Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, May 22, 2013 @ 04:36 PM
Samsung or iPhone? Surface or iPad? The tech wars these days seem to swirl primarily around mobile devices, at least if you're keeping score by where the advertising dollars go. Smartphones are ubiquitous and tablets are getting there. But for any beta-hungry early adopter worth his or her "I had it first!" technophile cred, there is that insatiable desire to know the answer to that burning question...
What's next?
According to many sources and the buzz accompanying some high-profile tech coming down the pipeline, the answer to that question is "wearable computing." It would appear that it's no longer enough that our devices are becoming ever-smaller and more portable. (Whether it's more accurate to say that tech companies are no longer content with allowing us to be content is perhaps a question better addressed in another post.) No, now there is a movement to embed it in our clothing and accessories, integrating it even further into our lives. Will it be embraced with the same amount of enthusiasm we've given smartphones? It's too soon to speculate. But that doesn't mean it's too soon to check out SOME OF THESE SUPER-COOL TECHIE TOYS! WOOOOO-HOOOOO! STUFF WITH BUTTONS!
Ahem. Shall we?
Wi-Fi in Your Eye: Google Glass
If you've heard anything at all about Google Glass, you had to know this one was going to be listed here, so let's get it out of the way. But just in case you don't know what I'm talking about, Google Glass resembles a pair of...well, glasses. It has a transparent display that sits above your right eye, and with it you can take pictures and video, send texts, receive phone calls, and (of course) do Google searches.
Depending on whom you ask, Google Glass is either the coolest thing since Pong or the death of civilization as we know it. (Why does it have to be one or the other?) Either way, this product could dramatically change the extent to which technology is present in our lives. It's going to be really interesting to see what applications are developed for its use in the office and how much the general public embraces it once the novelty wears off.
Going Dick Tracy: Wristwatch Displays
Watch-like fitness devices have been around for years, but this is an area of computing that seems primed to really explode beyond exercise and workout applications. The Pebble smart watch, which claims to be "...the first watch built for the 21st century," is a watch-shaped interface that connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. And like your smartphone, it's highly customizable, thanks to apps can download to it. Apple, Sony, and Samsung are also rumored to have watch-like devices in the works, so look to see more of this tech popping up soon.
We'll look at more wearable technology in next week's post. What devices are you most interested to learn more about? Tell your favorite Atlanta IT service specialists in the comments!
Image credit: Matt Westgate
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, May 15, 2013 @ 04:54 PM
Alright, how many math lovers do we have reading this right now?!WOO-HOOOOO! Counting stuff! Keepin' up with figures! Makin' friends with the numbers! Yeah! Go, math!
No? Nothing? Well, I tried.
If we wanted to keep up with complicated calculations, we'd still be using slide rules and compasses (the pointy, stabby kind that have probably been banned at this point due to their ability to double as playground shivs). And let's face it: The more we rely on technology, the looser our definition of "complicated calculations" gets.
Google has apparently realized this and decided to provide one more way to make our lives simpler. There's a reason, after all, that they rank #2 on Fortune's list of the world's most admired companies.
Google has consolidated its storage options -- both free and paid -- for Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos. Until now, you had to keep up with how much storage you had available for each product, which could be a hassle if you're a user who needs large amounts of said storage. It could be an even bigger hassle if you need large amounts of storage for, say, your Drive, but barely use any at all for your Gmail account. No longer. With the new storage tracking method, users will get 15 GB of storage to spread among the aforementioned programs. If you're a Google Apps customer, you'll get 30 GB.
"But what if that's still not enough?" the guy who takes high-res pictures of ferret noses asks worriedly.
Relax, ferret boy: Google will still provide additional storage capacity for those who need it. They do still need to make money, after all. Plans start at $4.99 a month for 100 GB.
According to the Google Drive Blog, Google will be applying these changes over the next couple of weeks. The company will also be updating its Google Drive storage page to give users a better visual representation of how they're using their storage. The storage usage will be represented by a pie chart, which will show users a breakdown of how they're using their storage.
At the end of the day, from the user's perspective, it all comes down to simplicity. And who can blame Google for wanting to make things simpler? It seems to have worked for that little company in Cupertino named after the fruit.
Will the changes in Google Drive storage be helpful to you? Tell your favorite Atlanta IT company in the comments!
