Browsing Posts in Tips
26 Mobile Apps to Improve Your Business and Networking:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-mobile-apps-to-improve-your-business-and-networking/
How to safeguard data and personal information on iPads, tablets and e-readers:
For a new device
–Apple can engrave information on the back. Securely taping a business card to the device works, too.
–Buy a brightly colored case that is easy to spot in a messy airplane cabin. A unique case will also help airline personnel locate the device in a storage room.
–Enable cloud storage for sensitive data, such as Apple’s iCloud, Google Drive or Dropbox.
–Go to settings on your iPad and enable Find My iPad.
–Set up your screen saver to display a phone number that someone can see even if the device is locked.
–Keep serial numbers of all devices in a safe place. That will help the manufacturer’s customer-service representatives offer guidance.
Before a flight
–When purchasing a plane ticket, provide a phone number that the airline can use to contact you.
–Write down flight numbers and seat assignments for each leg of your trip to help airline personnel narrow their search.
After you realize it’s lost
–Contact the airline immediately and file a claim. Check the carrier’s policy on how long an item is kept before being donated or sold to a third-party company.
–On iPads, enable Find my iPad. The location of the device will be displayed on a map. It can play a sound—overriding volume or silent settings—to help with the search.
–On the Samsung Galaxy Tab, enable the Find My Mobile feature to trace the location of the device.
Last resort
–On the Kindle Fire, Nook, Sony and other e-readers, go online or call customer service to de-register the device. That keeps anyone who finds it from making purchases using credit-card information associated with the device. Also cancel any automatic subscriptions until the device is found.
–On iPads, go to the iTunes store to cancel any automatic subscriptions and remove credit-card information associated with the device.
–Apple and Samsung let you initiate a remote wipe to restore the device to its factory settings. Data can be restored using your most recent backup from the cloud.
The web is a powerful resource that can easily help you learn new skills. You just have to know where to look. Sure, you can use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search for sites where you can learn new skills
, but I figured I’d save you some time.
Here are the top 40 sites I have personally used over the last few years when I want to learn something new.
For something we spend half our life doing, a lot of us are pretty awful at sleeping. Here are our top 10 tips for falling asleep faster, getting quality rest, and waking up easier in the morning. MORE AT… http://lifehacker.com/5876083/top-10-tricks-for-better-sleep
By David Coursey | Forbes
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/25-worst-passwords-2011-revealed-202955980.html
If you see your password below, STOP!
Do not finish reading this post and immediately go change your password — before you forget. You will probably make changes in several places since passwords tend to be reused for multiple accounts.
Here are two lists, the first compiled by SplashData:
1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passwOrd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football
By Caroline Morse, SmarterTravel.com
Now that almost every flier has a smartphone, and almost every airport has charging stations to power up these devices, savvy travelers know to load up on handy apps. But which ones are the best for your entire flight process—from booking that cheap ticket to saving yourself when things go wrong? The apps below are so helpful, we suspect the airlines would prefer you didn’t actually use them.
•Flyers Rights ($0.99): Did you know that airlines are no longer legally allowed to keep you trapped on the tarmac for more than three hours during a domestic flight delay? If you had the Flyers Rights app, you would. Plus, you’d be able to log your delays in real time, using the app’s GPS system and map for future evidence. The app also gives helpful tips about what to do in the event of a delay, and specific information about your legal rights as a passenger.
•SkyScanner (Free): Airlines would rather have you book directly through their website than going through an online travel agency (OTA) like Expedia or Priceline. But who has time to search all the airline websites separately? Use Skyscanner instead, which not only scans all the major airlines’ websites for the lowest fares, but all of the OTAs as well. Search by specific date, destination, and even time, or see where you can go anytime in January for $200 with their broader search functions. You can search for flights from your airport to everywhere, and Skyscanner will return a list of destinations and prices. Skyscanner will also tell you if it’s cheaper to book one-way tickets on separate airlines rather than a round-trip on one provider, something that airlines hate.
•Priority Pass (Free): Stuck with a really long layover? Use Priority Pass to check out the airline lounges available to you at the airport. View photos and offerings before deciding if you should shell out for a pass inside, or if the regular waiting room for the plebes looks just as nice for free.
•B4 You Board (Free): No more charging $10 for a desperation in-flight meal of food. The B4 You Board app lets you order food from nearby restaurants to be delivered directly to you at your gate. Order up healthy (or just delicious) food that wasn’t reheated in the airplane galley, often for cheaper than an in-flight meal. Best of all, you’ll have way more choices than just a wrap with mystery meat.
