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Keep Your PC From Slowing Down With Simple Steps

July 7, 2020July 7, 2020Leave a comment

Slow and steady wins the race — an old phrase that we have all been accustomed to, but in this age, regrettably, a slow and steady PC may cost you the race. Operating with a slow PC is not only frustrating but also wastes valuable time in handling a task. It may come gradually or all of a sudden, neither of which is pleasant to be in.

In the virtual assistant or remote work industry, efficient work means quick execution of activities without compromising output quality. However, how can you achieve this without a workspace that makes it possible?

It is not about having a poor set of PC specifications all the time. There are cases that other factors also lead to the slow performance of your computer.

Fortunately, there are simple tweaks that can help boost PC performance even on the slowest of computers. Here are some helpful system performance issue-based tips to consider:

Check if you have more juice in your computer. One possible reason for your PC slowdown is that you just do not have enough Random-Access Memory (RAM). RAM is the temporary storage for your laptop or PC. Specifically, it keeps all the things your computer needs on standby and when the time comes, it quickly pulls the information and hands it over to your processor.

The ideal RAM for tasks are as follows:

2-4GB of RAM for basic tasks like word processing and surfing the web
8-16GB for multi-tasking or graphics-intensive programs

While adding more RAM will not always speed up your laptop, you do need to have more than the minimum amount of RAM for certain programs to run properly. To find out how much RAM you have:

Go to search icon or click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
Type About in the search bar.
Click Open. You will then see how much RAM you have under Device specifications, next to Installed RAM.

Disable startup programs. If your PC is taking a long time to boot up, you may have too many programs that are eating up your RAM and starting up when you turn on your PC.

To fix this issue, simply follow these steps:

Right-click on the Start button.
Click Task Manager.
Select the Startup tab.
Arrange the list of programs by Startup impact, if you’d like to see the programs that are taking up the most time.
If you see a program that doesn’t need to be there, right-click it and click Disable.

Disable Windows tips and tricks. Odds are, you already know what you are doing and do not need a machine to tell you how to operate your PC. These Windows 10 tips scan your computer to function, and this process has an impact on performance.

To turn off these tips:

Go to Start.
Select Settings.
Click System.
Select Notifications & actions.
Toggle off Get tips, tricks and suggestions.

Defragment your hard disk. Over time, when you keep saving and deleting files on your computer, it becomes fragmented. This results in your computer needing to check in multiple places for the pieces. Hence, it can run more slowly. The term defragment basically means putting those files back together so your system can run more efficiently. To carry out a defragment:

Type defrag into the search box and press Enter.
From the screen that appears, select the drive you want to defragment.
Click the Optimize button to defragment it.
If you want to have your disk or disks defragmented automatically, click the Change settings button, then check the box next to Run on a schedule.
Select the frequency at which you want the disk(s) defragmented by clicking the drop-down next to frequency, and choose from daily, weekly or monthly, where weekly is recommended. Note: You only need to do this if your computer uses a traditional mechanical Hard Disk Drive (HDD). A Solid-State Drive (SSD) works another way from an HDD, and there is no need for defragmentation.

Try these simple and helpful tips to avoid frequent slow PC performance. The given pointers do not require too much time nor less penny from your pocket. Simply follow them and you will no longer have to worry about delaying your work every time the rush hour arrives. Remember, no matter how skillful you are, a slow outturn could lead to a poor impression for your employer or client.

Four Free Antivirus Applications Every Virtual Assistant Should Consider

June 9, 2020June 9, 2020Leave a comment

Virtual assistance is providing professional administrative or technical assistance to clients remotely from a home office via the internet. As it is connected to the web, workplaces can be vulnerable to computer viruses and with the given fact, these should be protected from the said threats.

An unprotected computer is like an open door for computer viruses. Computer viruses are designed to replicate tenaciously, infect your programs and files, alter the way your computer operates, and even stop it from working altogether. Antivirus software prevents and protects your computer from these viruses by detecting and controlling it from spreading further into your computer system.

Antivirus software typically runs as a background process. It scans computers, servers, or mobile devices to detect and restrict the spread of malware. Many antivirus software programs include real-time threat detection and protection to guard against potential vulnerabilities as they happen. Moreover, these applications also include system scans that monitor device and system files to look for possible risks.

To give you options to consider, here are a few highly known free antiviruses that provide excellent and decent protection for your system’s needs:

Windows Defender. Believe it or not, but your computer device with Windows 10 comes preinstalled with it. It provides ample protection from viruses and installed with Windows by default, so even if you do not want to install a third-party solution, your system has at least some level of protection against threats. Furthermore, it detects other antivirus systems you may have installed. Therefore, Windows Defender removes any old scanners if you want to entrust it as your PC’s sole protection against online threats.

Kaspersky Security Cloud (Free). Kaspersky Security Cloud Free offers Kaspersky’s basic world-renowned cybersecurity software, which scans for malware, performs system clean-ups, and uses active scanning to prevent new threats. Moreover, it also provides complete privacy protection with a VPN, a password manager, and dark web scanning. Although Kaspersky Security Cloud Free does not offer some of the frills and bonus features available in the commercial version, there is nothing minimal with this version as it offers all of Kaspersky’s malware-fighting technology at no cost.

Bitdefender Free Edition. Bitdefender’s Free Edition is an antivirus scanner that users do not need to set further after the installation as it is designed to run in the background, with only important notifications in case of apprehensive program activity. Its minimal design will not slow your PC down at all and the built-in malware scanner is one of the strongest on the market. Basically, its Advanced Protection feature extends to ransomware detection so any suspicious behavior on your PC will get frozen immediately.

