Working from Home: What are Your Pro Tips?

For the past month and a half, I've had the privilege of working from home.

The benefits are unquestionable:  I don't commute, I simply walk up and down the stairs to go to work; I can pitch in throughout the day if my wife finds herself in a pinch; Should sudden inspiration hit me, I am mere steps away from a comfortable work environment.

But I find that there are some surprising catches that I didn't expect.  For instance, now that my work and home are effectively the same place, it's harder for me to "leave work behind".  Without a commute, there's no time to wind down.  It's much harder to hold "meetings" as I have to work around the sleep schedules of my young children.

Another interesting side-effect is that I am finding myself working more.  After the kids go to bed it's way to easy to walk upstairs and continue what I left behind earlier in the afternoon.  This is time my wife and I have traditionally spent together.  I also tend to "get to work" earlier, walking upstairs with coffee in hand, having spent only a few minutes walking around downstairs like a zombie til I am almost fully awake.

So, while working from home is truly an awesome thing (at least for me), I'm finding that it requires a completely different set of coping mechanisms.  I wanted to toss out the question to all of you that do or have had the opportunity to work from home:

What survival skills have you developed to allow you to be more productive while working from home?

Leave your comments below, and after a bit, I'll compile these pro tips into a blog post.

The Last Dying Gasps of Cancer

As many of you may know, my oldest son, Cole, was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia), a type of cancer, on November 14, 2007, just days after his second birthday.  It has been a long, trying road to see him through his treatment.  Much of the first year or so is covered extensively in this blog, and I invite you to peruse the archives going back to November of 2007.  But there is wonderful news to report.

On January 17, 2011, Cole took his last dose of chemo.  It was a monumental event, one that we had planned on celebrating with a small party of close friends who have been with us on this journey.  But, alas, the party was not meant to be, at least not yet.

Cancer had one last, desperate attempt to rope us back into the land worry and concern that pervades any experience with cancer.  One last dying gasp, if you will.

Our family had been sick for about a week, with each of us but Cole having a moderate cold.  The two younger kids ran fevers and felt miserable, but as he has been wont to do during his whole treatment, Cole seemed to be riding it out unscathed.

Then, the Saturday before the 17th, just two days before Cole was done with chemo, it happened, he ran a fever.  In peds cancer-land, if you have a fever, you earn a trip straight to the hospital.  If you're lucky, it's on a weekday, during business hours, so you get to go hang out at clinic.  If not (and we never were lucky) you get to go sit in the ER for hours on end.

So, Dalynn and I accessed Cole, he and I packed a bag, and off to the ER we went!

Now, Cole and I are old pros at handling these visits.  You get to be that way after 3+ years.  So, we came prepared with iPhone and lots of games.  We got ushered back to a room quickly, got our stuff down, then turned on the TV and BOOM!  Star Wars: A New Hope was on!  (Epic, truly epic...)

The doctors and nurses came and went, there were x-rays taken, and then there was some distressing issues with his line.  We had to de-access and re-access his port (which he hates) but things got cleared up.  Since Cole wasn't running any more fevers, after about 5 hours and 4 new iPhone apps we got to go home.

A call came in the next day, Sunday, in the early afternoon:  Cole has a slight touch of pneumonia, take an anti-biotic.  No big deal.

Then, a couple hours later, we got the dreaded second call from CHKD:  His lab cultures grew something, come back in.

Bah, a second trip to the ER!  Now we're just one day from end of chemo.

So, Cole and I grab the bag we had packed and off we go.

This time, I was fairly certain that we'd be admitted and staying for a few days.  Much to my surprise, we were let out a mere 4 hours later, no fevers, repeat labs, everything looked fine.

Monday, the 17th, we went to follow up with clinic and also have a GI consult.  They had spotted elevated liver enzymes and Cole's liver was enlarged.  Thus began our (hopefully) last medical mystery in cancer-land.

