Spring is here and as you wash your windows, disinfect your home, and wipe down those LED screens — including your phone, TV, and computer monitor — it’s a good idea to do some digital decluttering, too.
Streamline Your Inbox
Are you drowning in emails? Take a few hours to delete newsletters and other recurring emails you don’t need — like expired coupons or offers for favorite stores and restaurants. While you’re at it, unsubscribe to those who keep sending you emails you never open.
Many people use their email as a backup system and paper trail for business correspondence. You may not want to delete old emails, but you can archive them or sort them into folders so they’re easy to find if you ever need them.
Organize Your Files
Do your hard drive filing system and desktop also need some decluttering? Delete anything you don’t need to free up hard drive space. It might even make your computer run faster. Read more tips for cleaning your home computer or laptop here.
Update your Virus Software
Are you running anti-virus and malware software to keep your computer safe from attack? If you’re not, you should be.
Here's some good news: You don’t need to leave your home to find free anti-virus software or to purchase a more robust program. Browse the internet on your secure Wifi connection to find the best anti-virus software to fit your needs and budget, then download and install it. You may be surprised at what you find when you run the first scan.
Sync Your Phone to Your Computer
Syncing your phone to your computer can provide a host of benefits. It can provide integrated access to all your apps from either device, and it also offers an automatic backup of all your files. You can sync your iPhone to iCloud, while your Samsung smartphone or other Android devices can sync up with Google Drive.
Back Up Your Photos
Is your smartphone running short on memory after storing your holiday and vacation photos all winter? Save them on your computer hard drive or use your Consolidated Communications internet connection to store them with a service like Shutterfly. This way, it will be easy to share photos with friends and family and order prints whenever you need them.
Establish a Backup System for Your Files
It’s not just your photos you should back up consistently. Your Consolidated Communications Wifi connection makes it easy to back up all your important files to the cloud. If you use a Windows PC, you can use OneDrive to sync your MS Office files to the cloud. Otherwise, save copies of important documents in Google Drive, Dropbox, or another cloud-based service.
Delete Unnecessary Apps
Is your phone as cluttered as your hard drive? Take a few minutes to download unnecessary apps on your phone to free up even more storage space.
Don’t neglect your smart home speakers, either. Delete Alexa skills you no longer use. Let’s be honest: the Alexa “Fart Sounds” skill was only funny for the first five minutes. You can also delete old recordings and lists.
Google Home users may want to delete old Notes and Lists, as well as “ghosted devices” that may have been created when you first set up your Google Home Assistant.
Set Your Passwords to Something Easy to Remember, Yet Hard to Guess
Experts used to recommend changing your passwords every few months, but that’s not necessary. You only need to change your passwords if there’s been a breach of data or if the passwords you’ve chosen aren’t very secure in the first place. Choose a password, passphrase, or collection of numbers, letters, and symbols that are easy for you to remember but hard for you (or hacking technology) to decode.
Now that you’re done with cleaning your technology and your home, sit back, relax, and get set to watch some of the best new and returning shows on cable for the spring. From the internet and Wifi to cable and phone service, Consolidated Communications has you covered.