It’s Time For Digital Spring Cleaning

It doesn’t take long for apps to collect on a tablet, emails to pile up in an inbox and data to be a drain on a smartphone.

So while you’re scrubbing the floors and organizing your closets, why not take some time to tidy up your digital environment?  Here’s a checklist to get you started:

·         Update your passwords.  Many of us use the same one for multiple sites.  Instead use different passwords for your critical accounts and remember to change them frequently. 

·         Cut digital clutter.  Unsubscribe from e-newsletters, daily deals and other emails you don’t read.  And delete apps that haven’t been used in a while and may be siphoning more than just space.

·         Clean up contact lists.  Look through the contact lists on your phone and e-mail accounts.  Delete the ones you never contact and update out-of-date information.

·         Sell or recycle unwanted gadgets.  Make some cash out of unused gear by selling it, donating it or recycling it.  If you’re going to sell an old computer, be sure to back up all your files and wipe the hard drive.

·         Delete old and unused files.  Go through all those folders on your computer and delete anything that’s no longer of use.  This will clear up memory on your machine so you can now save new data.  To get rid of what you’ve deleted for good, use a hard-drive wiping program

·         Clean and organize.  Don’t neglect your computer, keyboard, monitor and cabling.  Spring is a natural time to wipe down devices, blow crumbs from the keyboard and use bread ties or Zipties to tidy up loose wires and cabling.