• Where’s Ann Michael?– Loving all of the family gatherings that the holiday season brings, enjoying the warmth from the wood burning in the fireplace, and benefiting from a great new productivity tool in ways never dreamed possible!
• Feature Article – High Efficiency is More than Washers
• Ann Michael Recommends – Learning more about the great new productivity tool that she is using and how it changed how she works. Register now for a complementary webinar on Wednesday, January 13th at 1:30 p.m. (EST). What’s A Wiki? – See the hottest new productivity tool in action and learn how a Wiki can get you home sooner!

I love that my husband bought me a new washer and dryer for Christmas. He did all of the research and bargain hunting and took advantage of the deals that Black Friday offered. I am so thankful for this because I do not enjoy shopping, especially for appliances.

We now have the front loading high-efficiency equipment sitting in our laundry alcove. Thanks to the design improvements I no longer desire to put a door on that alcove area to buffet the sound of laundry being done. We can run a load of clothes and hear each other talk while having dinner in the kitchen, or we can watch TV without the volume being loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

While my former washer served me well for over 20 years, I marvel at what technology and engineering changes have delivered. The results are the same -- or maybe even better -- I get clean clothes. Yet, the machine is quieter, it uses less water, and my electric bill will surely go down. Isn't that what being productive at work should be about -- improve on what is already working?

Join me! That’s all I can say – Join me!
I have never been more excited about a
productivity-enhancing tool than this…never!

What’s A Wiki?

Always wanted to have everything in one place? Now you can!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
1:30 p.m. (EST)

How many times have you said to yourself, "I just wish I had everything in one place"? Wouldn't it be nice to have all of your information -- Word documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, PowerPoints, audio files, and more -- all at your fingertips and findable? And why not add in e-mail too? Or, the ability to share e-mail with members of your team – internally and externally? Well, now you can!

This is the most exciting technology and productivity tool that I have ever experienced. I start every day with it; it’s my command central that allows me to:

• Process and keep track of all of my work
• Easily share information with colleagues and clients
• Know what’s in my paper files
• Find all of my documents, spreadsheets, and more quickly and easily
• Create and capture my thoughts and ideas
• Eliminate all of those sticky notes that beautifully framed my PC screen
  Work with high efficiency

So, sign up for this exciting complementary webinar! I am so looking forward to sharing this with you! You’ll be blown away -- I promise!

High Efficiency

When was the last time that you stepped back and took a look at your technology and asked, "Is this technology the best tool I can be using?" We so often get into the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" mode. I'm as guilty of that as the next person -- my cell phone is so old that tech support is no longer offered on it -- but it works, so why change it?

What happens when we don't change? We gradually, over time, find ourselves feeling more and more frustrated with our inability to get things done. It's like a fog that slowly creeps in, takes over, and before you know it, you can't see where you are going anymore so you slow down. We end up slowing down so much that it feels like we are crawling. Then we look at our PC and mumble – hoping for a response:

• If I could just...
• Why can't I do...?
• Why won't it…?
• If only it would...
• There has to be an easier way to...

That's your signal, your fog horn; it's time to step back and take a look. Part of our hesitation for seeking out new solutions before the old standby falls apart is that it takes time and energy to figure out what to do next. Let's face it, doing all of that research isn't what you want to be doing. Consider the following:

• Remember your ROI: investing 6 or 8 or even 10 hours to research and come up with improved efficiency will save you multiple hours and money in the long run.
• Transition easier: moving to an improved system is easier to do when your existing system is still working. What would your cost be if your current system died, and you were without it while you scrambled to find a new solution? It's like running to the Laundromat to do your laundry because the washer broke -- not very convenient.
• Ask for help: Talk to friends and colleagues to find out what they have done. Call on your technical support team or hire a consultant to guide you through this process -- let them do the work for you. This will free you up to work on your top priorities so that you don't fall behind.

If you want to massively multiply the amount of work you can get done, think like the construction worker who exchanges his shovel for a backhoe.

Numbering Rows in a Table

1. Highlight the first column. (Slowly move the cursor (or mouse) over the top of the column where you want the numbers to appear. When the black colored down arrow appears, click the left mouse button. This selects the entire column.
2. Click on Format, Bullets, and Numbering
   Choose the Numbered tab. Select the type of numbering you want and the exact number with which to start.
   Take off the number on the header row. (Highlight the header row. Click on the numbering icon once.)
   

Ann Michael Henry is the Founder and The Productivity Chef for Mise En Place -- an organization and productivity consulting firm devoted to working with clients to discover the right ingredients for managing e-mail, digital data, paper, and workload so that they can "get cooking" at work and still have time to satisfy their appetite for life.

Her personal philosophy...let's get the work done so that we can go out and play is what motivates Ann Michael. If you liked today's issue, you'll love Ann Michael’s productivity tools, products, and training designed to help you improve your focus, organization, and productivity at work so that you have time to experience all that life has to offer.

Having the right ingredients – tips, tools, and proven techniques – to accommodate an individual's work style is what makes the difference. This is where Ann Michael thrives! Her ultimate goal is to find the recipe that works for you!