Light, Work, and You Winter is here-and with it, short days, long nights, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is scientifically proven that quantity and quality of light plays a significant role in mood and work performance.

Many people spend much more time in front of their computers and/or under indoor lighting conditions where light is fluorescent (green) or incandescent (orange) which contributes to dry, burning eyestrain.

Now we can take advantage of full spectrum lighting - either by using long lasting light bulbs or lamps of all kinds.

Full spectrum light will change way you work and reduce visual fatigue as well as lifting your energy levels. Your eyes are designed to work with sunlight and won't tire as quickly because this energy-efficient light source:

The secret to getting and staying organized is same as answer to "How do you eat a computer?". The answer is "One byte at a time!". Set a monthly reminder and use these tips to crash clutter instead of your hard drive.

Do it for you! Even an occasional clean up will reduce your daily frustration.

BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP Backing up your work on a regular basis gives you security of knowing that even if you do toss something before its time -- you can retrieve it. This makes maintenance a worry free activity. You will be amazed at how much you never refer to again.

Remember, 80 percent of what we file never gets referred to again. I back up my entire hard drive with Norton Ghost onto an external hard drive every week!

EVERYDAY BASICS: Regular maintainance eliminates wasting time searching long directory lists every time you open a file.

Put an exclamation point (!) in front of any folder or subdirectory that you use frequently so it appears at beginning of any directory. (ie, !seminars).

Always review temporary (.tmp) files before deleting.