Dutcher Design Blog

Hackers are evil. They think they’re so clever but their malevolent mischief is just plain wrong.

By Ellen McGirt, FORTUNE
March 9, 2006: 9:40 AM EST

1) Give yourself a time-out. Devote an hour to uninterrupted thinking and planning every day. First thing in the morning is safest, but anytime that works for you is good. No calls, no e-mail, no chitchat, just quality time. “If there’s an emergency, someone will come get you,” says organization expert Julie Morgenstern. “Use this time to think strategically about your work.”

2) Show your technology who’s boss. Constant e-mails and phone calls bring a sense of urgency and importance that’s tough to resist, not to mention the thrill of instant accomplishment. But keep your eye on the prize. “Anyone who has his e-mail client notify him anytime an e-mail comes in has already lost,” says Shirky.

Most of today’s devices and software actually can be set to be less intrusive. You just need to learn how: Switch off the ping that heralds the arrival of an e-mail, create folders into which incoming messages are automatically shunted. When busy, let outgoing message capabilities alert others to when they might reasonably expect to hear back from you.

3) Keep your meetings rare. Surveys show that most people find meetings a major time waster. Use them sparingly, keep to an agenda, start and end on time. And unless someone is expecting a baby (or using technology is part of the meeting) turn off all cellphones and BlackBerries. Intra-meeting texting is rude and counterproductive.

4) Say no. “Sorry” isn’t the hardest word — “no” is. But not saying it to desperate colleagues or harried bosses is the quickest way to overload your schedule and muck up more important goals. Focus first on meeting your stated objectives. Also, consider family and personal time when filling your calendar: Work-centric employees are more likely to report feeling overloaded than those who plan for their personal lives.

5) Delete. Surveys show we waste 20 percent of our day on nonproductive activities. Cut out or delegate anything on your to-do list that doesn’t have long-term consequences for your work. Be ruthless. And while you’re at it, don’t let a stuffed e-mail in-box sap your will to live. When reviewing each e-mail, make an on-the-spot call to delete, file, or reply to each one — even if the response is, “I’ll get back to you on this later.”

More: http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/08/news/economy/tips_howiwork_fortune/index.htm

© 2006 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Paypal is a great resource. It allows you to take credit card payments without a merchant account. It’s very convenient and economical.

Unfortunately hackers or phishers try to trick you into giving them your paypal info so they can use your account. Phishers (read fishers) send emails to you that look like they are really from paypal. The emails usually sound urgent (e.g. your account will be closed if you don’t respond immediately), and want you to follow a link from the email (the link will take you to a fake paypal account when you put in your login info, they have it to use for their own).

Paypal is aware of the problem and puts out a list of how to spot a potential scam. The easiest 2 things are: a real paypal email will address you by name ( e.g. Dear Sally Jones, not Dear Paypal Member), and a real paypal email will never ask you to follow a link to your account. Always, always, always, type in www.paypal.com into your browser if you’re going to login to your account.

Here is the most recent list of Paypal info. Yes, the links go to paypal, but it’s not asking you for your login info. And if you actually follow these links and read what they have to say, you’ll find these are “safe” links.

Learn how to identify and avoid fraudulent—or spoof—emails and websites in PayPal’s Identity Theft Protection Resource area.
How to spot spoof emails
How to report spoof emails
Five ways to protect yourself from identity theft
What to do if your identity is stolen
Tools to protect yourself