FRIDGE MAGNETS: NOT JUST COOL DECORATION

Refrigerator magnets come in all shapes and sizes and for all purposes.  Most are for decoration or advertising.

I have used these business card magnets for years, but for a slightly different purpose.  I have a Functional Needs  child (aka Developmentally Disabled, Special Needs, Handicapped (terms keep changing to stress a more positive and empowering connotation).  My daughter has had medical emergencies during times I was home and when I was not.  Everyone knows that Mom is the go to for information on her family.  Moms usually have all the contact info for each family member and is knowledgeable of each family member’s medications, medical conditions, allergies, daily schedule, location, and physician information.  What if Mom is not home?  What if you have called and her phone is dead or off because she is in a meeting.  Then what do you do?

You can buy these at most office supply stores

You can buy these at most office supply stores

Put the information that might be needed in an emergency in an easily accessible place.  The Fridge.

This helps reduce calls to mom from family members (from the kids who want a pizza!) for mundane things as well as for Emergencies when mom can’t be reached right away.

We include whatever is a frequent informational need (such as pizza, takeout etc), as well as emergency repair people (plumber, A/C, utilities, tow services, frequently visited businesses and more).

Frequently Used Services (gotta have pizza!)

Frequently Used Services
(gotta have pizza!)

WE ALSO HAVE IMPORTANT MEDICAL EMERGENCY CONTACT CARDS (Dr’.s Business cards).  These include my daughter’s Pediatrician, Neurologist, Dentist and any other important information.  As a mom, I am the most frequent user of these items and it saves time digging for a number from a phone book, Google (yes, its faster than Google if you are in fridge vicinity, sorry Google), or something stored in a phone (under Dr. Who? What?).

It has also been helpful to a caregiver (babysitter, family, friend) who maybe had to look at MY BUSINESS CARD to get my work phone number in an emergency.

You may not want to cover your fridge in such things if you are a purist, or dislike clutter, but It has been helpful to us for many reasons. You can organize the magnets on one hidden side, or give a panel or section to each family member.  Kids love to have their own areas to hang artwork too.

Business or Emergency Information (Physician information can be helpful to other family members or even a babysitter in an emergency when Dad or Mom are not available)

Business or Emergency Information
(Physician information can be helpful to other family members or even a babysitter in an emergency when Dad or Mom are not available)

You can use the same concept in your office if you have file cabinets, note boards etc.  However, I must warn you not to place magnets on computer cabinets, near your devices, cell phones, or in your purse next to your credit cards.  Doing so could have detrimental results!!

Most computer nerds know this.  Yes, my husband calls me a nerd because of the extensive amounts of useless knowledge that stores itself in my melon, but I posit that it comes in handy sometimes!

Here’s more info on why you should not put magnets on your devices: http://www.apexmagnets.com/news-how-tos/magnet-safety-technology-that-you-should-never-put-near-high-powered-magnets/

Hopefully this tip can streamline your in home emergency and frequently used phone numbers or contacts.  If nothing else it will reduce the number of phone calls from your teenagers asking you for phone numbers for the Pizza Place.

Technology in Project Management

The use of technology in project management is nothing new, but it has changed.  It started with the wall calendar, now we have Google calendar.  Deadlines for projects were all hard copy, and group meetings and collaborations occurred in person.   All business was done in person or over the phone.  Then came the internet, email and social media technologies.  Now some have the option of working remotely, from home or from vacation spots.

I use technology from home for our family business, although I feel the need to make personal visits to find out first-hand what is happening in real time and to be able to take pictures.  Sometimes, I do not get the information I need unless I make a personal visit.  We seem to get the most attention and hits from this photographic eye candy.   It is easier for me to take photos and post them than to have someone else do it.  I know what I want and what need and am fairly good with the aesthetics of taking photos.  Asking someone else do it when they do not have time to do it puts extra stress on them during a usually busy day.

I really like technology and enjoy working from home.  I do not like tech tracking, GPS, or location services.  I feel that sometimes these tools can be misused and for personal safety reasons, I sometimes prefer to turn off location services on my tech devices.  I really do not want technology to become a substitute for personal contact.  It is already annoying to go out to dinner or socialize with family and find that everyone is on their devices and people have forgotten the art of conversation.  Oh the price of progress.  At least we have not resorted to contact-free sex as depicted in the 1993 movie, Demolition man…yet.

Padmasree Warrior, who works for Cisco as their chief technology officer points out that, “A fundamental requirement for collaboration is communication.  Technology can aid this by providing platforms to disclose what people are working on and thinking about (Schaffner, 2010, January 20).  Lack of communication is what causes misunderstandings, disagreements, and final projects that do not fulfill the needs of the client.  The use of technology has changed and facilitated an increase in communications in and between organizations as well as subcontracted individuals and companies.

“Google docs” has been widely used by students collaborating on reports and presentations for college classes.  This makes it easier for everyone in the group to contribute without having to meet.  For many college students with busy schedules, getting the whole group together for group projects can sometimes be impossible.

Mike Isaac, of the New York Times, wrote an article discussing “Facebook@Work” purported to be the next collaboration tool for business, which “will allow users to collaborate on projects through group chats and document collaboration with co-workers…”(2014, November 17).  In 2014, the 7th International Conference on Collaboration and Technology took place in Santiago, Chile.  The Conference served as a “showcase” for new and emerging tech and its uses for improving collaboration (http://www.collabtech.org/).

Collaboration is something college students do.  The new small business and social media enterprise has led to the increase in working, blogging and advertising from home.  Personally, this saves me a lot of time.  I look forward to the day we do not actually have to go to class to listen to the lecture or to learn.  That would be great for me, a very busy person, but it requires one to keep on top of the schedule and be a self-starter.

What does this mean for the future?  It could lead to project collaboration occurring from points across the globe, from home, from vacation and getting experts in different aspects of a project together can sometimes be problematic.  Working on things remotely could solve a lot of logistical problems.  Realistically a project could be worked on around the clock in different stages.  This would save travel time and costs.  Realistically it could save organizations money on the purchase of real estate.  The office building as we know it could become obsolete.  Now that would be interesting.

 

References

http://www.collabtech.org/

Isaac, M. (2014, November 17). Facebook testing collaboration tools for businesses.  The New York Times.  Retrieved from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/facebook-prepares-a-business-product/

Schaffner, M. (2010, Jan, 20).  How technology enhances collaboration.  Forbes.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/collaboration-cisco-software-technology-cio-network-schaffner.html