not, much of our organization is horribly unorganized on our computers….and we need help!

There are many computer programs to help you get organized…yay!  You can use a variety of programs or just one.  The one I recommend is Creative Memories’ Memory Manager.  It is a very strong program to organize your photos, yet easy to learn.  I use Memory Manager as well as support it.

I recommend Microsoft’s Outlook (not Outlook Express – which is no longer supported).  You can organize all of your email, calendar, and tasks (doctor appointments, recurring events such as birthdays) and get reminders up to two weeks in advance. 

For the business professional, I recommend (and use) Microsoft’s Office Professional’s MS Project.  This will track any (i.e. multiple) project(s) on which you have deadlines and need timelines and documentation.

One of the most important parts of organization (and we rarely think of it as organization) is where all of your files are backed up.  You can back up to an external hard drive in your home, or back up offsite (highly recommended). 

Finally, how are you keeping your dreams and hopes safe? Especially if they are kept on your computer.  An effective anti-virus program is essential.  I recommend and use AVG.

So how did all of this relate to Dreams, Hope, Computers?  If you are keeping all of your dreams and hopes (personal and business) on your computer and they are not organized, how will you find them and keep them alive?  If your computer is not backed up properly and something disastrous happens to your computer, how will they rise from the dust? If your files are not secured and are hacked and stolen, who has your dreams and hopes?

I encourage you to take the proper steps Now to keep your Dreams and Hopes secure and alive.  Happy Valentine’s Day!