If you work in a large office, chances are you've been there. Frantically rushing to dial into a conference call as the leader. The faster you go, the sloppier you get, increasing the likelihood you will misdial the phone number, conference code or PIN. Then, you get the dreaded robot message, "The number you have entered is not valid. Please try again..."

Click...AAAARGH!!!

Second try. Rushing even more this time you hit a wrong number. Robot message. Is this really happening?!

Finally, on the third try you gather your wits, slow it down, and success! Congratulations would be in order, except because of the impromptu Riverdance your fingers just performed, you are just hoping the participants are still there.

However, there IS a better way.

Your mobile phone has a "pause" key which causes a wait of about 2 seconds while dialing. Two pauses equals 4 seconds, three equals 6, etc. By using the pause, you can program your conference call number as a contact in your phone so the conference code and PIN will be dialed for you at the proper moments. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the timing right, but this is time well spent. So you put in the phone number, a pause(s) (represented by a comma), the conference code, pause(s), and then the PIN.

For example, my fake "Joe's con call" contact would look this (I've redacted the PIN):

+1(201) 333-2923,,,13842109#,,,*,,XXXXX#

This link explains how to use the pause for several types of mobile phones.

Depending on your desk phone, you may be able to work a similar solution, but alas, mine does not support pauses.

No more Riverdance and let the Zen dialing begin! EZPZ.

The laces on dress shoes have always driven me crazy, ever since I started wearing them. Unlike sneaker laces, they have a waxy coating on them that makes them slippery. As a result, you have two options:

a) Single-knot and constantly bend down to re-tie them
b) Double-knot, which doesn't look great and is a pain to undo

In this video, Terry Moore shows that with one small change in how you loop the knot (under instead of over), you end up with a much more secure single-knot. I started doing this and it is well worth the effort. However, I made small a tiny change to his technique that makes it even easier. Instead of reversing the looping part, reverse the initial X you make when tying your shoes instead. This is a lot easier than going against many years of muscle memory for the looping part.

Either way, problem solved - EZPZ!

Does planning a meeting across time zones make you sweat? Are you jealous of people who can effortlessly tell what time it is in other countries? Sometimes when I get on an international call and no one else is on I start to get paranoid about being an hour too early or late.

Fortunately there is an #EasyPeasy way to view 2 additional time zones from your desktop clock.

Here's how you do it:
1. Click on the time and date in the lower right corner of your desktop.
2. Click on "Change date and time settings."
3. Switch over to the Additional Clocks tab.
4. Tick one of the checkboxes labeled "Show this clock."
5. Select the time zone you'd like to track.
6. Give each clock a label under "Enter display name."
7. Last, click "Apply" then "OK" and you're done!

Now for the fun part. If you want to see the time zones simply:
A) HOVER over the time and a pop-up window will appear with all your time zones in digital format; or
B) CLICK on the time and your clocks will appear in a pop-up window.

Now rest easy Time Lords!