There was a lot of worrying and concern, I have to say, and Cole went the following Friday for an ultra-sound and a doppler of his liver, but I'm happy to report that the liver concerns were most likely the result of some virus, and his levels have normalized.  I thought especially of our friends the Lemn's who have endured a liver transplant for their young daughter.

These things have a way of making you feel grateful for what you do have, especially when confronted with what you might lose or don't know.  While it was a bit of a rude awakening and it really reminded us of darker days, back when Cole was so sick, it's almost refreshing.  This is something we won't have to live with much longer.

At the end of February/beginning of March, Cole will be completely done with both chemo and anti-fungals.  His port will come out and we'll be ushered from the world of "my son has cancer" to the world of "my son had cancer".  What a glorious thing.

Porting Numbers from AT&T to Google Voice (Updated)

Google is testing the option to port your number from your current carrier to your Google Voice account.  For some, the option has shown up and then disappeared, for others, it was never there.  For me, the option is still available.

However, porting a number in modern day carrier parlance signals that you are cancelling your account.  According to AT&T, the contract resides on the number, and you cannot move the contract to a different number.

Therefor, if you're tied into a contract on the number you wish to port to Google Voice, then you cannot port that number without incurring any cancellation penalties that you might be subject to.

The good news is that if you do port your number, you have 59 days in which to come back without incurring the penalties.  But, you have to bring the same number back.

Turns out those numbers are gold.

Update:  Google has officially started rolling this out to everyone (over time).  They also confirm that porting your number cancels your contract with your carrier.

Lifehacker has a nice write up on the ins-and-outs of porting your number to Google Voice, go check it out.

(Image pulled from Lifehacker)

Switching: iPhone to Android (Email)

Once you're contacts are moved over, you need to move your email.  Now, let's be frank:  Gmail is one of the killer apps on the Android platform.  Though many a BlackBerry addict may disagree, it is by far the best email client on any mobile device.  It supports all of the major Gmail features:  threaded conversations, labels, search, etc.  The Gmail client on Android is light years beyond the native client on the iPhone, and once you get used to it, you won't want to go back.

The problem here, though, is that the Android Gmail client works with just Gmail.  If you're already a Gmail/Google user, this is a non-issue for you.  When you sign into your Android phone, your mail will come over automatically.  You don't have to fuss or fret.  It'll just be there.

If you're not a Gmail user you're faced with some decisions.  Once again we come back to the crux of the Android platform:  really getting the best out of Android requires a commitment to Google.  So, what are your options?

Switch to Gmail
The most effective, but probably the most drastic method (if you're committed to your email provider), is to switch your email over to Google and use Gmail lock, stock and barrel.  There are a lot of ways to do this.  Probably the easiest is to just start using Gmail without bringing any old messages along with you.  Send out the "this is my new email" message and call it a day.

However, that might not be an option for a lot of folks.  History is important, and those old email messages are your history.  Taking them with you might be high on your list.

If your old email provider is a POP provider, you can import your email into Gmail using the import feature.  Google has a great tutorial on the subject which will walk you through importing from some common email providers.  This method should really work for any POP provider, though, so even if your provider isn't on the list, don't give up, try anyway.  Don't forget to check the box that you'd like to be able to send email as from that account, too.  That way, you can still be seen as sending email from your old email address.

Pro Tip:  You can still use your old email account through Gmail.  Setting it up this way, via POP, means that Gmail becomes your mail client, just like Outlook or Thunderbird.  The feature that really makes it possible is the one that allows you to select which account you're sending from.  When you create a message, click on the top of the compose message window where your Gmail address is and you'll get the option to select any account that has been verified.  Since Gmail is pulling your messages from your old account, and since you're sending messages as from that account, no one will know that you've changed.

Another method revolves around using your current email client (including the iPhone) to connect to Gmail via an IMAP connection.  Once you do that, you can copy over any messages that you would like to keep on Gmail.  Here's a tutorial from the Gmail FAQ on how to go about it.  There's a second page attached to the first, linked to configuration instructions under the "Great, how do I get started?" heading.  Look for the configuration methods for your primary email client.  Just keep in mind, this is going to be a bit easier on a desktop.