Image credit: Robert Scoble
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, May 08, 2013 @ 04:20 PM
In last week's post, we discussed some ways a small business can develop a creative office. We mentioned that it's not enough for the leadership to be innovators; a culture of innovation must be part of the company's very identity.
We focused primarily on some intangibles a company's leadership needs to focus on in that post, and they're indeed very important intangibles. That said, what are some concrete steps a small business can take to enable such a culture? What do the nuts and bolts of building an innovative culture look like? Well, it's different for every company, but your Atlanta IT consultants are here with a few tangible suggestions to use as a jumping-off point.
Provide Creative Spaces
Ask many creative types -- writers, artists, designers, performers, and others -- about what makes it possible for them to do their best work, and at or near the top of many of their lists will almost certainly be, "I need the right space." Have a space at your place of business, whether it's an otherwise vacant office, a corner of a warehouse, where people can go to brainstorm and do creative work.
If you have more than one such space available, all the better; one can be a space for creative collaboration, and another can be a place where one can go to work alone. Make sure the areas are stocked with supplies that can foster creativity: art supplies, comfortable furniture, books on creativity, etc. Keeping some snacks and coffee on-hand is always appreciated, as well; most people don't think -- or create -- well on an empty stomach!
Don't just give your employees input; allow them to actually design the spaces, if they so choose. It will give your employees more ownership of the spaces and more incentive to work there.
Another way to encourage the development of creative spaces is to provide each employee with a modest budget to make their own workspace more conducive to creativity. Even something as simple as the presence of a dry-erase board can stimulate the creation of new ideas!
Expose Your Employees to Other Creatives' Ideas
Bringing in outside innovators and creatives --whether they operate in your field or not -- can act as a spark plug to your employees' creativity. For instance, the Boise-based dance troupe Trey McIntyre Project has even made their creative process itself a part of their business model, teaching workshops tailored to individual companies' goals.
Though it's difficult to measure the success of such ventures objectively, the importance of exposing oneself to influences outside one's normal sphere of experience is key to looking at problems in a new way. Steve Jobs credited the Mac's use of multiple typefaces and proportionally spaced fonts to a calligraphy class he had taken 10 years prior to its design. His take on it, in his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University:
"Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Listen to Your Employees
Once a week, have a brainstorming meeting with your employees. Make this meeting a priority, a can't-miss affair in which you not only brainstorm ideas for your company, but you also brainstorm ideas about brainstorming. Ask your employees what they need to allow them to spread their creative wings. What resources can you provide to them? What unnecessary restrictions or processes are in place that limit the free flow of ideas? What are your employees' learning styles? All in all, find out what you can do to enable them to be more creative.
Economist and Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt said, "Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” What other ways can you think of to develop a more creative office and thus encourage a culture of innovation?
Image credit: University of Salford Press Office
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, May 01, 2013 @ 03:51 PM
Sea change. Paradigm shift. Quantum leap.
These are phrases that are easy to throw around, but they're difficult things to actually bring about. True innovation -- the kind that changes a market or creates one for something that customers didn't even know they wanted -- is not easy to achieve; if it were, everyone would be doing it.
So how does a company become innovative? Is it through innovative leadership? Of course; that's certainly important. After all, what would Apple have become without Steve Jobs at the helm? But no company becomes synonymous with innovation by the efforts of any one person. For a company to become a true, consistent innovator -- for innovation to be infused into its DNA -- a culture of innovation has to be in place. Creativity must be a resource that is prize, fostered, and cutivated. The creative office doesn't happen by accident; it happens by design. Your Atlanta IT service provider is here with some changes you can make in your small business, from a leadership mindset perspective, to create that kind of culture.
1. Let Your Employees Question the Status Quo
You can talk about innovation in staff meetings until you're blue in the face, but it won't do any good if you don't back it up. If an employee pitches an idea that's completely contrary to the way things are normally done and it's shot down without consideration, good luck on getting her to speak up anytime soon. Encourage against-the-grain thinking and express appreciation to those who actually do it. You may just find a more effective process or a revolutionary idea for a product.
Even if you don't, good things can come of it. Someone else could piggyback on the rejected idea to make it salvageable. And even if that particular idea goes in File 13, the fact that it was valued and considerered will hopefully encourage the same employee to keep spitballing in the future. Is there any guarantee that this will lead to a million-dollar idea? No, but what is certain is that no million-dollar ideas come from employees who keep their mouths shut out of fear of ridicule. Providing an environment that is friendly to brainstorming is absolutely necessary for creativity -- and therefore innovation -- to take place.
