A Tip on Email & Ergonomics for Busy People

Almost all of us use Google for our primary search engine, but I am sure many of you are unaware of all the tips and tricks with time management that Google has to offer....


Using Gmail for busy people:

I use a lot of the Google Labs to help turn Gmail into a better email / word processor / management tool than MS Office provides with it's different development teams -- Which needs plug-ins, and hotfixes to correct many of the interoperibility issues.


     The online personal profile that Google uses makes online communication easy for people to find you for your personal & professional Life. My Professional email is in Google, Mozilla Thunderbird, & Microsoft Outlook which I forward all my personal email to.


     My professional email address is also tied to my Hotmail/Windows ID account, since I have to use MS products for design in Autodesk Revit & related programs beyond using Apple or Linux for other parts of design & management.

Using filters within Gmail:

I have my mail automatically filtered using the button located at the bottom of Gmail.

I have Gmail set to apply labels for multi-tasking and back-referencing using the Search Mail feature built into Google mail - which I can reference back to from my cell phone, a portable application of Chrome on my usb flash drive*, or my copy of Google Chrome for my home PC.


Hint: when you want to archive other emails you already have of the same type, be sure to click on the check-box "Also apply filters to the 'X' conversations below." (see second 'Gmail filters' image in this blog)

*Portable Applications can make transferring your Custom Bookmarks, Keyboard Short-cuts, & User Interface transferable from one computer to the next, (i.e. using a Public Library computer, a clients laptop or projection room conference media center, or from one computer to the next within your own office.)

Setting Up Gmail Filters:

Applying Filters to past emails as you create a new filter:

I have my personal Gmail set to automatically forward all mail to my professional-use Gmail email address, which I use a separate browser like Firefox to view and have both accounts open at the same time while at home, & my professional email at work.
(one using the Google Chrome web browser & the other email address in Firefox)



Professional email address in Firefox, Flock, Opera, or Internet Explorer: using Google Business
(DPI or Zoom Settings set higher so I can read small text from farther away)

In my professional Gmail account, I have my Buzz set up for employers to view and project teams to collaborate with - as this was Google's intent with creating Buzz, Wave, Docs, etc.

This type of cloud computing makes it easy to accomplish from a tethered phone, a net-book, or reducing bandwidth on an employer's IT system;  Allowing cloud storage rather than only having the local servers as a data storage location. Something I am sure you have had to deal with when the company server has gone down for maintenance or err.

(Be sure to select the check-box labeled ''Also apply to 'X' conversations below.'' )

(My professional Gmail account has no color on the labels,

so I don't filter out messages by color like I do in my personal Gmail account)

Office Ergonomics:

Along with better office products provided open-source from Google, something else to keep in mind when working on computers:    taking breaks and proper stretching.

At home I use a Wii along with Wii Fit to help with sitting at badly designed computer stations at work or working for a company that does not buy the proper ergonomics for the employees.





A cheap way for employers to combat these problems would be to implement 'Computer Station Yoga Techniques' while at work, much like how Pixar uses for their own corporate office; A company who was helped by a Yoga Instructor named Sandy Blaine.

Sandy Blaine -- a Health & Wellness writer, has several books of how to deal with implementation & design issues when working with stress and computers. Her best selling book is called Office Ergonomics.

**Microsoft has developed it's own version of Webware, which can be found on Skydrive; Skydrive allows people who are unfamiliar with Microsoft Office 2010 an easier learning curve for learning the new features, and because it is offered for free, tied to a Hotmail account -- It allows managers to see what they are missing out on in the latest product line, before buying the software or installing a trial version.