Latest Posts - Page 91 of 179

October 9, 2019October 1, 2019 Three Ways To Improve

Three Suggestions For Better Meetings

There are some activities that are part of any job. While not all of these are also a common concern, it does seem that one often bubbles to the top. That bad boy is the meeting. Whether we are talking about a team, organization, or planning version of these activities, we all have bad experiences with them. Thus, we can all improve our productivity by tackling ways to have better meetings. An Agenda Leads To Better Meetings The old cliche of a map is required to get to our destination holds in the case of an agenda. One of the quickest paths to better meetings is to create (and share) an agenda. This step provides a map for us, and... Read more

October 7, 2019September 29, 2019 Three Ways To Improve

3 Ways to Embrace and Improve Unit Testing

Quality Assurance is an art as well as a skill. We all can randomly break things. However, testing is not just about breaking things. It is also done with the goal of providing a sense of quality and stability. Thus, we need to be intentional with our plans. This process starts at the smallest level so let’s look at three ways to improve unit testing. Create and Test For Exceptions, Notifications, and Messages One piece of the user experience is messaging and notifications. These may appear to confirm a step, show success, or point to errors. When we build a unit of code, then we need to include ways to provide feedback for these messages. This functionality provides a way... Read more

October 4, 2019September 27, 2019 Three Ways To Improve

3 Quick Ways To Manage Email

It is impossible to provide modern productivity suggestions without including a way to manage email. This form of communication has done so much for us in shrinking the world. On the other hand, it is also a substantial use of our time. There are several important conversations we want to track. However, there is also an endless stream of spam. Here are some suggestions to help you with this modern struggle. Manage Email By Checking Less One of the most overlooked ways to reduce the time spent on email is to reduce how often you check. Many of the mail clients are configured by default to check every minute or so for our latest email. This approach makes it hard... Read more

October 2, 2019September 25, 2019 Three Ways To Improve

Desktop Security – Three Ways To Turn Aside Hackers

There are many areas where our three suggestions can make a quick improvement. Desktop security is one such topic. The subject of security comes up every day in the news and our work. It is all around us. However, we can use tools wisely or not. Here are three you should use properly. Strong Passwords The list of typical passwords is laughable. Of course, it also should bring tears. A password of “123456” or “password” is not going to stop anyone that has a little desire to get to your system. While a stronger password is the first step, that is not enough. You should also avoid reusing passwords and change them regularly. The less time a hacker has to... Read more

September 30, 2019September 23, 2019 Three Ways To Improve

Three IDE Options For Improved Productivity

Our tour of three things you can do to make your life easier will look at IDE options in this episode. We all have our favorite IDE within the first year or two of professional development. That usually falls into either the Eclipse or Visual Studio camp. However, there are a lot of other options available. While your primary tool is useful, these additional tools may provide a better choice in specific instances. JetBrains IDE Options This family of tools may be your primary source for IDE options. While they have a flavor specifically targeted at a broad range of platforms, they also have a “feel” that is maintained across each of them. This suggestion may be the most expensive... Read more

September 27, 2019September 16, 2019 Three Ways To Improve

Three Tips For Writing Better Code

In this episode, we look at a favorite topic. Here are three ways to write better code. We create a lot of source code during our career. Thus, this is an area where the ROI can be huge when you take these steps early on. These will not only help you write code that is easier to maintain, but it will also reduce your bugs and improve stability. Use Static Analysis Tools For Better Code One of the best ways to improve your code quality is to find another set of eyes to provide a sanity check. This step can avoid blatant bugs, reduce code duplication, and ensure you conform to standards. The best set of eyes is an automated... Read more