If you're using your PC to just create documents, send e-mail and surf the web, you may be missing out on the opportunity to bring greater organization to your life. As a virtual "personal assistant," your PC has the ability to help ease document management, schedule your work and life activities, automate a range of tasks, and more. Here are several ways your PC can handle chores and organize your desktop for you:
- View documents side-by-side. Toggling back and forth between different documents can be frustrating. "With the SNAP feature in Windows® 7 Professional, you can stack two documents, so you can drag one to each side of the window and work on them," says David Bryden, CEO of StoneHill Technical Solutions in San Clemente, California. "You can also place your cursor over a document icon to instantly see a small image of every file you have open on your PC. Windows 7 is designed to reduce the number of clicks you need to get to any applications or documents."
- Don't play "hide-and-seek" with documents. Busy professionals don't have time to organize and hunt for documents. For example, Windows 7 Professional uses an intuitive library system that with which you can look at groups of related files in one place, even if those files are stored in different folders, external hard drives or different PCs. The system is designed with four default libraries—documents, pictures, videos, and music—and you can add whatever new categories that make sense for you and your business. Libraries give you different options for organizing materials, such as by date or author, and make it easy for you to find what you need quickly.
- "Snip" just the information you want. Windows 7 Professional comes with the Snipping Tool that helps you capture a screen shot of anything on your desktop, such as part of a spreadsheet or a section of a webpage. Then you can annotate, save, or e-mail the image in just a few clicks. "It's a really useful tool if you want to get only one piece of information," Bryden says. "For example, you can snip one pertinent piece of information from a general ledger or a website and then email it."
- Explain your PC problems. The diagnostic tools and troubleshooters built into Windows 7 Professional make it easier to resolve PC issues without outside support. The Problem Steps Recorder is a simple screen capture utility that documents every action taking place on a system that's having trouble and can make using outside support more efficient and economical.
- Make backups automatic. With Windows 7 Professional provides Advanced Backup, you can back up your files and their entire PC image on a network through automated scheduling. "If you do not have an automatic file backup system you are flirting with disaster," notes Bill Corbett, Jr., who heads his own public relations firm in Floral Park, New York.
