Lock down hints n tips

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Sanjøy
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Lock down hints n tips

Post by Sanjøy » Thu May 14, 2020 1:15 pm

I have been posting these daily to LinkedIn, Might be of use to some folks. Anyone got any more I can use?
  • Get changed for work. If you Zoom with me you will see I still get up and put on a shirt every morning. This helps me differentiate between when I am at home and when I am working from home. It also helps the kids know when I am at work.
  • If you need some quiet time stick some headphones on and zone out for 30 minutes. https://lnkd.in/dPxzXNX
  • Update your Citrix client if that is how you remote work. You should be on 20.2.x as of 01/05/20.
  • Run your windows updates when you finish work. While you are at it ask your iPhone or Android phone to download their application updates at this time too. By doing this you will not have all these devices doing their updates when they see fit which could be during your working day and impair your bandwidth for Video calls / Citrix sessions etc.
  • Get a good webcam. 55% of communication is visual. If people cannot see you clearly your message is not getting across as best you can. I use the Microsoft Lifecam range as they also have a very good microphone.
  • Use Zoom on your desktop or laptop rather than your tablet or phone. Far better user experience and you can share content from your desktop, e.g. press and hold space bar to come off mute. And no battery anxiety!
  • Run an anti malware tool daily, kick it off when you go to grab lunch. The bad guys are still out there doing their thing and simply visiting a website could infect you. I have a subscription with MalwareBytes on all my machines and it catches things weekly.
  • Run your Windows updates on your PC. Granted it is not the best time to have your primary desktop bork on you but with the dramatic increase in time switched on the time exposed to danger is vastly increased. Ensure all critical updates are installed.
  • Charge your car battery. Sounds odd but post lock down I foresee a lot of dead batteries and long lead times. Ideally you would use a battery conditioner, I use a c-tek one, if you have a normal battery charger use that for 24 hours then switch it off, you can leave the conditioner on indefinitely. Starting and moving you car also helps stop the brakes from seizing on.
  • Update your Zoom on your desktop and Mobile device at the start of each day. As the product evolves the updates are coming out thick and fast. Your minimum version should be 5.x as of 30/04/20
S
Last edited by Sanjøy on Thu May 14, 2020 1:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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IanD
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by IanD » Thu May 14, 2020 1:58 pm

:thumbsup

Any tips agony aunt ?

Kids not a problem.
But how do I let my wife know I’m at home and busy working from home and not listening to her ?

Whether I’m any/all of talking in a meeting, on mute but shouting abuse, typing on laptop, wearing headphones, not responding to a 5 minute conversation directed to me, the message I’m otherwise occupied doesn’t always seem to get through.

Admittedly there are other times when I should be listening and aren’t :lol:
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hendeg
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by hendeg » Thu May 14, 2020 2:05 pm

That's a genuine problem, Ian. A separate office in the garden would be ideal.
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scott_e
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by scott_e » Thu May 14, 2020 3:15 pm

agree with the getting changed for work, stick to your rituals as best you can.

Avoid zoom :) still no end to end encryption.

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douglasgdmw
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by douglasgdmw » Thu May 14, 2020 3:21 pm

  • Avoid the repeated popping into the cupboards to gorge yourself by having a "tuck" box of snacks you can have during the day. Fill the tuck box up in the evening based upon your "days allowance" and make sure you only use that for any daytime snacking
  • Ensure your lunchtime is blocked out in your calendar so that you can have time away from your desk
  • Try to keep you home desk tidy as you would at work (I work from home permanently so life has not changed for me, however I spent the weekend clearing out my study and its made a massive impact on how I feel during the day when working)
  • Put your personal phone at the other end of the room so you are less likely to look at the forums when you are in a meeting (he says typing this up in work time!!)
Last edited by douglasgdmw on Thu May 14, 2020 4:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Corranga
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by Corranga » Thu May 14, 2020 3:29 pm

I've been 'commuting' each morning thins week, which is basically a 20 or 30 minute walk around the local area.

Not sure what I'll do if it rains, but I feel mentally more awake and ready for the day after that.

Also, perhaps goes without saying, but think about the equipment you are using.
8+ hours on a laptop on the sofa isn't a good plan!
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by rawsco » Thu May 14, 2020 6:42 pm

Drink. That’s about it I think.
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ed
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by ed » Thu May 14, 2020 8:37 pm

Wear sunscreen.
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C7Steve
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by C7Steve » Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:38 am

How have your views on Lockdown hints and tips changed over the last few weeks?

Any interesting stories to pass on here to beat the Monday morning blues for those of us still working?


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IanD
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by IanD » Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:06 pm

If you are organising a department wide meeting with 400 people don’t set the conference up with everyone having full and open options like announce entry, speaking, add video/screen share.

After a few hundred either actual name or 3 second silence then, ‘has joined the conference‘ got very tiresome.
Later on in same call, 1 of the 400 people put the whole conference on hold for a minute.

If you attend meetings always use mute by default. Same meeting someone wasn’t on mute and went for a pee !!

PS it really was someone else not me for above.

Let the rest of the family know when you are using video conferencing rather than voice only when in a meeting.
Working in a spare room but May tiptoed behind pulled my notebook away from me, wrote something on it and silently pushed it back in front of me. Then I said by the way I’m video conferencing so everyone saw that even though I’m on mute :D
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scott_e
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by scott_e » Mon Jun 08, 2020 3:26 pm

:lol:

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Corranga
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by Corranga » Mon Jun 08, 2020 6:54 pm

On the flip side, having your 6 year old walk in, in a tutu or a floaty fairy dress seems to make everyone smile, even when she then explains that mama has gone for a lie down and that something has happened to Mario Kart and she needs me to fix it :D
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Ferg
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by Ferg » Wed Aug 26, 2020 11:40 pm

ed wrote:Wear sunscreen.
Nice. Made me chuckle...and now can't get the tune out of my head. Image


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ed
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by ed » Thu Aug 27, 2020 9:45 am

Glad someone got it! :lol: :thumbsup
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Re: Lock down hints n tips

Post by campbell » Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:43 am

Corranga wrote:On the flip side, having your 6 year old walk in, in a tutu or a floaty fairy dress seems to make everyone smile, even when she then explains that mama has gone for a lie down and that something has happened to Mario Kart and she needs me to fix it :D
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