Monthly Archives: August 2010

Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in the day to day operations of running my business, I lose sight of the really important big picture. It’s a very easy thing to do, and pretty common when it comes to small businesses. One of the best things I did recently was to actually take some time off. It allowed be to get away from the minutia of running my business, and let my mind start to think a bit more about the larger picture. One of the things I realized, was that even though my business was profitable, it wasn’t growing at all. It had become pretty stagnant over the last few months, and the only way for me to grow it, was to free up some of my time.

Hiring employees to do work was one possibility, but not one I was ready to consider at the moment. Automation was however another strong possibility. Handling the management of orders was a big hassle for me to do, so I took a look at some order processing software to see what it could do for me. I was pleasantly surprised to see the number and quality of available applications off the shelf available for me to work with. While, I knew there would be a learning curve to getting things started, that in the long run it would be beneficial. Several months later, I now see opportunities that would have been impossible before hand due to my time constraints. Continue reading →

One of the most popular undertakings as people get older, is that of learning a new language. When were young, and learn a new language, it’s pretty easy. We’re learning and developing all kinds of new skills including language. It’s easier it seems, because our brains are like little sponges. We just keep sucking up everything we see and hear around us as our bodies are wired to work that way. But, as we get older, our ability to learn new and interesting things get’s more difficult. Yep, it’s that “teaching an old dog new tricks” thing. If your really determined though, there’s no reason why you can’t do something like learn a new language at any age.

Computers are pretty great for learning new languages. They’re incredibly patient teachers, and if you get the right language learning software, you’ll find it goes pretty quick. Actually, it can go as slow or quickly as you need it to. That’s the beauty of computer based teaching. You get to learn at whatever rate is comfortable for you. One other advantage of using a computer to learn a new language, is that you get to put it into practice right away. Think about it. Your computer is connected through the internet to every country around the world. There are thousands or possibly millions of people that speak your new language on the internet. You can chat with them, MSN message with them, video call them, and read websites written in that language. It’s almost a truly immerse language learning experience right in your own home. Continue reading →