First Post From Tom

G’day!
I have had a lot of very nice feedback on the Tips, Links and Tidbits newsletter over the last few years but thanks to changing server configurations, a concrete cutter putting a saw through a Telstra cable and other such nonsense I have not sent one out for some time now. Thanks to those who asked what happened to it and asked to be put back on if they had fallen off the list!
I plan to replace the email newsletter with this blog and to add more of my own content to the posts as well as to keep up the flow of links to other articles I feel worthy of passing on to you.
If you are in business you can look forward to a steady stream of ideas that will give you food for thought and perhaps inspire you to change some of the things you do now to a more efficient or profitable way of doing things.
Here’s the first! I was on a telephone conference call two days ago and the speaker said that the amount of computer screen area was a direct determinant of productivity. The bigger the screen area, the more productive the computer user. His words rang true with me as I can still recall the feeling of increased productivity when I went from a 17″ to a 19″ monitor and again when I made the jump to using two 19″ monitors side by side. Now when I work on only one screen it feels very constrictive and slow by comparison.
After the conference call I instantly rang a supplier to ask what a graphics card would cost that would accommodate 4 monitors. Call me extravagant if you will but before you do, check the figures! $150 each for two graphics cards, each of which can handle two monitors and $450 for another two 19″ screens and an hour and a half to order them, pay the invoice and to set it all up. Total outlay, $750 and an hour and a half of time. Pay back? If I only increase my productivity by 5% this year and I only value my time at $50,000 for the year, that’s an extra $2,500! That’s more than a 300% return on my $750 investment. Aren’t too many 300% returns advertised in the financial pages that I see.
I am also putting the finishing touches on a couple of on-line quizzes that will give you an insight into you and your business. I will post when they are ready to be tested by real users!
So that’s it for my first post. Hope you found it worth while and look forward to seeing you back.
Warmest regards,
Tom Grimshaw
P.S. If there is some topic on which you would like to hear from me, drop me a line!