2. Draw the Big Picture for Your Employees
Clearly communicate specific long-term goals to your employees, and encourage them to brainstorm ideas on how to get there. Saying, "I need some ideas on how to increase sales" is not nearly as effective as, "My number-one goal is to increase our sales by 30% in this specific product line within one year. I need some ideas on how we can do that." The first option is unfocused and generic, while the second gives your employees a specific goal to aim for and lets them know it should be their first priority.
3. Don't Be Crippled by Success
Wait, what? Crippled by success? How does that make sense? Well, it's fairly simple: Just because it's always worked before doesn't mean that it always will. Complacency is a sure path to stagnation (and likely failure) down the line. Serena Williams -- tennis star, entrepreneur, and Nike endorser -- credits Nike for her "never be satisfied" approach to her business interests:
"I'm not disrupting my brand enough. I need to do it more. Nike always tries to improve. They never say, 'I'm No. 1, and I'm happy.' They always say, 'How can we get better?'"
If it's good enough for the Fast Company No. 1 Most Innovative Company of 2013, your business can probably learn something from it, too.
What strategies do you use to make your office a creative office? Tell us in the comments!
Image credit: Seth Waite
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, Apr 24, 2013 @ 03:29 PM
You know what must be great? No? I'll tell you: working in an office where there is never any friction. Working in an office in which every employee is mutually respectful; communicates his or her intentions, ideas, motivations, and feelings perfectly to everyone; and always puts the goals of the company above petty matters like ego, professional self-interest, and one-upmanship.
You know what else must be great? Unicorns. And Sasquatch. And the ability to eat just one Thin Mint. All of these things have one very important thing in common with the above scenario:
They don't exist.
Now that we've lost all our Sasquatch apologists, let's move on with the post. The fact of the matter is that we're all human, and employee conflicts do arise. The question for you, the manager, is how to best resolve them. And while the easy answer is cage fighting, (Take that chump from IT down, Watkins! Ground and pound, man, GROUND AND POUND!), it's probably not the most sensible when it comes to insurance considerations. While every situation is different, your Atlanta IT consultants are here to talk about a few general things to think about when it comes to workplace conflict resolution.
1. Nip it in the Bud
It makes sense that, as a manager, you wouldn't want to get involved in every little dispute that arises. Day-to-day disagreements are bound to occur, and most of these can be dealt with by the parties involved, without the need for management interference. But if it becomes clear that something more serious could be brewing, deal with the situation while it's still in its infancy. Waiting until things have blown up, feelings have been hurt, and egos have been damaged will make the human resources part of your job far more difficult.
2. Listen to Both Parties
Even if you think you have a good idea of which party is causing the friction (assuming it's only one of them), make it a point to hear both sides in their entirety. Sometimes people just want to be heard. If they feel that their feelings and opinions are valued, their response to both the situation causing the friction and to being called on the carpet for it are likely to be vastly different than it will be if they feel they're not being heard.
3. Keep Their Eyes on the Prize
Remind both parties of the company's goals. How does the conflict affect those goals? Which solution to their conflict will bring the company closest to what it's trying to accomplish? You don't want to make your employees feel like they're strictly cogs in a machine; you do want them to keep things in perspective and to realize that at the end of the day, they're on the same team.
4. This is a Business
Yes, it's ideal if everyone gets along. But they don't have to. This is not a social club; it's a place of business, and their business is to take care of business. If after listening to both sides and making a decision about the dispute, one or both of the parties is still causing problems, remind them that they don't have to like one another. They do, however, have to respect their fellow employees and figure out a way of relating to them in a way that's not detrimental to your business, assuming they want to continue being a part of your team.
Check out this article, Management Tips on Resolving Employee Conflict, for more ideas.
What workplace conflict resolution strategies do you use? Tell us about them in the comments!
Image credit: MartialArtsNomad.com
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, Apr 17, 2013 @ 02:51 PM
Do you have your smartphone on you right now? Probably. Heck, you may even be reading this blog post on it. Smartphones are awesome, right? They allow us to be connected with customers, clients, and employees 24/7 -- across time zones and continents. We can talk, text, IM, Facebook, tweet, and Netlurx with anyone we need to be in touch with.
