So, seemingly, one of the problems with using multiple user accounts to separate work and play is that you might have some data that you want to share between the two accounts, but which should actually be stored in someone’s “My Documents” folder. Take music, for instance. I listen to my music at work and at home, so where should it go? Under my work account or under my home account?

As it turns out, you can have the data appear in both places by placing it in

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\My Documents

So, my music placed in

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\My Documents\My Music

will magically appear in both my work and my home accounts’ “My Music” directories. In fact, anything placed in the “All Users” directory in this fashion will work this way.

Like most things I think, say, or do: this isn’t earth shattering. But it has certainly made things a bit easier for me. And, of course, this technique assumes that you haven’t by-passed the entire “My Documents” paradigm. For example, on my desktop I’ve setup a separate drive to store my data.

Here’s an interesting tip for those who use the same computer for work and personal use: create different accounts for personal use and another for work.

I use a laptop that my employer bought. It’s been an amazing convenience—and has contributed to the huge increase in productivity I’ve seen in the past couple of months. (Getting Things Done by David Allen has also been a significant factor.) I’ve always hated, though, that email from work often interrupted my play. Even if Outlook was closed, there was always the temptation to open it and check my mail.

Having separate accounts ensures that I’m not going to be tempted to check mail over the weekend. And, if I absolutely, positively wanted to check my email, I can log into my work account.

If you place a shortcut that points to a directory in your Start menu, the shortcut will actually display the contents of the directory and its subdirectories in submenus. Kinda works like the Finder in OS X. Nothing earth shattering, but it’s really cool for a couple of reasons.

First, I find files faster. I often need to dig through a fileserver that contains 50 or more directories. I really only access 5 or 6 of these directories on a regular basis. By putting shortcuts to the directories that I regularly access, I’ve reduced the number of items I have to mentally parse by 40 or more items, making it easier for me to find what I need.

And, second, I find it easier to navigate through the project directories when they are displayed as menus than when they are displayed in a list or as icons. I’m not sure why that is, but there it is.

Again, there’s nothing groundbreaking here, but it’s one of those things that make life a little easier.