•Next Flight ($2.99): The priciest app in our list, Next Flight can be worth its weight in gold during a snowstorm at a crowded airport. Whether your flight is canceled, delayed, or you just missed a connection, this app will show you a list of all available flights (from all carriers) for the same day and the next two days. While everyone else is waiting in line trying to get the gate agent to put them on standby, you can help yourself! No flights going out at all? The app also has a search for hotels, cabs, and car rentals.
One last word of advice. Make sure to turn your phone off when the cabin crew asks, because there’s no app to rebook after you’ve been kicked off for playing Words With Friends.
Changing your life can seem an incredibly tough and complicated thing, especially if you’ve failed a great number of times (like I did), found it too hard, and resigned yourself to not changing. But I found a way to change.
And I’m not any better than anyone else, not more disciplined, not more motivated. I just learned a few simple principles that changed my life. I’ve written about them many times, but realized they’re spread out all over the site.
Here is how I changed my life, in a nutshell. The four lines you’re looking for are at the bottom.
How I Started Running
In 2005 I was sedentary, and couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to make exercise a regular habit. At the end of 2006, not only was I running very regularly, I finished my first marathon. These days I can run a half marathon race at the drop of a hat, have run several marathons.
How did I do it? I started with just 10 minutes of running a day. I focused not on how hard it was, but how much I enjoyed the movement and the outdoors. I increased slowly, until I could run 15 minutes, then 20, and later a couple hours. I was grateful for every run I was able to take.
I got healthier, fitter, slimmer, happier.
How I Started Eating Healthier
In 2005 I was overweight, and addicted to junk food. I ate fast food, chips and cookies, fried meats, anything fatty or sweet or salty … and I had no idea how to change. Today, I am 70 lbs. lighter, I eat almost all whole, real foods (almost nothing processed), I eat a sweet treat now and then but am happier eating healthy food.
How did I change? I started with small changes like drinking more water, eating more fruits and veggies, cooking at home more and preparing my lunches for work. One at a time. I gradually improved my diet, eventually cleared my fridge and pantry of junk, and stopped going to fast food places. I found healthy foods I really loved. I was grateful for every delicious healthy meal I ate.
I felt better about myself, trimmed down, and feel great every single day.
How I Got Out of Debt
In 2005, I was way over my head in debt — it was so bad, I had creditors calling me, and I would ignore my phone calls. I struggled to make it paycheck to paycheck, and sometimes didn’t even make it — I had to borrow money from friends and family. It was one of the most stressful times of my life. At the end of 2007, I celebrated with my wife Eva when we paid off our last debt and were free!
How did I do it? I started one little change at a time: I started cutting back on expenses a little, saving a little at a time, paying off the little debts and then the bigger debts, found some breathing room, and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I gradually changed my financial habits and got into better shape. I was grateful for every debt paid off, every dollar saved, every inch of breathing room.
I’m debt free and will never go back. It’s the most liberating thing ever.
And On and On
I was planning on writing the same capsules for how I decluttered and simplified my possessions, how I started focusing and accomplishing more, how I turned my passion into a living, and so on … but the truth is, the story starts to repeat itself.
I used the same principles, over and over. More on that in the nutshell below.
And Then I Gave Up Goals
About two years ago, I started to give up goals. Just as an experiment.
It turns out, I could still accomplish the same kinds of things, but I just didn’t plan it out. Instead, I just followed the same principles (more on those below). They still work, even without goals.
People say I can give up goals because I’ve already accomplished a lot … but the truth is, I can give up goals because I have learned a few things that work, and realized they work with or without goals. And if you follow these things, you can change your life, with or without goals.
The Nutshell Principles
So what are the principles that changed my life, repeatedly?
If you read the brief stories above, you already know:
1. Start very small.
2. Do only one change at a time.
3. Be present and enjoy the activity (don’t focus on results).
4. Be grateful for every step you take.
In programming, this is called an algorithm. It’s a series of steps that you can apply to make any change, no matter what your situation. It works. This is the Zen Habits method, the Change Your Life App, in four lines. I hope it helps.
You have more important things to focus on than, um, focusing. Get back on track with these tips.
- Responding Like a Trained Monkey. Every productivity expert in the world will tell you to check email at periodic intervals — say, every 90 minutes — rather than clicking “refresh” like a Pavlovian mutt. Of course, almost no one listens, because studies have shown email’s “variable interval reinforcement schedule” is basically a slot machine for your brain. But spending a month away — and only checking email weekly — showed me how little really requires immediate response. In fact, nothing. A 90 minute wait won’t kill anyone, and will allow you to accomplish something substantive during your workday.