But on the other hand...
Smartphones are awful, right? They allow customers, clients, and employees to be connected with us 24/7 -- across time zones and continents. They can talk, text, IM, Facebook, tweet, and Netlurx with us.
(Okay, fine. You caught me. I just made up "Netlurx"; it doesn't exist yet. Make fun of the name if you want, but it's insanely difficult to come up with an original tech company name that doesn't already exist. Sooo...if there are any venture capitalists with an itchy check-writing finger who are reading this, drop me a line.)
You see the problem, right? The constant connectivity that smartphones bring -- that mind-boggling ability to bring the entire world to our fingertips and make our professional network available all hours of the day -- is both a blessing and a curse. It's great when it works in our favor, but when it keeps us connected to the point of feeling obligated to be constantly connected, it can lead to stress, burnout, and decreased productivity. That's right: The very device that's supposed to catapult our productivity to new levels can do just the opposite if its usage isn't managed correctly.
And let's face it: Many of us don't manage that usage correctly. Leslie Perlow, PhD, who is the Konosuke Matsushita professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School, did a study of 1,600 managers and professionals. The results pointed to some pretty telling statistics about smartphone usage:
- 70% of participants in the study check their smartphone within an hour of getting up.
- 56% check their phone within an hour of going to sleep.
- 48% check over the weekend.
- 51% check continuously during vacation.
- 44% said they would experience "a great deal of anxiety" if they lost their phone and couldn't replace it for a week.
What begins as a desire to be good at one's job can lead to unnecessary stress, burnout, and decreased productivity. So what's the answer to keeping smartphones in their place?
A key suggestion that Perlow gives in her book, Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work, is "predictable time off" (PTO) from one's smartphone. This can be achieved as a result of a collaborative effort. Get together with those you work most closely with, and figure out a schedule that allows everyone to have a certain amount of PTO. When one person is taking her PTO, the other team members will pool their efforts to cover for her. Having a little bit of time that is completely one's own, with zero chance of work-relation interruption, can alleviate some of the stress associated with constant contact and even increase one's productivity.
Have you had issues with out-of-control smartphone usage in your life? Please share with your fellow THINQ blog readers how you've dealt with it.
Image credit: Michigan Municipal League
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, Apr 10, 2013 @ 03:25 PM
It's that time of year again. In five days it will be that day. You know the day I'm talking about.
Tax Day.
It's a day that defines dread and disappointment. It's like the day after Christmas, the day after your birthday, the day your March Madness bracket gets busted, and every Monday of the year rolled into one -- and it even falls on a Monday this year, so if you're a last-minute filer, it's probably going to ruin your weekend, too. Terrific, right?
Of course, it's not all bad news. After all, breaking through that humongous storm cloud known as "2013 Tax Day," there's that tiny ray of sunshine called "Deductions." Deductions are your friends. So please allow us to introduce you to 7 new friends that you should1 use to help make this tax day a bit better!
Fun and Festivi...er, "Training and Development"
1. Your company retreat to Vail probably counts as "insurance."2 After all, deep tissue massage is "rehabilitative therapy" and since that pumped-up dude who performed said therapy assured you that essential oils "open up your chakras," that has to count as prescription medication, right?
2. You can claim that eight-foot flying-squirrel costume, those 14 alien cheerleader uniforms, and a multi-person boa constrictor costume from the company Halloween party as uniform expenses!3 (What?! We erred on the side of caution with this one! We totally ate the costs on those gorilla go-go dancer outfits!)
3. The rent on the warehouse in which you store your 10 X 10 company Christmas float can be deducted.4 The fact that the other 99.9% of the space in said warehouse is home to your collection of custom-made collection of Masters of the Universe replica weapons is irrelevant.
Family Matters
4. Your kids sold lemonade outside the company's warehouse to passers-by, which drew in customers. That's a service performed for your business! You paid several thousand dollars into your kids' college tuition, so it's kind of like paying them several thousand dollars to run a lemonade stand that you then invested at their discretion ("Bobby, you wanna go to college?" "Yes, daddy!") Them's wages, so deduct 'em!5
5. Your Uncle Hal gave you a very large loan for your business. Rather than charge you interest now, you had to trade a 3% stake in all profits. Since you plan on averaging $5 million a year (It could happen!), that means you basically paid $150,000 in interest. Deduct it!6
Um..."Other"
6. You can totally deduct the rent on your summer home!7 You did make a couple of business calls while you were there. Well, they were calls to deliver flowers to your wife, but your wife's happiness directly affects your sleep patterns, which in turn directly affect your efficiency in the workplace, which directly affects when you'll be able to retire. Voilà! You can deduct money paid into a retirement plan!
