Email truly revolutionized communication. The ability to retrieve a message from anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds is mind boggling. However, judging by the size of your inboxes (see this week's poll), you could benefit from some tips on how to keep your inbox clean.

I used to keep as many as many as 50 or so email stacked up in my inbox, but I always felt that I was behind in my work and consequently much of the email went unread and unanswered. A little more than a year ago, it all changed after I read an article that struck a chord with me called Email Zen. I immediately started practicing the techniques and suggestions in the article and found myself with a cleaner inbox and a better overall outlook (no pun intended) about email and my email communication. I continue to strive for the empty inbox and find that if i get more than 10, I start to get a little jumpy.

From reading that article and my own experience over the past eighteen months, here are my suggestions for reaching harmony with email:]]> http://helpmerick.com/clean-your-inbox.htm/feed 4 http://helpmerick.com/google-rolling-out-new-gmail-look-and-functions-video-tip.htm http://helpmerick.com/google-rolling-out-new-gmail-look-and-functions-video-tip.htm#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 12:26:28 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5228 UPDATE: I posted this tip in November of 2011, but many Gmail users didn’t have the new Gmail interface yet, so I’m bringing this back out of the archives since all new accounts and most exiting ones are now in the new format. Starting today, Google is rolling out the option for you to try [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/google-rolling-out-new-gmail-look-and-functions-video-tip.htm/feed 3 http://helpmerick.com/how-to-find-the-best-apps-in-apples-app-store.htm http://helpmerick.com/how-to-find-the-best-apps-in-apples-app-store.htm#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 03:20:19 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5486 If you use an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, you have access to more than 600,000 apps (at the time of this writing) and growing. Great news right? Yes and no. If you don’t practice a little search narrowing , then finding a good app can be a frustrating and time consuming experience. In this [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/how-to-find-the-best-apps-in-apples-app-store.htm/feed 0 http://helpmerick.com/adding-photos-to-an-ipad-or-iphone-using-picasa-notes.htm http://helpmerick.com/adding-photos-to-an-ipad-or-iphone-using-picasa-notes.htm#comments Sun, 06 May 2012 19:36:08 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5454 This week I worked with a gentleman ironing out how to use Picasa to add photos to his iPad. These are the notes (download PDF version here) I took for him and left with him. The only steps not shown in the notes below are how to create a folder called iPad (or iPhone) then [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/adding-photos-to-an-ipad-or-iphone-using-picasa-notes.htm/feed 0 http://helpmerick.com/how-to-scan-a-picture-with-hp-scan-and-windows-7.htm http://helpmerick.com/how-to-scan-a-picture-with-hp-scan-and-windows-7.htm#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:29:40 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5451 HP continues to refine and change their scanning software…mostly for the better. However, many computer users detest change. These notes are ones I created for a long time Windows XP user who just moved to Windows 7 and needed some help with scanning. I have some previous HP Scanning notes you can read here, and [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/how-to-scan-a-picture-with-hp-scan-and-windows-7.htm/feed 0 http://helpmerick.com/fbi-warning-of-possible-internet-problem-in-july.htm http://helpmerick.com/fbi-warning-of-possible-internet-problem-in-july.htm#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:11:10 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5443 This weekend, my local newspaper ran a story similar to this one at PC Magazine. It outlined (in usual newspaper sensationalism fashion) that “thousands of computer users could lose Internet in July”. I call it sensational because the headline alone (which I’m suspecting is all many people read) has two words that should calm people down a [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/fbi-warning-of-possible-internet-problem-in-july.htm/feed 3 http://helpmerick.com/notes-from-helping-a-cartoonist.htm http://helpmerick.com/notes-from-helping-a-cartoonist.htm#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:06:51 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5433 Today’s notes were created for a cartoonist who has a Mac and has already learned how to scan in his cartoons (via my tutelage months ago), but now he wanted to learn how to add his captions using the computer. The goal was to get it done with as few steps as possible and with his existing [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/notes-from-helping-a-cartoonist.htm/feed 0 http://helpmerick.com/how-to-create-a-photo-book-using-shutterfly-com-video-tip.htm http://helpmerick.com/how-to-create-a-photo-book-using-shutterfly-com-video-tip.htm#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:55:47 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5420 Digital photography allows us to take thousands of photos, but they don’t do much good if they stay on your computer and you never get to share or enjoy them. For sharing, nothing beats printing. And I highly suggest you do NOT print your own photos at home unless you have two things: 1) an [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/how-to-create-a-photo-book-using-shutterfly-com-video-tip.htm/feed 0 http://helpmerick.com/dont-buy-microsoft-office-when-you-buy-a-new-computer.htm http://helpmerick.com/dont-buy-microsoft-office-when-you-buy-a-new-computer.htm#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:25:35 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5401 Despite what big box store sales people try to sell you, don’t buy a copy of Microsoft Office. On all new commercial computers today, manufacturers install a trial version of Microsoft Office AND a copy of Microsoft Office Starter Edition. Microsoft Office Starter Edition does NOT expire and is every bit as functional as its costly [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/dont-buy-microsoft-office-when-you-buy-a-new-computer.htm/feed 2 http://helpmerick.com/how-to-download-and-install-cutepdf-free-video-tip.htm http://helpmerick.com/how-to-download-and-install-cutepdf-free-video-tip.htm#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:57:27 +0000 Rick http://helpmerick.com/?p=5384 CutePDF has been one of my favorite computer utilities for many years. This small (free) utility lets you create a PDF (portable document format) file from anything that you can print. I use it to save web pages, online shopping receipts, and many other items that I might be tempted to print to paper. Instead, [...]]]> http://helpmerick.com/how-to-download-and-install-cutepdf-free-video-tip.htm/feed 2