Switching to Gmail for the Insane Over-Achiever
The above IMAP method works if you have a few hundred or so messages to copy over.  But, what if you have more? A whole lot more?  I found a great tutorial on setting up a local email server on your machine (looks like it's rather Windows-centric) and using that email server to move your files over via POP.  This is by no means a simple process, though.  Just keep in mind that this is for the advanced (and slightly crazy) user.  Attempt at your own risk!

But I Love My Email Provider
So, switching to Gmail isn't for you?  Don't despair, you're not completely up the creek, though you may be in for a sub-excellent email experience.  If you're on Yahoo, there is a Yahoo mail app that you can place on your phone.  As well, most modern Android phones ship with a native email client other than Gmail.  You should be able to set up that email client to connect to your old email via POP.

Wrap Up
Moving to a new email provider can be tough, traumatic work.  But in the end, it will make your life better, insofar as your Android phone is concerned.  The Gmail client on Android is the best email client out there, matching all of the major Gmail features.  Using it is a sheer joy, especially when you come from such an archaic email client as the native iPhone client.

But, if switching isn't in the cards for you, you will still probably have options.  The great thing about Android is that there's an app for most anything.  You can most likely find a good email app to work with.

Switching: iPhone to Android (Contacts)

First and foremost, you need contacts.  You certainly don't want to actually remember the phone number and email address of every person you know or have met in passing.  That's why smartphones were originally invented!  No, you probably have a whole slew of contacts stored in your iPhone.

So, how do you get your contacts out?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is situational.  There are several ways to manage your contacts on an iPhone:  natively;  via Exchange;  via third party providers like Google or Yahoo.  If you're already using Google to manage your contacts on your iPhone, well, you're done.  For every other option there's a bit of elbow grease involved.

Mail account type selection screen

If You Already Use Your Google Account on Your iPhone
It is important to note that there are two ways to set up your mail for Gmail on your iPhone, but only one of which allows you to sync your contacts.

If you selected "Gmail" when creating your email account on your iPhone, this does not sync your contacts with Google.  You are also not getting "push" mail.  You're only checking the server every 15 minutes or so for your email.  If you created your Gmail mail account this way, then your contacts are being managed by other means.

Example Google Account via Exchange

However, if you get push mail, then you set up your Gmail account through the "Microsoft Exchange" option.  This will give you the ability to sync your contacts.

You can check if you are syncing your contacts by going to Settings -> "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and choosing your Gmail account (it will be named yourusername@gmail.com, most likely).  Choose that account, and if Contacts is set to "on" (as pictured on the right), then your contacts are already synced with your Google account.

Pro Tip:  If Google is managing your contacts, then all of your iPhone contacts will appear in your "My Contacts" group in your Gmail account.  When you switch to Android, your Android phone will pull not only this group, but all of your contacts in Gmail, so you may end up with more contacts in Android than you have on the iPhone.

Native:  Via iTunes
If you use the iPhone Contacts app to natively manage your contacts, then they will be synced up with the iTunes profile for your phone.  Syncing your contacts into your Google account is rather easy, once you know what to do.  The basic gist is that there is an option in iTunes to sync your contacts to your Google account.

Here are the how-tos from Google:

For PC
For Mac

Via Exchange
If you use Exchange to manage your contacts, email and calendar, then it's very likely that you are an enterprise user.  There's no easy and straight forward way to go from Exchange to your Google account, but there is a tried-and-true method for contacts:  the CSV file.

The short answer:  Export your contacts from Outlook into a CSV (comma separated value) file, then import that CSV file into Gmail.