7. Deduct the cost of your brand-new, pink and silver, custom Vespa. After all, you sometimes check work emails on your phone while sitting at traffic lights. (It's, like, the cutest home office EVVVARRRRR!)8
1 By "should," we mean, "under no circumstances should."
2 No. No, it doesn't.
3 No, you can't.
4 Nope.
5 Again, these are totally bogus.
6 It would really be difficult to overstate how horrible of an idea this is.
7 The IRS just saw this blog post. Can anyone recommend a good costumer, plastic surgeon, and fake-passport guy? We're asking for a friend.
8 This one's legit. Go for it!
What amazing ideas do you have for 2013 itemized deductions? Leave them in the comments!
Image credit: StockMonkeys.com
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, Apr 03, 2013 @ 05:10 PM
Something big is happening. Rumors abound. There are whispers about when it's going to be released. What's it about? How is this one going to be different than the last one?
So what am I talking about? The latest Hollywood blockbuster sequel?
Um, no. I'm talking about the Samsung S4, of course.
Techno-geeks can be as bad as soap opera fans when it comes to tracking the progress of the release of The Next Big Mobile Device. Maybe worse, because tech folks get scientific about their rabid fandom. When was the last time you saw a benchmark review of romantic rivals by a Days of our Lives fan, complete with specs to back it up? (If you can answer that with anything other than, "I haven't," then you have bigger problems than which phone to buy, my friend.)
Although companies can be notoriously close-mouthed about some aspects of a new product launch, we do know a little bit about what to expect. THINQ is here to add its voice to the cacophony of others clamoring to make a smartphone comparison, since, well...just because we make fun of techno-geeks doesn't mean we don't fit into that category ourselves. Also, we're word geeks and the word "cacophony" is fun.
When It's Being Released
Um, yeah...
1) We're not sure.
2) It depends upon which carrier you're talking about, as they won't all necessarily provide the device at the same time. AT&T begins taking pre-orders on April 16th, which is leading some to speculate on a May 1st release date, but ultimately, that's just conjecture.
3) In other words? We're not sure.
How It Will Be Different Than the S3
For more complete specs, check out c/net's comparison of the two devices. But here are a few of the highlights that don't get into crazy nerd-dom:
- (Slightly) Smaller Build and Bigger Screen
This one's barely worth mentioning, as the differences are tiny. (The difference in dimensions is in hundredths of an inch, and the weight is a tenth of an ounce lighter.) The screen size of the S4, however, is slightly bigger than the S3 (4.99 to 4.8 inches)
Both cameras get a boost, with the front-facing going from 1.9 to 2 megapixels and the rear-facing one jumping from 8 to 13 megapixels.
The S4's battery is bigger than that of the S3 (2,600 mAh vs. 2,100 mAh), but the difference in performance is difficult to predict without having an S4 to test.
Overall, Samsung doesn't seem to be making any massive changes in direction; the S4 seems to be more of an upgrade with across-the-board tweaks. The popularity of the Galaxy series thus far, though, makes a very good argument: Why mess with success?
Have you done a smartphone comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and its predecessor, the S3? Are you considering buying an S4? Let us know in the comments!
Image credit: E-Plus Gruppe Fotostream
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, Mar 27, 2013 @ 04:58 PM
What is it about springtime that makes us want to tidy up? Is it the fresh sunshine, revealing cobwebs and dust in winter-darkened corners? Is it a renewed sense of life that gives us that urge to start anew?
I submit that it's none of those things; I think it's something that huge corporations started long ago to sell cleaning products.
Whatever is actually responsible for the urge (I'm onto you, SC Johnson), it's there and it's not a bad impulse to have. Spring cleaning doesn't have to end with dirty baseboards and beating dusty rugs, though; we can apply the same kind of mindset to our small business technology. While the cleaning bug is biting is as good a time as any to do a spring cleaning tech assessment and clean up, re-order, and update your small business tech tools. Your favorite managed IT services provider is here with a few tips to help you do just that.
