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4 crucial ways to keep old friendships strong

<p>As you age it can be quite common to have fewer friends than you did in your twenties or thirties. Family commitments, distance and health issues can all play a part in the changes to your friendships.</p> <p>So it’s more important than ever to nurture and develop the relationships that you do have.</p> <p><strong>1. Keep it real</strong></p> <p>Instead of texting or emailing, try to make a point of calling a friend to catch up or ideally meeting up regularly. Nothing beats face to face communication for strengthening bonds. If they’re too far away, try to arrange a time to meet up in the future so that you both have something to look forward to. Why not send them a letter with an invitation – it’s much more personal than an email.</p> <p><strong>2. Always be honest</strong></p> <p>If a friend is bothering you or you just have a lot going on and can’t catch up – always just be honest with them. Saying something like ‘I have a lot on my plate this month, can we catch up another time’ is a lot better than ignoring phone calls and being aloof. And remember that nobody is a mind reader, so tell them how you are feeling if something is not quite right.</p> <p><strong>3. Be there to offer help when needed</strong></p> <p>If a friend is sick, bereaved, or just seems down – be the first one to step in and offer a hand. Dropping off a meal or a cake, offering to walk their dog or collecting some groceries for them is a great help that will be appreciated. Know that they would do the same for you if the roles were reversed.</p> <p><strong>4. Keep a diary</strong></p> <p>Sometimes friends can get frustrated if they feel that they are doing all the organising for catch ups. Why not keep a diary and make notes for yourself for when you should contact someone to say hello or to plan a weekend away. It will stop you from double booking yourself, and will also help you keep track of birthdays and special anniversaries.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

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The crucial difference between “Save” and “Save As”

<p><em><strong>Lisa Du is director of <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://readytechgo.com.au/" target="_blank">ReadyTechGo</a></span>, a service that helps people gain the confidence and skills to embrace modern technology. </strong></em></p> <p>Many clients tell us that they religiously save their working documents, but these documents seem to just disappear into a black hole in their computer. <br /> <br /> We see this a lot, where documents are not saved to a certain location, and it takes some detective work to find out where that document lives! <br /> <br /> The answer to your woes lies in using "Save As"! <br /> <br /> <strong>What’s the difference between clicking 'Save' vs 'Save As'?</strong><br /> <br /> When you choose the <strong>Save</strong> option, you are updating the last saved version of your work, so that it matches the current version that you see on your screen. <br /> <br /> When you choose the <strong>Save As </strong>option, you will receive a prompt to:</p> <ul> <li>Name the document </li> <li>The location of your document (where is this file going to live? In last week's newsletter, we talked about replicating your paper filing system on your computer!)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Here's a good habit to get into:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Use the <strong>Save As</strong> option when you've created a <strong>new</strong> document, and this is the first time you are saving it.</li> <li>By using Save As, you can give your new document a proper name, and file it away in the correct folder Example: Documents Folder</li> <li>Use the <strong>Save</strong> option when you are editing an existing document which already has a name and a home to live (you've already determined which folder to save the document in). When you use the Save option, it replaces the current version.</li> </ul>

Technology