There are literally hundreds of sites which can tell you how to do each of these steps, but here's an article on c|net which walks you through the process from start to finish on Outlook 2003 and 2007.  The article is from 2008 (meaning the Gmail import may be slightly different now-a-days), but should demonstrate the export process well enough:

Exporting contacts from Outlook to Gmail

Here's the Google help page for importing a CSV file into Gmail:

Importing a CSV file into Gmail

Pro Tip:  Even if your iPhone is using an Exchange account for your contacts, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're connecting to an Exchange server.  A lot of third party providers, for instance Google, use the Exchange format as it is a standard way to sync email, contacts and calendars on the iPhone.

Via Third Party Providers
If you use a third party provider other than Google to manage your contacts on your iPhone, then you will need to look up how to move from your third party account to your Google account.  Two of the big ones are Yahoo and Hotmail.  Keep in mind that this is more of a question of moving your contacts from your current provider to your Google account, not necessarily from your iPhone directly.

For moving contacts from Yahoo to your Google account, look here:

Import Yahoo contacts into Gmail (when you export, export for Microsoft Outlook, then follow the above instructions for importing a CSV file into Gmail)

To move from Hotmail to Google, look here:

Google Support on Moving from Hotmail to Gmail

For any other providers, you will need to look them up individually.  A useful Google search is "export contacts from XXXXXX into Gmail", where XXXXXX is the provider you're using.

Switching: iPhone to Android

In case you missed it, Android is hot.  So hot, in fact, that according to Nielsen (as reported by Boy Genius Report) it's picked up the highest adoption rate in the past six months.  40.8% of all smartphones purchased in the last six months were Android phones.  While iOS still has the largest consumer footprint among smartphones in the US, with 28.6% of smartphones overall being iOS devices, Android devices have pulled to within 2.8%, with 25.8% of smartphones overall being Android devices, and the rate of growth far exceeds that of iOS.

Given those figures, even if you're a current iOS fanboy user, it's highly likely that you've given some thought to what it would be like to switch to an Android phone.  You know, just thought about it.  But, how does one go about such a thing?  

Switching smartphones is quite a daunting prospect, in some ways more difficult than switching computer OSes.  How do you get your contacts, email and calendar transferred?  What about the apps you use day in and day out?  The answers may surprise you.

Before we get into the basics, though, let's talk about one of the killer, compelling reasons to use an Android phone:  Google.

Most Android phones (some of the Samsung phones on Verizon being the notable exceptions) are tightly integrated with the Google experience.  By tightly, I mean that your contacts, email, calendar, IMs, etc will all reside in the cloud, synced with Google's servers.  This is a beautiful, beautiful thing.  If your phone ever dies or you switch to another Android phone, the fact that everything is synced in the cloud means that getting it all back is as easy as signing in to your Google account on your Android phone.  

While using an Android phone without a Google account is doable, why would you want to do this?  Some of the true power of Android is derived from this close association with the Google services.  Another way to look at it is like this:  If you don't want to buy into the Google experience lock, stock and barrel, then an Android phone probably isn't for you.  

It doesn't mean you have to use Google solely, there are great apps out there for things like Yahoo Mail and Messenger, for instance.  But, if you don't even want to set up a Google account and use the killer Google provided apps, then maybe you should stick with your iPhone.  You'll probably be a lot happier in the long run.

The blog posts in this series are designed to give a bit of a walk through on switching from your iPhone to an Android phone.  We'll cover the basics, such as moving your contacts, email and calendar.  We'll also delve into some of the alternatives Android provides to the iOS ecosystem, like living without iTunes, or better yet, living with iTunes and Android.  We'll take a look at killer apps that you can't (and shouldn't) live without, and we'll look at shortcomings of both the iPhone and Android.  Finally, in the end there will hopefully be a clear path on how to migrate from your iPhone to an Android phone.

Be forewarned, though:  This is not for the faint of heart.  It is not without pain and it's not as easy as pushing a button and making it go.  But, in the end, you can move from your iPhone to an Android phone, and when you do, you may never look back.

Series Posts
Switching Contacts