Panda Dome (Panda Free Antivirus). Panda Free Antivirus provides real-time antivirus, antispyware, behavioral analysis protection, process monitor, and URL and web filtering. It is a powerful and easy-to-use antivirus, offering 100% free protection. It is one of the most intuitive antivirus programs out there with no advanced setup required. The firewall feature is also quite powerful, blocking more intrusions than any other free antivirus applications can, including the built-in Windows firewall.

It is entirely your preference which of the provided antiviruses is most considerable for you. After all, they all have a good record of providing threat protection. Just be reminded that it is best not to disregard the perks offered by these free antiviruses. Else, you may face more challenges and expenses with a virus-attacked PC.

Maintaining Seamless Internet Connectivity for Work Efficiency

Maintaining Seamless Internet Connectivity With Just One, Quick Trick

May 15, 2020May 15, 2020Leave a comment

Time is gold, and in the world of virtual assistance, it is of the essence. Every aspect of your duty as a virtual assistant is synonymous with urgency. We are after all in the digital age not just in technology but in certain facet, our way of life.

Attributes such as swift decision-making and immediate action to the tasks at hand for the VA require an equivalent gadget to help manifest that into reality.

PCs, laptops, and even smartphones are essential for the VA and in accordance with that, speedy internet connectivity to these devices is tantamount. If you do not have the necessary resources, you would likely end up not being able to maintain your remote work, worse, not even obtain one. Clients nowadays consider a stable and fast internet connectivity a MUST whenever qualifying a virtual assistant.

WIFI routers and modems providing internet have now been intertwined with our everyday life and much like humans, in order for it to function well, it needs a timeout.

WIFI routers do not just handle one device at a time, there can be more than five in a household and that increases the demand on the network load. An average WIFI router has a less than 1GB of onboard memory and can get hung up on download requests, but a quick reboot can clear that away. Just turn off your WIFI router power for a 10 seconds timeout. During which when you power you WIFI router back on, it will find WIFI channels with less traffic and therefore raise their performance speed.

Interweave a fast internet connection to your quick decision making and tasks will be done in a jiffy. Nowadays, the world is moving in such a fast pace and the phrase time is gold moves along with it.

How Documents Reflect the Type of VA You Are

January 27, 2020June 12, 2020Leave a comment

Documents will be part of a virtual assistant’s life. These serve as means for clients to provide their requirements, whereas VAs use documents to submit their output. Regardless of the format, documents will represent whatever accomplishment you had for the day. This is the reason why one should not neglect the proper presentation of documents, no matter how comfortable you are with your client.

Primarily, documents show how organized you are a virtual assistant. You could begin with the formatting. A simple act of ensuring that the font type or font size of the texts in your document is not varying from one section to another is already a way of showing how coordinated you are. There are virtual assistants, who fail to do this. As a result, they present a clutter instead.

Moreover, you have to consider the preferred formatting of your client. There are those, who could be very keen in detail. Thus, discussing this prior to the accomplishment of a document is a necessity. If they did not provide any specifics, then you have the green light to format the spacing, font size, font type, and sections of your document at your notion.

Did you know that even the naming of your document matters? If you do not want to be tagged as an unorganized employee, avoid file names that are way too complicated. Make sure that the document name specifies its contents clearly. If including a date will make it more helpful for your client’s file management, then add it accordingly.

In preparing documents, as well, you have to select the correct format to present depending on what is required. If your client simply needs a research work with excerpts from various books, then a simple text document would work. On the other hand, if figures are involved, it is best to at least present your document in Excel or sheets.

By keeping the pointers provided, you will be able to show that being a virtual assistant does not make you less of an effective employee; that you can still offer high-quality output regardless of how simple the requirement is.

Accomplishment Reports and How These Help

October 7, 2019June 12, 2020Leave a comment

Being a busy-headed person means that you would not be able to handle all of the tasks in your company at once, which could include human resources. This may include the fact you will not be able to check the accomplishments of your people on a certain day.

Relatively, this may be the reason why you would likely be skeptical of getting a virtual assistant. You may be thinking that checking on the remote staff from time to time is imperative. However, it is not.

You should be informed that a virtual assistant is trained to work with minimal supervision. It became a norm in the online work industry that as a VA, you have to work independently.

Nonetheless, if you are still apprehensive about how things would work out between you and the VA effectively, then you should know that there are accomplishment reports.

What are accomplishment reports? These are reports sent out in a document or via e-mail, which provide details on what your virtual assistant has accomplished for the day. Instead of checking each of the assigned tasks to the VA, you can simply depend on their daily report in the meantime. This works perfectly if you do not have easy access to your workspace or you are preoccupied most of the day. Take note that each of your VAs’ activities may require the use of a different software application. Thus, it is virtually impossible to access everything instantly.

The said reports are also most helpful in cases of disputes. First, it could be your virtual assistant’s reference whenever you are looking for a certain activity that should have been accomplished on a given date. There will be probable instances that you may miss out the updates from your VA, resulting in you thinking that he or she has not done anything. The report somehow gives the virtual assistant security. Second, you may also take advantage of the reports to gauge if your VA is being productive in a day or otherwise. If the latter is ascertained, then you could at least solve the issue immediately.

Accomplishment reports could be a list of tasks done during the day. Alternatively, it may also include the documents related to the completed activities, such as a spreadsheet or word file. You may freely set a format of the daily report, if you prefer.

From the given facts above, you could already see that virtual assistance may work for you regardless of your hectic schedule. In remote staffing, communication is a foundation. All it takes is making use of it in the most efficient ways.