"Spring Cleaning" For Your Digital Life

When you think of “Spring Cleaning,” your mind automatically goes to cleaning carpets, finding the bottom of your catch-all drawer, or even deep cleaning your refrigerator. However, digital spring cleaning is just as important. Sometimes, this happens when you get a new device, but that might not be on the horizon. Taking the initiative to go through your devices is essential to keep them working correctly and keep hackers out of your private information.

One of the first things you should do is manage your passwords effectively. These passwords should be long and complex; you should safely store them in a password manager system. Make a plan to change them every 3-4 months, making the password manager system important.

Do you use all the apps you have on your phone? Did you download something spur of the moment while out shopping somewhere? You will never shop there again, so there is no reason they should have access to your data. Deleting unused apps from your phone will free up necessary space and remove clutter. It is also a good idea to go through your settings and ensure that your privacy settings are set the way you want. Remove any strange or unfamiliar items that you do not recognize. Be careful not to delete anything essential to you.

Sometimes, on social media, people think that the more friends you have, the better. However, this may not always be the case. Consider letting go of some people you do not want to share so much with. It doesn’t have to be cutthroat deletion, but some probably would not even know you have parted ways.

In addition to deleting things, it is vital to set up scheduled backups for all your devices, whether your phone, computer or any other device. This will ensure a good record of what is included on your devices. 

So before you get that mop out, sit down with your phone and get cracking on some serious cleaning of your digital footprint.