31 Complete communication tasks as early as possible.
Communication is essential in any work, especially if it is a team project. Remember that others may be waiting on your output, or they need to be informed of changes immediately. By completing communication tasks early and quickly, you can ensure that the whole team stays on track. Send files and data as soon as you have finished checking them, and respond to inquiries in the most prompt manner possible.
32 Close all programs and browser tabs or windows that don’t have something to do with work.
Your workplace is not the place to be harvesting digital crops or feeding virtual fish. Or at least, not during your active work time. If you can’t just leave your games for after work, then do it during your breaks, not while you are working. Even better, don’t play games while at work!
Communication is essential in any work, especially if it is a team project. Remember that others may be waiting on your output, or they need to be informed of changes immediately. By completing communication tasks early and quickly, you can ensure that the whole team stays on track. Send files and data as soon as you have finished checking them, and respond to inquiries in the most prompt manner possible.
32 Close all programs and browser tabs or windows that don’t have something to do with work.
Your workplace is not the place to be harvesting digital crops or feeding virtual fish. Or at least, not during your active work time. If you can’t just leave your games for after work, then do it during your breaks, not while you are working. Even better, don’t play games while at work!
33 Bookmark useful sites.
If you use the Internet a lot while at work for work purposes, then keeping bookmarks for useful websites can be a big help. For example, if you find a great reference site, keep a bookmark of its homepage. That way, you can visit it again easily the next time you need to look something up. Even when you come across a site that isn’t useful at the moment bur may prove useful in the future, add a bookmark to your Web browser.
34 Organize your bookmarks.
Aside from creating bookmarks, you should also keep them organized. Categorize them for easy lookup. File away old bookmarks that are no longer being used, or simply delete them. The idea is to make the bookmarks that you need easy to find by reducing the number of things you go through, either by deleting unused items or by grouping them for shorter sets to search through.
35 Prioritize work as needed.
Sometimes, work just keep piling up until you have a full stack on your desk. Of course there is nothing more discouraging than a stack of paperwork on your desk. If it does happen, approach the problem by doing work one at a time. Prioritize work according to what is more urgent and/or important. Anything that can be put off for later should be put off for later. When you are done with everything marked “Urgent,” use your remaining time you have to tackle papers you still have left. This is a more efficient way of dealing with a stack of papers on your desk.
36 Install a good antivirus program.
Unless your IT administrator forbids installation of unauthorized programs, installing a good antivirus program should be top on your pre-work list. There are a few good free antivirus programs, but if you want premium protection then you might want to ask your administrator about a corporate installation of high-grade antivirus suites. A virus infection can cripple your ability to work, so it must be avoided at all costs.
37 Scan all files that you load onto your computer.
Before you even think about opening up removable media or files downloaded from the Internet, always run a context menu scan. Assuming you have an antivirus program installed, right click the file or file group and look for something like “Scan file”. This should run a quick scan on demand specifically on the selected file or files. If it turns up clean, well and good. If it turns up infected, you’ll want to quarantine or delete the file as soon as possible.
38 Keep your virus definitions up-to-date.
New viruses are coming out all the time, so if you want to stay protected, you should keep your virus definition databases up-to-date, if not up-to-the- hour. Most antivirus programs do this automatically, but only if they are set to do so (which is the default). Without the data, your antivirus software may not be able to recognize a viral infection. Bottom line: Make sure your antivirus program’s database is updated and set to update automatically.
39 Keep your private info private.
This goes with little saying, but protecting your privacy and online financial security is strongly reliant on how well you protect your financial and personal information online. Make sure to read privacy agreements whenever possible. Avoid giving out credit information unless you can verify that the webpage you are on is what it is supposed to be, and not a look- alike. Checking the security certificate is a good way to lessen the likelihood that you’ll end up giving away information to unsavory parties. And besides, you really should not be doing your online shopping while at work! Your company might be using software to monitor your behavior, which may include monitoring keystrokes – in essence, an untrustworthy workmate with access to the monitor data dumps can pick out your password or whatever important information you typed in.
Unless your IT administrator forbids installation of unauthorized programs, installing a good antivirus program should be top on your pre-work list. There are a few good free antivirus programs, but if you want premium protection then you might want to ask your administrator about a corporate installation of high-grade antivirus suites. A virus infection can cripple your ability to work, so it must be avoided at all costs.
37 Scan all files that you load onto your computer.
Before you even think about opening up removable media or files downloaded from the Internet, always run a context menu scan. Assuming you have an antivirus program installed, right click the file or file group and look for something like “Scan file”. This should run a quick scan on demand specifically on the selected file or files. If it turns up clean, well and good. If it turns up infected, you’ll want to quarantine or delete the file as soon as possible.
38 Keep your virus definitions up-to-date.
New viruses are coming out all the time, so if you want to stay protected, you should keep your virus definition databases up-to-date, if not up-to-the- hour. Most antivirus programs do this automatically, but only if they are set to do so (which is the default). Without the data, your antivirus software may not be able to recognize a viral infection. Bottom line: Make sure your antivirus program’s database is updated and set to update automatically.
39 Keep your private info private.
This goes with little saying, but protecting your privacy and online financial security is strongly reliant on how well you protect your financial and personal information online. Make sure to read privacy agreements whenever possible. Avoid giving out credit information unless you can verify that the webpage you are on is what it is supposed to be, and not a look- alike. Checking the security certificate is a good way to lessen the likelihood that you’ll end up giving away information to unsavory parties. And besides, you really should not be doing your online shopping while at work! Your company might be using software to monitor your behavior, which may include monitoring keystrokes – in essence, an untrustworthy workmate with access to the monitor data dumps can pick out your password or whatever important information you typed in.
40 Minimize open windows and applications.
This one applies to those who work primarily with computers. Avoid leaving too many windows and applications open, especially if your terminal is on the lower end of the specification spectrum. Not only will it slow down the performance in general, but you increase the risk of unresponsiveness and automatic program termination. That means data loss and wasted time.
