Reducing Computer-Related Stress: Maintaining an Organized Work System

You can improve your productivity and efficiency by keeping your work system organized and adopting good habits when you’re using the computer. Here are some steps you can take to make things easier and to keep stress from getting the better part of you.

Using the Computer

1. Bookmark each website you visit frequently. Make sure you categorize them properly so you can easily locate a website when you need to.

2. Empty your email inbox often. It’s a good habit to answer emails immediately to avoid buildup backlog. If you’re using more than one email address, use an email client that can access your different accounts and download all your emails to your computer. That should save you time and effort logging in to different services just to check your mails.

3. Almost everyone who uses the computer also needs an office application like a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, and so on. There’s no need to spend a fortune on proprietary software because you can always use OpenOffice, an open-source program. It’s free software.

4. Take advantage of the many freeware utilities on the Internet. You can have your choice of scientific calculators, world clocks, password managers, and the like and place them on your desktop. They’re very handy especially the different clocks if you’re doing business with people who are in different time zones.

Organizing Your Work Station

Equally necessary to organizing your computer work system is putting your work space in order. Keep it neat and clutter-free. Arrange your things so you have enough space to move around freely but not too much that it seems you’re holding office in a warehouse.

Accessing Your Data

Data loss and failure to access files are also common causes of computer-related stress. Here are some things you can do to minimize your stress:

1. If you’re highly reliant on your work files, make sure you have a plan in place in case you have data loss. When you’re typing documents, have the auto-save function on.

2. You may also want to save your files manually while you are working on them and periodically create a duplicate copy you can revert to in case you can’t undo any edits you’ve done.

3. Regularly back up all your data on an external hard drive or using an online storage facility.

4. Invest in a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to prevent data loss during power failure. A UPS will let you continue with your work even when the power goes out and allow you to save your files and shut down your computer properly.

5. If you must always be connected to the Internet, it may be a good idea to maintain a dial-up account with another ISP to serve as your backup connection in case of unexpected problems with your current broadband access.

6. Another way you won’t be able to retrieve your data is if you can’t recall your password. If you need to access a number of sites related to your work and you must remember several passwords, you will need either a password-management program or a physical device to help you with your passwords. KeePass (keepass.info) is a good password manager. It’s an open source software, which means it’s free. There is a KeePass version for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X computers.

Gain More Knowledge

Try to find the time to take up a basic course on how to repair computers. You’ll find it handy when your computer acts up and techies are not around to help you with your computer problems. It’s also a good idea to learn how you can automate your routine tasks so you can focus more on those that require human decisions. Try to learn simple programming languages and you might even enjoy them. You could even engage in freelance coding when you get really good at it.

Keep in mind the tips mentioned above and you’ll be able to go about your computer work stress-free.

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