Do you look after your tech? You might think that having good tech habits is only for geeks, but that can’t be further from the truth. Good tech habits are the best way to save money and frustrations down the line when using your tech. And the best part is that they only take a few minutes to practice. From securing your personal information to protecting yourself from viruses, here are 10 healthy tech habits you need to have:
1. Protect Your Device On Public Wi-Fi
A public Wi-Fi is an unprotected network and should be avoided because it can put your computer or phone at risk. But sometimes you can be in desperate need of internet and a public Wi-Fi can seem like a blessing. This means you just need to be safe while using it. The best ways to protect yourself on a public Wi-Fi connection include avoiding auto-connections, using a VPN, turning off sharing and creating a 2-factor authentication. This might sound like a lot of work, but you have no idea how easy it is for people with evil motives to locate all your private information on a public Wi-Fi.
2. Keep Your Computer Organized
If you don’t want to misplace or accidentally delete documents, organizing your computer is a healthy habit to have. Many of us like placing files everywhere, making our desktop and hard drive cluttered instead of adopting a simple file system to separate and organize our files and documents. The biggest disadvantage of having a cluttered computer is that your computer’s performance can take a massive hit, which is usually noticeable when it is booting up (it becomes very slow).
3. Create Secure Password
If your passwords are usually simple four-letter passwords, like 1234, your birthday or your pet’s name, you need to change them immediately, as those passwords are not secure. Whether its an email, bank account or social media password, you need to make sure that it contains alphanumeric characters (both in uppercase and lowercase) and that it is at least 6 or more characters long. If you store a lot of valuable information on your computer this is a must-have tech habit.
4. Update Your Social Media Privacy Settings
Although many social media sites claim to not share your personal information, one can never be too sure. That is why you need to make updating your privacy settings every now and again a habit. Learn what each privacy setting does and edit it according to your preferences.
5. Never Pay Too Much for a Product
Whether you are buying a new phone, computer or even PDF editing software, you need to make sure that you are not paying more than you need to. Many people fall victim to the myth that they need to pay for extra add-ons to their purchases (when, in reality, they don’t really need them), such as extended warranties or some extra features. It pays to shop around and consider a few alternatives if you want to get the best deal and save money in the process.
6. Always Lock Your Phone
Following this healthy tech habit is the best thing you could ever do to keep your phone secure. Think about it, how much vital information (bank accounts, identification and email addresses) do you keep on your phone? Probably a lot. Which is why you wouldn’t want it to get in the wrong hands (especially your email addresses since they are connected to a lot of things). Modern phones allow you to set up lock screens that can only be unlocked with passwords and even fingerprints. So take advantage of those.
7. Create Backups for Your Phone and Computer
While it doesn’t happen often, system crashes that can wipe your data happen. Losing all your valuable files in a blink of an eye can be frustrating or demoralizing, especially when you didn’t back them up. Luckily for you, modern phones and computers provide tools that allow you to easily backup your important files and restore them in the event of a crash.
8. Clean Up Your Inbox Regularly
How often do you clean and organize your inbox? If you don’t do it at least once a week, your inbox will get cluttered. Taking the time to declutter your inbox can save you from dealing with email overload. If you can’t clean your inbox every day, set a time to do it at least once a week. A cluttered inbox, especially if it is for work, is not conducive to productivity.
9. Protect Your Computer from Viruses
Viruses can cause all sorts of mayhem on your computer, from making it crash to deleting important files. The worst part is that viruses can be transmitted from one PC to another. So the first thing you should do before you connect your computer to the internet or other computers is make sure it has an antivirus protecting it. Also, you should avoid downloading suspicious email attachments or anything from internet ads, as those are the most common ways viruses infect computers.
10. Save Often
Many of us forget this important tech habit when typing up long documents. While all tech is designed to be extremely reliable, it does crash every now and then, which is why saving often is highly recommended if you don’t want to lose your work. Every time you type a few sentences or a paragraph, hit the save icon. If that seems like a chore, you can use keyboard shortcuts like CTRL + S on Windows and CMD + S on Mac to save your work.
11. Sit Up Straight
A good posture is very important if you want to avoid back problems in future. That is why you must make an effort to sit up straight every time you are at your desk and working on your computer. If you work on your computer most of the day, you should create an ergonomic desk set up or invest in an ergonomic chair. You should also avoid slumping your neck when looking at your phone by keeping it at eye level when using it.
Technology is a huge aspect of our lives, and using it in a smart and sensible way is one way to make sure it works for us instead of against us. As you can see, these healthy tech habits are simple and yet so effective. So following them religiously should not be a problem.