1. Lose the Dinosaurs
Do you have hardware that would require carbon dating to determine its age? Have you had film students come into your office asking if they can use your phone system in their short set in the 80s? If you don't use it, lose it! Don't just chuck it in the trash, though; do a bit of research to see where you can properly recycle your old tech, or better yet, donate it to a charitable organization like Dell Reconnect or StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology).
2. Check Security and Backup
Make sure there aren't any holes in your "safety net" services. Let's hope that you're using security software that updates itself, but it still doesn't hurt to do a security check. Is your data backed up off-site? If it's not, check out THINQ's managed IT services.
3. Out with the Old
Check your systems for old user accounts, obsolete files -- especially if they're media files -- and anything else that's good for nothing but taking up valuable space. Take that metaphorical broom out and sweep the digital junk away!
4. Dust Off Your Social Media Presence
Has your company's Facebook page been in hibernation for weeks -- or even months? When was the last time you published promotional gold in 140 characters or less on Twitter? If your business's social media outlets haven't been active -- or at least not as active as they should have been -- now is the time to shake the dust off and create a shiny new social media presence with frequent content that engages your customers and potential customers.
5. Literally Clean Your Computers
Those things can get nasty! Clean your keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc. and have your employees do the same at their workstations. Office equipment can be a breeding ground for germs, so take this opportunity to start a new habit in keeping your office sanitary.
What other ways can you think of to implement a spring cleaning tech assessment? Tell us in the comments!
Image credit: Todd Morris
Posted by Brent Hearn on Wed, Mar 20, 2013 @ 04:55 PM
Wahoo! It's the first day of spring! Birds are chirping. Flowers are blooming. Mother Nature is dispersing her magical sneezy dust over the surface of, well...everything, much to the delight of car wash operators and to the chagrin of everyone el...
Hey! You there! Reading this! Are you dozing? Really? Because it sure seemed like you were dozing! How. Rude.
*sigh*
Well, to be fair, I suppose it's understandable. We're a week and a half into Daylight Saving Time, but sometimes it takes people a while to adjust.
Ah, good ole Daylight Saving Time. Sure, it's all fun and games when we "fall" back, but that "spring" forward gets us every time, doesn't it? Benjamin Franklin first proposed the idea in a 1784 essay while serving as an American diplomat in Paris. He suggested that Parisians could save a great deal of money in oil and candle wax by making the switch. The U.S. has been all over the map with its adoption -- and repeal -- of time changes at various points. The most recent change, which came about as a result of the passage of The Energy Policy Act of 2005, rolled the beginning of Daylight Saving Time to the second Sunday in March, beginning in 2007. (It ends on the second Sunday in November.)
Seems like a great idea, right? I think we can all agree that saving energy is good. The problem is that even after all these years, the jury is still out on whether or not it's worth it. But let's leave that to the scientists and politicians, shall we? Because whatever time it is, there are things that we can do to conserve energy in the workplace. Your Atlanta IT consulting team is here with a few simple energy efficiency solutions that can give us a greener planet -- and give you a greener pocketbook.
1. Lose the Desktop
Laptops use far less energy than desktops. But if you must use a desktop, at least replace that old CRT screen with an LCD one. Stash it in a time capsule with your Lionel Richie "Dancing on the Ceiling" tape and parachute pants, you nostalgia addict, you!
2. Unplug
If you're not using it, unplug it. This goes for computers, chargers for mobile devices, and anything else that's not in use. Many devices still use power when in "stand by" mode.
3. Light it Right
Replace the power-sucking bulbs in your office with more energy-efficient ones. And then turn them off at night. Who are you keeping them on for? The roaches? (If so, use the money you'll save on electricity to call an exterminator.)
4. Stay Put
Do you really have to have that face-to-face meeting across town? Or can you accomplish what you need to over the phone? What about that business meeting you're driving three hours to attend? Could you Skype instead? Save money, gas, and the environment by being more efficient with your communication.
5. Conserve, Conserve, Conserve
Look for ways to eliminate waste in all aspects of your business, from insulating water heaters to cutting back on unnecessary photocopies. Set goals for conservation in areas where it's needed, and provide gift cards or other incentives for meeting those goals.
For more energy efficiency solutions, check out this list from the U.S. Department of Energy.
What energy conservation steps are you implementing in your office? Tell us in the comments!
Image credit: MoneyBlogNewz
