Devoted to small businesses and those who run them

The mantra of the small- or home-based business owner really must be "I can do this!"  Know why?  Because we can.  We can make it through just about any trial if we are prepared.  After reading of my folly this week (which could have been much less stressful had I been even better prepared), now you can read about my triumphs. 

Yes, folks, I am on the brink of mania at this moment because I was able to find my logins and passwords (which I thought were all stored on my laptop) in the various client files in my desk.

*GASP!*  Hard copies!  With real writing on them!  WOOHOO!  Celebrate with me and learn from my mistakes.

Six steps to my survival (and elation):

1. Print training manuals and emails from clients or colleagues that provide information such as logins and passwords.  Just last week I created more than a half dozen distribution accounts for a client, and as I did so, I wrote down the logins and passwords.  I almost shredded the page since the information was also being emailed to me...imagine my glee today after realizing I had filed the sheet instead!
2. Check with your ISP about free or low-cost virus protection.  Turns out I can get a well-rated protection program for free through my ISP, a small town company that is very vigilant about spam, phishing and other such evil creations.  (If only I had known that a month or two ago!)  You know what I'll be downloading today. 
3. Where possible, use the same login name and applicable passwords for various accounts.  Sure, maybe it's not the most secure concept, but if your email address is your username for 10 out of 12 accounts, you're much more likely to remember it even if you didn't write it down on the hard copies you printed out of the user agreements.  (You did that, right?)
4. Switching from one computer to another just for kicks (not technological neccessity)?  Keep the "old" system handy.  Last year my parents gave the Kidling their "old" computer and I've been letting her play educational games on it from time to time.  As luck would have it (thank you, Lady Luck!) the system has Windows XP (just like my now DOA laptop), ethernet access, a huge monitor (my head hurts changing from a little laptop!) and it's actually FASTER than my laptop.  Which tells me two things: 1) it was seriously time to clean out my laptop files and 2) my daughter's not getting her computer back right away, even if I can miraculously resurrect the Vaio.
5. Write down email addresses in your Rolodex.  Don't just store them in the address book of your computer.  Grab a Rolodex, a notebook, a file folder, ANYTHING...just write down the contact information of all the folks you deal with on a weekly basis.  This is saving my skin as I try to remember email addies for folks I needed to touch base with this week!
6. Use IM services, and use the same username wherever possible.  I've got 5 email addresses and 4 IM programs to rebuild...and getting the IMs up and running took less than 15 minutes.  All I had to do was download the programs on the desktop and sign in.  *PHEW!*

So...now that I am in the "save it all to a CD as soon as it comes in" camp...how's your week been?