September 2007 Anticrastination Tip Sheet

What's the opposite of Procrastination?
THE ANTICRASTINATION TIP SHEET
An Idea and Tip Sheet to Blast Away the
Procrastination Habit
From Rita Emmett
Author of THE PROCRASTINATOR'S HANDBOOK, and
THE CLUTTER-BUSTING HANDBOOK

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You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

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Message From Rita
 
 Are You A Low-Tech Person In A High-Tech World?

Some people celebrate the New Year on January 1, but don't we all know that September is the start of the new year? Do you remember getting new books and pencils and the smell of new crayons that have points until your brother snaps them off? (But that's another story.) And remember starting with a clean desk, fresh book pack and neat locker?

How about starting off the New Year this month by straightening out your emails - making files for some, filing away others and deleting the rest?

How about learning to take charge of your computer?

In the first computer class I ever took, the very first thing they taught us was to hit control + home to go to the top of a page, and control + end to get to the bottom. It was an all-day class. The next day, all I knew to do was Ctrl + home and Ctrl + end.

A year later, that's still all I knew, but I had learned that I'm not good at absorbing a day's worth of computer knowledge.

If you still use your word processor like a fancy typewriter or your data system like a high-tech-rolodex, find someone who has mastered that program and ask her to teach you new tips every two weeks or so. That will give you time to practice your new tip before moving on to another one.

Also, there are some things you MUST learn. If the next ten items leave you feeling overwhelmed, then again, find someone who will teach you just one step at a time. Set up a notebook or file, and type out the various steps to each skill below or find someone who you can call for help with each of these.

To start off the new year, learn to:

  1. Run a full system scan using your anti-virus software
  2. Run a complete back up
  3. Scan for spyware
  4. Delete old files
  5. Set up a pop-up blocker
  6. Use an anti-spam utility or set up filters for your email
  7. Not give out personal information
    If a website asks for personal information to enter the site, and you do not want to provide it, create an email account with one of the free email sites such as Hotmail or Yahoo. When signing up for this email account, don't give your real information. Then when a website asks you to sign in, use the fake email account. That way, you will not be bombarded with spam and no personal info will have been given out.
  8. Change your age
    Tell websites that you are under 13. Most advertisers don't want
    to spam under-thirteen-year-olds.
  9. Report SPAM
  10. Have your computer give you reminders
    When I whined to our web goddess Mickey that I wished I had "reminder software" on my computer, she told me that I had not one, but two different ways to remind me and that most people do, but don't realize it. When mine reminds me, it dings, and flashes a light, and practically taps me on the shoulder and hands me a cup of coffee. It is very, very, very cool.

     f you do not know how to do one or more of the above, make up your mind that this month you will learn at least one on your own, or find someone to teach you.

Here's to your taking charge of your electronic clutter.
Happy New Year!

Please share this Tip Sheet with 2 or 3 friends who would be interested. And feel free to use this message in your newsletter, as long as you include my bio and contact info:

Rita Emmett
Author of The Procrastinator's Handbook
and The Clutter-Busting Handbook
www.RitaEmmett.com
Rita@RitaEmmett.com
847-699-9950

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RITA HAS 2 SEPTEMBER PRESENTATIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

If you are in the Chicago area ...
Thursday, September 6
9:30am - noon
"Strategies for Writers Who Procrastinate"
Off Campus Writer's Workshop
Winnetka Community House
620 Lincoln Avenue
Winnetka, Illinois
Call Ardis Berghoff 312-291-0204 for directions
Cost: $10
Sign up now!! http://www.ritaemmett.com

If you are in the Berkeley area ...
U of California at Berkeley.
Wednesday, September 26
"Blast Away Procrastination"
Light dinner free of charge served at 5 PM
Program starts at 6:pm

In April, I received an email from a fellow named Raiman Au who just finished reading The Procrastinator's Handbook. He wanted to attend my seminar & decided I should come out to his area to speak. And LO & Behold! He made it happen!! I will be meeting with Raiman in person when I fly out to speak at his Alma Mater. Thank you Raiman!!

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Tip of the Month from Our Bright, Creative Reader Kathy Teal

Dear Rita,
Well, I made the most amazing discovery thanks to my friend Margie Pond... craigslist.com. You can sell or give away stuff and people come and get it! I don't even have to take it anywhere. It's so wonderful.

My test experience - I have an electric cooler that plugs into the cigarette lighter. I advertised it at 3 pm last Friday and at 9pm some guy paid me for it on PayPal and he will come and get it on Sunday when he comes this way to visit his in-laws.

There are Craig's lists all over the country. It is free to advertise.
Love,
Kathy Teal

Thank you Kathy for this WONDERFUL tip to help get rid of clutter.

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