“What is your mother’s maiden name?”, the bank account system asked. I answered, nuTfryCVyubiunuUB.

Correct, that is a wrong answer. There is no reason to answer it correctly.

Background

Recently, when assisting a family member, I was shocked to see their “true” security question answers. My relative is not “Security conscious” to say the least. He posts on Facebook without abandon. It is his way of staying in touch and connecting with people all over the globe.

I had to set him straight. Evil-doers use our well-intentioned acts against us. …

Spreadsheets are essential for work or personal productivity

Yay, 2021! The year everything is going to improve. Start the year by learning and using the most popular, ubiquitous, and indispensable skill for any business or personal setting. The Spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and OpenOffice Calc are the major spreadsheet software programs available today (RIP Lotus 1–2–3). Here are 5 reasons why spreadsheet programs are essential.

Make it Meaningful

When my family and I arrived in the land of opportunity, the free public library system, not the Statue of Liberty, reaffirmed our decision to immigrate. As a “good-boy”, I read voraciously. The public library, the greatest invention of Benjamin Franklin, opened the world to me. Like many others, I was astounded by the vast volumes of fiction. Occasionally, I would yearn for stories featuring Indians. Apu from the Simpsons did not make his debut until 1989.

Fast forward a few decades and I present novels featuring immigrant Indian American characters. I cannot express the joy at having my children…

“That is not typing!” I barked back to my daughter. For the umpteenth time, I was frustrated by her keyboard pecking.

By “typing” I mean the proper placement and use of the fingers on the keyboard. The instinctive knowledge of the location of each letter of the alphabet. The ability to see on screen the words as they are thought.

The ability to type is an essential skill for everyone. Sending messages, generating reports, performing searches, and even writing code require this skill. …

A supervisor once told me, “Work smarter, not harder,” as I left his office. But he didn’t say how.

I work smarter by aligning the complexity of tasks to the efficiency of the time-period throughout the day, i.e., do the hard stuff when motivated and the easy stuff when I’m not.

1 — Task Complexity

Stand up, reset the eyes, or take a short walk to get the creative juices flowing.

Sometimes our mind just draws a blank. We can be well-intentioned, filled with purpose, and completely motivated, nevertheless we stare at a blank document unable to get the words out. We tell ourselves, “c’mon”, “let's go”, or “think.” We force ourselves to begin, only to realize that the output is rubbish. Our brain needs a break. Mindless scrolling does not rest the brain. During workhours try these easy ways to recharge the mind.

Stand Up

Studies by the Mayo Clinic and the American Diabetes Association have…

Beyond the Recycle Bin

I was a digital hoarder and filled my work computer hard drive to the brim. I frequently ran into the “not enough storage” error. The painful, time-consuming process of migrating to a new laptop beckoned a change — the KonMari Method.

Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing taught me the KonMari method. The method outlines a comprehensive approach to cleaning our homes. Our computers require the same procedures.

It is nearly impossible to write a thorough document, perform analysis in a spreadsheet, or write code for a new feature without a proper amount of concentration. Notifications, dings, and pop-ups break our attention. Too much of anything is bad for us. Features, such as meeting reminders, initially provided utility are now inundating. To resume our productivity, we need to eliminate distractions and focus on one task at a time.

Henry Ford revolutionized the manufacturing industry by the creation of the assembly line for the Ford Model T automobile. By directing each person to a fixed task, Ford was able…