Hardwood Floors December 2017/January 2018

company), ask for recommendations and compare features of each service. Vendors o er many di erent options and have vastly di erent price points, so be sure to nd a plan that ts your individual needs. 4. Updates are good! We all have update fears, but here is why and how I think they are best applied. No ma er when or how you apply these updates, set aside time for the task. Don’t try to start an update before a big meeting or while traveling. To calm fears over updates, it is good practice to apply major updates a week or two a er release. By that time, kinks are worked out, and you can take advantage of new technologies and features available. Don’t let too much time pass, though, as systems can become more vulnerable to ill e ects. Minor updates should be applied immediately and rarely ever cause problems. Plus, these are frequently xes for security holes and other issues. To know if an update is major or minor, simply locate the version of your current so ware and compare it to the latest version released. If the rst number of these two is di erent, this is a major update (10.5.1.3 versus 11.1.3.1). If it’s another number in the scheme, this is a minor update. Either way, if you’ve followed the preceding No. 2 and No. 3 resolutions, you’ll have nothing to fear from any updates as all your Sounds strange for a technology advocate to recommend, right? Consider this: a study from the University of Texas, Austin, nds that close proximity of a smartphone actually reduces cognitive abilities. E ciency and health experts have long agreed that we should limit technology use to certain times of the day or a total number of minutes per day. Not only is it good for productivity, but also our cognitive function, vision, and overall health. Pu ing the phone down also allows us to connect with other people, including family, friends, and clients. Taking a break helps us rest our brains so we can be creative, produce new ideas, and strategize for the future. ink you need to detox? Try using the do not disturb se ing on your device or reducing the number of apps that notify you of activity. Looking for a more serious split? ere are apps that you can install to help or be er yet, eliminate the smartphone. ese challenges we face aren’t new. Using technology in safe and smart ways is something with which we all wrestle. Remember that resolutions become standard practice when implemented a li le at a time, so they become second nature. Technology can be a great promoter; don’t let these items under your control be a detractor. Be proactive. Safeguard your data, your identity, and your mental health. Jodi O’Toole is Director of IT and Web Development at the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. She can be reached at jodi.otoole@nwfa.org. information is backed up and stored in the cloud. 5. Put technology aside

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